THROGGS NECK, N.Y. – The Maritime basketball team opened up the 2016-17 season with a victory over the Lehman Lightning on Tuesday night by the score of 85-83.
 
The win snaps Maritime's two-game losing streak on season openers, with Maritime's last win on an opening night coming back in 2013-14, when the team knocked off Sarah Lawrence.
 
Leading the way for Maritime was junior Patrick MacDonald (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius), who collected the second-highest point total of his career with 27 points including a pair of free throws in the closing second, which proved to be the difference in the game. His career high came late last season against Mount St. Mary, when MacDonald poured in 30 points against the Knights. The junior also secured 13 rebounds, which also led the team.
 
Senior Brendon Halligan (Durham, N.Y./Cairo-Durham) got off to a hot start for the Privateers with 18 points, including a team-high 10 in the opening half. Halligan also led the team with six assists, as he was tied with junior Isaiah Hayes (Jamaica, N.Y./Queens Teaching), who also recorded six assists. Hayes also recorded eight points and nine rebounds in the win.
 
Senior Tim Hoch (Coventry, R.I./Fishers Island (N.Y.)) had nine points, and also had one steal; he was 1-of-5 from beyond the arc with the one coming as time expired in the first half to pull Maritime back within one heading into the locker room. Freshman Malik Clark (Central Islip, N.Y./Central Islip) rounded out the starting lineup for the Privateers and began his career with 13 points and five assists as he was 5-of-7 from the field.
 
Junior Tim McQuail (Middle Village, N.Y./Cathedral Prep) had five points off the bench, while freshman Brendan McGovern (Seaford, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) made his collegiate debut and made a three-point basket. Junior Akil Spruill (Queens, N.Y./Holy Cross) also added a bucket, while senior Bobby Parlow (Bay Head, N.J./Point Pleasant Beach) returned to the floor for the first time since the 2014-15 season and pulled down two rebounds.
 
The Privateers were sluggish out of the gate and fell behind by an 11-3 score. MacDonald dropped a jumper while Hayes netted back-to-back baskets to trim the deficit to two. With 13:42 left in the opening half, it was Halligan from beyond the arc to give the Privateers their first lead of the game at 12-11.

Lehman built its lead back up to seven, but McGovern sank a three-pointer, followed by a jumper from Spruill to pull Maritime within one possession. Lehman regained some distance with 1:34 left in the half with an eight-point advantage once again at 39-31.
 
MacDonald sank a jumped off an assist from Halligan, followed by a layup from Clark and finally with Hoch's falling three-point shot from the left elbow to send Maritime into the intermission down by just one at 39-38.
 
The Privateers hung with the Lightning through the opening minutes of the second half as the sides exchanged baskets. The Privateers took the lead after Hayes pulled down a rebound, and Clark sank the ensuing trip up the court to give Maritime a 46-45 lead.
 
The game see-sawed between who had the lead on the following series of possessions, but McQuail put an end to that with a three-pointer from the top of the arc, followed by a free throw from Hayes and baskets by Clark, MacDonald and Hoch to give the Privateers their largest lead of the game at 73-62 with 5:58 to go in regulation.
 
With five minutes to go in regulation, the game was far from over as Lehman went on a run of its own to trim the deficit back down to two at 79-77 with 2:49 to go. Hoch connected on a pair of free throws to make it a two-possession game once again, but Lehman continued to close the gap and eventually tied the game at 83 with 22 seconds left.
 
After a pair of timeouts, the Privateers had possession and got the ball to MacDonald, who put up a shot that rang off the front iron. However as he was going up for the shot, a Lightning player bumped the shooter and sent MacDonald to the line for a pair. After going 3-for-5 from the line at that point, MacDonald knocked down both free throws with 4.8 seconds left on the clock.
 
Lehman's last-second shot attempt was short of the mark as the Privateers hung on for the 85-83 victory.
 
Maritime (1-0) will face another tall order in its next matchup as the Privateers take on the Oswego Lakers as part of the Max Ziel Tournament on the campus just off of Lake Erie. Game time is slated for 7:30 p.m.
 
Lehman (0-1) will look to rebound off of its season-opening loss this Friday, when the team takes on Johnson State at 6 p.m. as part of the Vassar College tip-off in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.