KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Jan. 25, 2023) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy men's basketball team faced an eight-point deficit with 7:40 left in regulation, but rallied to force overtime and went on to defeat St. Joseph's-Long Island, 75-72. USMMA extended its winning streak to four games and improved to 9-9 (7-2 Skyline), while St. Joseph's-Long Island moved to 9-8 (6-3 Skyline).
Game Links
Sophomore
Kody Robinson (Woodbridge, Va.) made five 3-pointers as part of a game-high 22-point effort to lead USMMA. Junior
Bryce Bristow (Plano, Texas) added a 20-point, 13-rebound double-double, while sophomore
Drew Zalescik (Lambertville, N.J.) finished with 11 points and classmate
Isaac Vencel (Bloomington, Ind.) scored 10. The Mariners shot 40.6 percent (28-of-69) from the floor, including a 55.2 percent (16-of-29) effort in the second half.
Alec Tabada scored 20 points to lead St. Joseph's-Long Island, while Spencer Malloy finished with a 14-point, 10-board double-double. The Golden Eagles shot 45.9 percent (28-of-61) from the field for the game, but made just 3-of-9 field goals in overtime.
The Golden Eagles grabbed control early as Jake Gaudiello scored nine points as part of a game-opening rally that made it 13-0 at the 11:24 mark. The Mariners answered immediately as a Robinson 3-pointer and a Bristow layup-and-one helped key a 10-0 run that made it a three-point game. St. Joseph's-Long Island then responded with five-straight points and eventually opened a 22-12 advantage at the 5:03 mark. A layup by senior
Dante Spina (Miami, Fla.) brought USMMA to within six, 26-20, at the break.
St. Joseph's-Long Island extended its lead to 31-20 as Matthew Hirdt opened the second half with five-straight points. USMMA responded with a 7-0 run as a Bristow 3-pointer, and layups from Robinson and Zalescik brought the home team to within 31-27. The Mariners still trailed by seven with 10:05 left in regulation before Zalescik finished off a layup-and-one, and Robinson converted a pair of free throws to make it a two-point game, 43-41. Six-straight points from the Golden Eagles, however, put USMMA down by eight, 49-41, with just 7:40 on the clock.
Robinson then took control for the Mariners and knocked down three 3-pointers to lead a 9-2 rally that brought USMMA to within 51-50. St. Joseph's-Long Island twice pushed the lead back to four before Robinson nailed another trey and junior
Jake Hatch (Austin, Texas) added a 3-pointer of his own to level the score at 60-60 with just 2:54 remaining. Bristow gave USMMA its first lead of the game, 62-60, with a layup at the 2:16 mark, but Tabada converted a layup-and-one to put the Golden Eagles up one with just 30 seconds to go. Robinson was fouled on the next possession and made the first of two attempts with 10 seconds on the clock to send the game to overtime tied at 63-apiece.
USMMA scored five-straight points to open the extra session as a Hatch 3-pointer and a Bristow layup put the home team up, 68-63, with 3:02 to play. The Golden Eagles pulled to within two, 70-68, after Xavier Allen converted a jumper-and-one, but Robinson pushed the lead back to four with a layup at the 1:16 mark. After Zalescik made a pair of free throws to extend the lead to six with just six seconds to go, Allen made a 3 just before the buzzer for the final margin.
Merchant Marine's win, combined with a loss by Manhattanville, puts the Mariners in sole possession of first place in the Skyline North Division with seven games to play.
The Mariners return to the hardwood on Sunday, Jan. 29, hosting the Skyline North Division's first-place team, Yeshiva, for a 2 p.m. contest 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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