KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Jan. 16, 2024) – The USMMA men's basketball team pulled out a 76-73 win over the Purchase College Panthers, thanks to some great late-game execution. USMMA improved to 6-10 (3-4 Skyline) with the win, while the Panthers fell to 9-7 (3-4 Skyline).
 
Game Links

• Box Score
• WATCH: Postgame Interview With Drew Zalescik 

It was a contentious first half between the Mariners and the Panthers, as both sides worked to a 6-6 deadlock over the first four minutes, then were tied again at 9 with 13:10 left in the period. The Mariners then opened up a seven point lead with eight minutes left to play, but Purchase quickly trimmed that down to three again with back-to-back layups shortly after. Purchase did manage to go ahead by a point late in the first half, but the Mariners went into the break with a 34-30 edge. Merchant Marine made a living in the paint during the first 20 minutes, outscoring Purchase 18-4 in the restricted area.
 
Junior Drew Zalescik (Lambertville, N.J.) was very efficient in the first half, pouring in 10 points to go along with nine rebounds. Senior Demarcus Spivey (Ashburn, Va.) added seven points of his own.
 
The second half was also hotly contested, as USMMA could not create much breathing room from the Panthers. Over the first 3:31 of the half, Purchase College outscored the Mariners 9-7 to cut the lead to two points.
 
On multiple occasions the Mariners were able to open up multi-possession leads, yet Purchase repeatedly hit shots to stay within three points throughout the middle chunk of the second half.
 
But then with 7:20 left in the game, the USMMA offense found the run they needed. They outscored the Panthers 12-2 in a three-minute stretch, to open up their largest lead of the night at 67-56. Senior Bryce Bristow (Plano, Texas) was key in that run with four points, while sophomore Caleb Hutchins (Buffalo, N.Y.) chipped in three more.
 
Yet as things went all night, Purchase clawed their way back into things late. After USMMA went up nine with 2:46 left, the Panthers cut the lead to five points with just under a minute to play, forcing USMMA to play the free throw game. Despite that being an Achilles' Heel for the Mariners this year, senior Jake Hatch (Austin, Texas), junior Isaac Vencel (Bloomington, Ind.) and Spivey all drained crucial free throws to help seal a 76-73 win for Merchant Marine.
 
Zalescik was the high-scorer and rebounder for USMMA with 17 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double. Demarcus Spivey and Isaac Vencel each chipped in 16, while Bryce Bristow was the fourth man in double figures with 14 points.
 
For the Panthers, Mahamadou Nimaga paced all scorers with 25 points. Matthew Phillips led Purchase with nine boards, and recorded their only block.
 
The Mariners are back in action this Saturday, January 20th, to take on Old Westbury, at home at Liebertz Gymnasium.  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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