CASTINE, Maine – The Maritime basketball team returned to action after the holiday break with a matchup against the Maine Maritime Mariners at the Margaret Chase Smith Gymnasium on Friday afternoon. The Privateers fell to the host Mariners by a score of 85-65.
 
During the contest the Privateers were a perfect 14-for-14 on free throw attempts, which is the first time in over 12 seasons that the Privateers have had such success from the charity stripe with at least two free throw attempts in a game. Juniors Patrick MacDonald (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius) and John Liccese (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) led the way with four free throws each.
 
In the loss, freshman Brendan McGovern (Seaford, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) netted a career-high 14 points, while MacDonald was also tied for the team lead with 14. MacDonald also led the team with nine rebounds on the contest, and also held the team lead with a pair of blocks.
 
Liccese was the third Privateer scorer in double figures with 11 points on the game, while also adding a team-best seven assists. Sophomore Michael Walker (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) returned to action and had seven points, while freshman Malik Clark (Central Islip, N.Y./Central Islip) also connected on seven points. Senior Tim Hoch (Coventry, R.I./Fishers Island (N.Y.)) had six points on the afternoon as well as he held the team lead with three steals.
 
The Mariners led the game from start to finish as Maine Maritime evened the all-time series at three games apiece.
 
After the Privateers won the opening tip, Maine Maritime rebounded off of a missed three-point attempt. Maritime got the advantage of a charge called against Maine Maritime, but the Mariners opened the game with a layup after a defensive rebound.
 
Junior Tim McQuail (Middle Village, N.Y./Cathedral Prep) tied the game with his lone basket of the contest with 18:05 left in the opening half to even the score at two. Maine Maritime connected on the next three baskets of the game and eventually held a 14-point lead with 13:39 to go in the half at 18-4.
 
MacDonald knocked down a pair of free throws followed by a layup from Liccese to trim the deficit to 10. McGovern then knocked down back-to-back three-point baskets to slice the lead back down to four at 23-19 at the 9:36 mark. Walker and Clark knocked down three balls to help the Privateers get back to within one possession with about eight minutes left in the half.
 
The lead for Maine Maritime swelled back up to eight, as the Mariners took a 43-35 lead into the halftime break.
 
After the intermission MacDonald opened the half with four unanswered points to get the Privateers within four, but Maine Maritime responded and continued to crash the defensive glass with 36 total rebounds for the Mariners during the contest.
 
The Mariners got their lead to double-figures and did not allow the Privateers back into the game. Maine Maritime took its largest lead of the game at 24 with 3:03 left in the game at 83-59.
 
Junior Josh Raime (Elmont, N.Y./Holy Cross) and senior Bobby Parlow (Bay Head, N.J./Point Pleasant Beach) got on the scoresheet late in the game as the pair combined to go 4-for-4 from the free throw line to help the Privateers to a perfect 14-for-14 on the game. The 100% free throw shooting was the best free-throw shooting performance for the Privateers in over a decade with at least two attempts. Clark, Liccese and MacDonald combined for the remaining 10 free throws.
 
Maritime (4-5, 1-2 Skyline) will wrap up its trip to Maine tomorrow afternoon at 12:00 p.m., as the Privateers take on the Maine-Presque Isle Owls from the Margaret Chase Smith Gymnasium on the Maine Maritime campus.
 
Maine Maritime (2-7, 0-4 NAC) will host Curry at 2 p.m. tomorrow to close out the 2016 calendar season.