Basketball Picks up First Skyline Victory Against St. Joesph's Brooklyn

The Maritime College men's basketball team won its first Skyline Conference game of the 2018 season as they defeated St. Joesph's Brooklyn by a score of 83-65. The Privateers improve to 1-2 in Skyline Conference play. Maritime came out victorious in this road test due to a late first half run which saw the Privateers take the momentum of the game, from that point, they would not look back. After facing their largest deficient of the game at six points with 10 minutes to go in the first half, the Privateers went on a 5-0 run to take the lead. With six minutes left in the first half, the Privateers, now down five, took control of the lead with a 14-5 run to close the half. During that stretch the Privateers received six points each off the hands of Brendan McGovern (Seaford, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) and Brennan Whelan (Northport, N.Y./Northport) to go into halftime with a 38-34 lead. The Privateers started the second half right where they left of, as they quickly jumped out to a 47-38 lead. The Bears would then make a run to take a 53-52 lead with 11 minutes to go in the game. The Bears lead was short lived as the Privateers went on a 11-0 run to take command of the game. The Privateers strong finish gave them the 45-31 margin for the half and the eventual victory. Led by four players with double-digit points, Maritime shot a total of 49.3% from field. The Privateers leading scorers included McGovern with 21 points, Whelan who scored 15, Damon Brown (Bronx, NY/All Hallows) who totaled 13 and Mike Regan (Dix Hills, N.Y./St. Anthony's) who added 10. On offense the Privateers were firing on all levels as they held the margin over the Bears in assists, points off turnovers, points in the paint and three-point field goal percentage. Along with his 15 points, Whelan contributed a game-high nine assists. The sophomore guard has had four games this season in which he scored at least 10 points and added seven assists. The play of the Privateers bench was another key component to their victory tonight. Maritime outscored the St. Joseph's bench 15-8. The Privateers were led off the bench by Chris Ruscillo (Carle Place, N.Y./Carle Place) who pitched in nine points and brought down nine rebounds. Maritime will hit the court next on Thursday December 6 as they return to Riesenberg Hall Gymnasium to face Old Westbury in the "Lace it Up" game. The Privateers will partner up with the Go4theGoal foundation to raise awareness for Pediatric Cancer. Donations will be greatly appreciated upon arrival to Riesenberg Hall Gymnasium.