KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Dec. 13, 2023) – The USMMA Men's Basketball team stormed back from a 16-point second-half deficit against York College, but ultimately ran out of time in a 82-75 defeat to the Cardinals on Wednesday night inside the Liebertz Gymnasium. With the loss, the Mariners fall to 4-7, while York improves to 2-7 in victory.
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USMMA raced out to a 24-7 lead against the Cardinals, thanks in part to nine quick points by junior
Drew Zalescik (Lambertville, N.J.). York punched back with a seven-point burst to cut the deficit to 10, but the Mariners held York at arms' length through the rest of the first half and went into the break up by eight, 43-35. Zalescik finished the first half with 16 points (6-10 FG) to lead all scorers, with senior
Bryce Bristow (Plano, Texas) close behind him with 12 points (5-11 FG).
But in the second half, the York College Cardinals came out on fire. They rapidly knotted the score at 46-46, with an 11-3 stretch over the first three minutes in the second half. The teams effectively traded buckets over the next five minutes of game time, working to a 55-55 tie with 12:06 to play. But from there, York kicked it into another gear. The Cardinals put together a 23-5 run over the next eight minutes of play, as Aidony Nivar and Micaiah Goosby each hit a pair of triples, while Tafari Jerome and Tyres Desinor chipped in five more points.
Yet Merchant Marine did not roll over. USMMA ripped off a run of their own, scoring 13 straight points capped off by a Bristow three-pointer to suddenly pull within three points. But a costly turnover and some late free throws by York closed the book on an 82-75 defeat for the Mariners.
Zalescik finished as the game's leading scorer with 23 points (9-15 FG) while adding 12 boards for a double-double. Bristow turned in a strong all-around night with 19 points (6-16 FG), six rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Senior
Jake Hatch (Austin, Texas) set a new career-high with 14 points (6-10 FG) off the bench.
For the Cardinals, Olawale Kila led four double-digit scorers with 19 points and five rebounds. Micaiah Goosby poured in 17 points, Aidony Nivar finished with 14, and Tafari Jerome ended the night with 11.
The Mariners final contest of 2023 is an exhibition against Army up at West Point on Saturday, Dec. 30. Live stats and a live video feed of the game will be available with links on
the USMMA Men's Basketball Schedule Page.
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