CASTINE, Maine – The Maritime basketball team closed out 2016 with a convincing win on Saturday afternoon as the Privateers knocked off the Maine-Presque Isle Owls by the score of 87-66.
 
Senior Tim Hoch (Coventry, R.I./Fishers Island (N.Y.)) led the Privateers with 25 points, including seven three-point baskets as he shot 63 percent from beyond the arc. Junior John Liccese (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) was second on the team with 21 points and also led the Privateers with five assists; classmate Patrick MacDonald (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius) registered a double-double with 16 points and 15 boards.
 
Sophomore Michael Walker (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) led the team with four steals as he contributed with 13 points off the bench. Eight of Walker's 13 points came from the free throw line as he led the team, which shot 19-of-23 from the stripe. Walker and freshman Malik Clark (Central Islip, N.Y./Central Islip) each had three assists on the game.
 
The game was evenly contested between the Privateers and the Owls through the opening 20 minutes before Maritime surged ahead with a 51-32 difference in the second half to register the team's fifth win of the season.
 
The Owls opened the game with the first three points of the season, but senior Brendon Halligan (Durham, N.Y./Cairo-Durham) answered with a three-ball to even the contest at three with 17:32 left in the half. Maritime opened up a five-point lead on a three-point basket by Liccese with 15:45.
 
Maine-Presque Isle held a two-possession lead over the ensuing possessions but Hoch drilled a three-pointer with 4:33 to go in the half to turn a two-point deficit into a one-point advantage. Maritime took a one-point lead into the break as Walker drained a three ball in the closing minutes to put the Privateers ahead by a 36-34 score.
 
In the second half the Privateers took over as MacDonald connected on a short-range jumper and registered the ensuing and-one free throw. MacDonald then sank a layup, and then dunked the ball to give Maritime a nine-point lead at 43-34.
 
The Privateers got the lead to 10 as MacDonald went 2-for-2 from the stripe with 13:12 to go as Maritime opened up a 54-44 advantage. Both teams went cold for the next series of possessions, before Maritime exploded in the final 10 minutes of the half sparked by a MacDonald jumper.
 
Hoch knocked down back-to-back three pointers followed by a basket from the Owls. Hoch then knocked down eight of the game's next 10 points as Maritime held a 21-point lead at 73-52 with 6:47 left in regulation.
 
Maritime's largest lead of the game came from junior Tim McQuail (Middle Village, N.Y./Cathedral Prep), who tallied a layup to put Maritime ahead by a 78-54 score. Walker and junior Akil Spruill (Queens, N.Y./Holy Cross) closed out the scoring down the stretch for the Privateers while senior Liam Ryan (Buffalo, N.Y./Nichols), junior Josh Raime (Elmont, N.Y./Holy Cross), sophomore James Bonner (Timonium, Md./Dulaney) all secured rebounds in the closing minutes.
 
Maritime (5-5, 1-2 Skyline) will return home to Riesenberg Hall Gymnasium on Saturday, January 7 as the Privateers resume league play against the Mount St. Mary Knights at 1 p.m.
 
Maine-Presque Isle (5-6) will take part in the CAN/AM Tournament in New Brunswick, Canada on January 4-5 before taking on fellow Division III Independent member Alfred State at home on January 7.