BRONX, N.Y. (Jan. 17, 2023) – Trailing by nine with 14:42 remaining, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy men's basketball team unleashed a decisive 24-0 rally to take control of the game and defeat the College of Mount Saint Vincent, 78-50. USMMA improves to 7-9 (5-2 Skyline), while CMSV now sits at 6-9 (2-4 Skyline).
Sophomore
Drew Zalescik (Lambertville, N.J.) finished 10-of-15 from the floor, including a 4-of-5 effort from distance, as part of a game-high 24-point performance. Junior
DeMarcus Spivey (Ashburn, Va.) made 3-of-5 3-pointers and finished with 16 points, while sophomore
Kody Robinson (Woodbridge, Va.) added 15 points. The Mariners shot 43.8 percent (28-of-64) from the field, including a blistering 59.4 percent effort (19-of-32) in the second half. USMMA committed just nine turnovers and outscored the Dolphins in the paint by a 34-10 margin.
DJ Tucker led CMSV with 16 points, while Dan Porcic added 10. The Dolphins were held to just 26.9 percent (18-of-67) from the floor, including a 22.2 percent (8-of-36) mark from long range.
The Dolphins led 14-2 with 14:41 to play in the first half after a Tucker steal and fastbreak slam capped a 9-0 rally for the home team. An Adrian Rraci 3-pointer later put CMSV up 20-6 at the 10:54 mark, the largest lead of the first half. USMMA answered as Zalescik trimmed the deficit to eight, 20-12, with 3s on consecutive possessions. After the Dolphins regained a 13-point advantage, 25-12, at the 6:40 mark, Zalescik scored seven-consecutive points to bring the Mariners to within six. The half would end with that same margin as CMSV took a 28-22 lead into the locker room.
USMMA saw its deficit grow to 10, 37-27, at the 16:53 mark of the second half before converting turnovers into layups on consecutive possessions to pull within six once again. After CMSV went back up by nine, 42-33, with 14:42 to play, Zalescik started the game-changing 24-0 run with yet another 3-pointer. Senior
Kevin Doty (Bayport, N.Y.) followed with a putback layup before Spivey made a 3-pointer and added a pair of free throws to give USMMA its first lead of the game, 43-42, with 12:05 left.
The Mariners continued to build their lead as Spivey made a 3-pointer and junior
Bryce Bristow (Plano, Texas) added layups on consecutive possessions. After another Spivey 3-pointer put USMMA up by 15, 57-42, at the 9:11 mark, the Dolphins finally ended the rally with back-to-back buckets of their own.
The Mariners weren't done, however. Robinson followed with 3-pointers on three-consecutive possessions and then added a pair of free throws as part of his own personal 11-0 rally that put USMMA up by 22 points, 68-46. USMMA closed out the game with a 10-1 run for the final margin.
The Mariners return to action on Jan. 21 with a 1 p.m. road game against St. Joseph's-Brooklyn. 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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