BRONX, N.Y. (Feb. 7, 2024) – The USMMA men's basketball team lost its Skyline Conference road matchup up at Mount St. Vincent on Wednesday night, 71-66. The setback drops the Mariners' record to 8-14 (5-8 Skyline), while the Dolphins improve to 9-14 (7-6 Skyline) with the triumph.
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Two players recorded double-doubles for the Mariners, as senior
Bryce Bristow (Plano, Texas) drained a team-high 22 points with 11 rebounds and four steals, and junior
Drew Zalescik (Lambertville, N.J.) added 17 points and a game-high 15 boards to go along with four assists. Senior
Jake Hatch (Austin, Texas) added 11 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting.
After UMSV raced out to a 13-point lead, 21-8 at 11:34 of the first, the Mariners finished the opening half on a 23-8 run to take a slim 31-29 advantage into the halftime break.
Merchant Marine went up by as many as seven points early in the second half when a 3-pointer by Bristow made it 38-31 at 18:26.
A few runs by both teams kept it an extremely close game throughout the final half, with the score being tied a total of four times over a seven-minute span, including at 49-49 with 9:43 to play.
Mount St. Vincent went on an 8-2 run to take a six-point lead, and the Mariners were able to fight back to within one point on two occasions. The hosts' advantage reached eight with just 2:23 to play, but USMMA would not go quietly.
The Mariners trimmed the deficit down to just three points and had two possessions in the final minute with opportunities to tie, but a costly offensive foul followed by a missed jumper gave the ball back to the Dolphins, who were able to hit two free throws in the closing seconds to secure the victory.
Three players also had double-digit performances for UMSV, with junior Kevin Agyemang leading the way with a game-best 29 points, while freshman Connor Wein contributed 14 and junior Adrian Rraci scored 12 off the bench.
The Mariners return to action this Saturday, Feb. 10, when they play host to Skyline Black Division foe St. Joseph's-Long Island. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. after the conclusion of the women's game beforehand at the 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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