DIX HILLS, N.Y. (Nov. 20, 2024) – In a game that saw both teams shoot 50.0 percent from the floor, points off turnovers proved to be the difference as the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy men's basketball team defeated Five Towns, 77-67, to notch its second-straight win. USMMA improved to 2-1, while Five Towns dropped to 0-4.
 
Game Link

• Box Score

Senior Drew Zalescik (Lambertville, N.J.) scored a game-high 23 points to pace the Mariners. Freshman Mason Lavergne (Baton Rouge, La.) finished with 17 points and classmate Max Koeppl (Plano, Texas) made 4-of-9 3-pointers as part of a 14-point, nine-rebound effort. The Mariners shot 50.0 percent from the field (34-of-68), but made just 6-of-21 3-pointers (28.6 percent). USMMA committed only six turnovers, while forcing 17 en route to posting a 25-9 edge in points off turnovers.
 
Five Towns also shot 50.0 percent from the floor (26-of-52) and made 10-of-18 3-pointers (55.6 percent). Ahmad McKnight scored a team-high 14 points, while Patrick Harrington went 3-of-3 from distance and finished with 13 points.
 
After making five of its first six 3-point attempts, Five Towns held a 19-14 lead with 10:15 left in the opening half. The Mariners still trailed by four, 26-22, with 5:08 to play before Koeppl buried a pair of 3-pointers to give USMMA its first lead since the 17:10 mark. A Lavergne layup capped a 10-3 run to close out the half and send the Mariners into the locker room with a 32-29 advantage.
 
The USMMA lead quickly increased to nine, 38-29, after a jumper by junior Clark Castleberry (Reston, Va.) capped a 6-0 run to open the second half. Five Towns answered with five-straight points to close to within 40-36 before buckets from Zalescik and Koeppl pushed the lead back to eight.
 
The Mariners led by six at the 12:43 mark before Zalescik went on an 8-0 run by himself to help break the game open and put USMMA up, 55-41. The Zalescik run turned into a larger 20-8 rally as the USMMA lead ballooned to 18 points, 67-49, with just 6:16 left on the clock.
 
As soon as Five Towns closed to within 12, senior Isaac Vencel (Bloomington, Ind.) made a jumper and a Koeppl 3-pointer pushed the lead back to 17 with only 3:45 to go. After another Koeppl trey at 2:20 put the Mariners up by 19, their largest lead of the game, Five Towns closed out the contest with a 9-0 run for the final 77-67 margin.
 
The Mariners return home to host Rutgers-Newark for a 2 p.m. game on Saturday, Nov. 23.
 
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