United States Merchant Marine Academy

KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Feb. 11, 2023) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy men's basketball team won an instant classic at home this afternoon by the score of 77-75 over Sarah Lawrence College. Today's dramatic victory bumped the Mariners back over .500 at 12-11 (10-4 Skyline), while the Gryphons in turn suffered the tough loss to fall to 6-17 (4-10 Skyline).
 
Game Links

• Box Score
• WATCH: Sophomore Isaac Vencel's Game-Winner
• WATCH: Postgame Interview With Sophomore Isaac Vencel 

Coming in having lost their last two by scoring under 60 points, the Mariners needed a spark, and head coach Rob Pryor supplied it before the opening tip. To kick-start the offense, Pryor fielded a brand new starting five. Merchant Marine's top scorers began the game on the bench.
 
In what turned out to be a very important opening four minutes and 50 seconds, the Mariners' irregulars ignited an 8-0 run to start the contest. Junior DeMarcus Spivey (Ashburn, Va.) set the tone by scoring five of the opening eight points. USMMA was off and running, but not for long.
 
Sarah Lawrence showcased why they are the Skyline Conference's second-ranked three-point shooting team in a hurry. The Gryphons answered the Mariners' 8-0 with an 11-0 run that included a 3-for-3 clip on shots from beyond the arc. It was very clear early that Sarah Lawrence and Merchant Marine were in for a shootout.
 
With the Gryphons' three-point prowess established, the two teams went back and forth in the opening 20 minutes. Spivey picked up right where he left off from his 11-point performance Wednesday and then some with 12 points in the first half this afternoon. A 4-for-6 line from the field including a perfect 3-for-3 at the charity stripe penciled Spivey as the Mariners' first-half scoring leader.
 
Spivey's fearlessness of the rim was contagious as sophomore Drew Zalescik (Lambertville, N.J.) copy and pasted Spivey's 4-for-6 mark next to his own name on the scoresheet. After scoring only four points in the teams' first meeting on Jan. 3, Zalescik recorded nine points in the first half alone.
 
While the Mariners had answers in all areas of their offensive game, the Gryphons could not find their interior offense in half one. An astounding 18 of Sarah Lawrence's 37 first-half shots came from long range. The problem for USMMA? The Gryphons shot the air out of the ball from deep by connecting on seven three-pointers. Chris Torres accounted for four of the Gryphons' seven rainbows from distance Clearly better than their record indicated, the Gryphons were in it at half trailing only by one possession at 36-33.
 
As half two began, one Mariner took over. And another revved up engines. After only five points in the first half, sophomore Isaac Vencel (Bloomington, Ind.) was given the reigns to the offense. To boot, Zalescik replicated his first half in route to tag-teaming with Vencel.
 
Only three shots for Vencel in the first 20 minutes hid his scoring ability. In a game the Mariners had to have, Vencel answered the bell from everywhere on the court. A 5-for-6 second half, which included a go-ahead three at 16:12, made Vencel the main man in half two.
 
The two bottom-ranked offenses in the Skyline Conference put on a clinic in the second half. Every time the Gryphons punched; the Mariners punched right back. And when Sarah Lawrence could not score neither could USMMA. Six second-half lead changes brought this game right down to the wire.
 
Torres continued to burn Merchant Marine from deep and Justin DiFabio helped out. The duo combined for 11 of Sarah Lawrence's 14 threes for the game. DiFabio's final three put the Gryphons on top 73-71 with 2:54 left in the game.
 
Refusing to lose, USMMA came right back after Gryphons buckets with layups from senior Kevin Doty (Bayport, N.Y.) sophomore Kody Robinson (Woodbridge, N.J.) to tie the game at 73 and 75 respectively.
 
A Mariners defensive stop with 29 seconds left set the stage for a memorable afternoon at Liebertz Gymnasium. With 12 second-half points already in his pocket, the rock, and was in Vencel's hands.
 
All week, Coach Pryor talked about patience and trust. And Vencel applied both concepts as he hooked home the game-winner with 6.1 seconds left. A rare miss from Torres beyond the arc at the horn allowed the Mariners to escape with a win they so desperately needed.
 
Merchant Marine will look to carry momentum from this afternoon into the road finale on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at Manhattanville. The Mariners will go for the season sweep after beating the Valiants 66-57 at Liebertz Gymnasium back on Jan. 7. 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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