United States Merchant Marine Academy

KING'S POINT, N.Y. (Nov. 19, 2022) – Senior Brandon Bomboy (Yorktown, Va.) scored the game-winning layup with 1.9 seconds remaining as the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy men's basketball team defeated Rutgers-Newark in nail-biting fashion, 80-79. USMMA improved to 1-2 on the season, while Rutgers-Newark saw its record go to 1-3.
 
Game Links

• Box Score
• WATCH: Postgame Interview With Kody Robinson

In a game that saw everyone contribute for the Mariners, junior Josh Kauffman (East Providence, R.I.) jumpstarted the Merchant Marine offense in the first half.  Kauffman came off the bench and scored a team-high 10 points in the first half on 4-of-7 shooting from the field, including 2-of-4 from deep.

Kauffman and sophomore Kody Robinson (Woodbridge, N.J.) combined to go 4-of-8 from downtown in the opening 20 minutes. USMMA as a team finished 6-of-12 from deep in the opening stanza. The ten first-half points for Kauffman led all scorers at the break and helped the Mariners take a 33-31 lead into the locker room.

As the second half began, the Mariners worked to limit their fouls. USMMA committed ten fouls in the first half, affording Rutgers-Newark the opportunity to keep things close with an 11-of-15 performance at the free-throw line.

Robinson, meanwhile, only got hotter in the second half.  The sophomore went 4-of-5 from 3-point land in the second half and finished the game 6-of-9 from distance for a team-best 18 points.

Bomboy, who scored zero points in the first half, made his mark after halftime. The senior captain shot a scalding-hot 7-of-9 from the field, including 2-of-4 from long range. The constant splashes by Bomboy and Robinson helped balloon the Mariners lead to 68-50 with 7:15 remaining.

USMMA appeared well on their way to victory, but the Scarlet Raiders refused to go down quietly as a 7-0 run in under two minutes brought the visitor's to within 11.
      
Rutgers-Newark continued to claw their way back into the game by forcing four turnovers in the final 2:10. Levi Holton, who totaled a team-high 16 points, put Rutgers-Newark back on top, 79-78, with a layup with just 22.4 seconds left. That lead marked the first for the Scarlet Raiders since a 2-0 advantage 29 seconds into the game.

In danger of falling to 0-3, the Mariners looked to their senior captain. Bomboy had already registered 14 points, but USMMA needed two more. With five seconds left, junior DeMarcus Spivey (Ashburn, Va.) dished to Bomboy on the far elbow. Bomboy went to the rim and laid it in to send Liebertz Gymnasium into a frenzy.

With just 1.9 seconds remaining in the game, Rutgers-Newark had time for one more play. A halfcourt heave from Tony Godwin went wide off the backboard, however, and USMMA prevailed, 80-79.

The Mariners return to action on Nov. 22 with a 7 p.m. home game against CCNY 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.
 
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!