KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Jan. 27, 2024) – An eight-point spurt to start the game proved to be enough for the USMMA men's basketball team to hold off Mount Saint Mary College in a gritty 66-61 victory on Saturday at Liebertz Gymnasium. The victory moves the Mariners to 8-11 on the season and evens up their Skyline Conference record at 5-5 on the campaign, while the Knights fall to 5-14 overall and 3-7 in league play on the 2023-24 season.
 
Game Links

• Box Score
• WATCH: Beautiful Alley-Oop Dunk By Bryce Bristow
• WATCH: Postgame Interview With DeMarcus Spivey 

USMMA led the contest thanks to an early 8-0 run in the game's opening five minutes. Senior Bryce Bristow (Plano, Texas) scored the first points of the game with about two minutes gone from the clock before fellow senior DeMarcus Spivey (Ashburn, Va.) hit a free throw and assisted on a lay-up from senior Clark Castleberry (Reston, Va.) to give the Mariners a five-point lead. Junior Drew Zalescik (Lambertville, N.J.) added a lay-up and foul shot as Mount Saint Mary remained without points until three free throws from Justin Rivera at the 13:50 mark of the first half. Zalescik knocked down three free throws of his own with senior forward Jake Hatch (Austin, Texas) scoring on two separate possessions to give USMMA a 15-7 lead at the midway point of the first half.
 
The Mariners kept the visiting Knights at arm's length for much of the first half, despite the efforts of MSMC to bring the game closer. A three-pointer by Ryan Graham cut the Mariners' lead to 21-14 with five minutes to play in the half, but USMMA answered with consecutive buckets from Bristow and Spivey to boost the lead up to an eleven-point margin. Mount Saint Mary struck within seven points on several more occasions, only to be batted back by the Mariners each time as the hosts took a 33-21 lead into the halftime break thanks to Bristow's ninth and tenth points of the half on a jumper with 35 seconds to play.
 
The trend continued into the second half of play with MSMC running off six consecutive points to get within a 37-29 deficit until a Zalescik bucket at 16:58 in the frame put the Mariners back up by ten points. Following a lay-up from junior guard Isaac Vencel (Bloomington, Ind.) with just over six minutes played in the second half to put the hosts up 45-33, the Knights cut the lead down again with a Graham jumper at the midway point of the half bringing the visitors within six points at 45-39. Spivey would answer for USMMA with two jumpers before sophomore guard Caleb Hutchins (Buffalo, N.Y.) nailed a three-pointer off a feed from Vencel to put the Mariners back up by double-digits, with the lead being 52-41 with eight-and-a-half minutes remaining in regulation. MSMC would stage another rally to ultimately pull within four points on a three-pointer from Matthew Walsh with less than three minutes remaining, but the Mariners held firm and controlled the glass down the stretch, including with a pivotal offensive rebound from Vencel to lead to a Bristow lay-up with ninety seconds remaining to put the Mariners up by six and eventually earn the hard-fought victory.
 
Bristow led the Mariners with a team-high 16 points and six rebounds on an afternoon in which he shot 8-for-14 (57%) from the floor. Zalescik added a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) for USMMA in the win as Spivey had 15 points, four steals, and three assists. Vencel chipped in 11 points and a team-best six assists for the Mariners. Hatch and Hutchins each added five points off the bench with the latter also leading the team with two blocks. USMMA shot 48% (27-56) from the floor in the victory and were the benefactors of 18 MSMC turnovers in the contest.
 
Jaylen Figueroa led all scorers with 24 points for Mount Saint Mary, adding 10 rebounds while going 10-for-11 from the free-throw line. Connor Cryan added 11 points for the Knights in the loss.
 
The Mariners return home to Liebertz Gymnasium on Jan. 30 for a 7 p.m. tip with Farmingdale State College to continue Skyline Conference play. The team will welcome special guests to Kings Point to celebrate Great Neck PAL Appreciation Night. Live stats and a live video feed of the game will be available with links on the USMMA Men's Basketball Schedule Page.
 
Receive USMMA Men's Basketball News Right To Your E-Mail!
If you would like to receive the latest news, including all press releases, for the USMMA men's basketball team (or any other team at the academy), sent directly to your e-mail, fill out this form.
 
Follow USMMA Athletics On Social Media!
Be sure to follow USMMA Athletics on social media to get up-to-the-minute updates on your favorite teams! Start following today on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube!