NEWBURGH, N.Y. (Jan. 25, 2025) – The Kings Point men's basketball team could not climb out of a halftime deficit, as they lost on the road to the Mount St. Mary Knights, 82-61, on Saturday. The loss drops the Mariners to 6-11 (2-6 Skyline), while the Knights are now 2-15 (1-7 Skyline).
 
Game Link

• Box Score 

Senior Drew Zalescik (Lambertville, N.J.) was dialed in offensively with 35 points (14-23 FG) which was just one shy of tying his career best. Senior Isaac Vencel (Bloomington, Ind.) was strong across the stat sheet with 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals.
 
Merchant Marine grabbed the early lead with four quick points from Zalescik, but the Knights quickly hit back and rattled off 12 unanswered points within the first five minutes of the half. Just five minutes later, Mount St. Mary had taken a 21-10 advantage thanks to some hot outside shooting (5-9 3PT).
 
The Mariner defense dug in and kept the deficit around 10 points, while both sides went on a nearly three-minute scoring drought. Zalescik stayed hot from the floor, dropping in a layup at the end of the half to give him 15 first-half points on 7-13 shooting, but King's Point went into the locker room down 35-24.
 
Zalescik continued his strong shooting day as soon as the second half began, pouring in another seven points to help USMMA keep pace with the Knights, who maintained a 43-31 lead through the first five minutes of action. Merchant Marine hung stride-for-stride with MSMC, not letting the Knights put them away.
 
However, the strong shooting from Mt. St. Mary's first half carried over into the second. Ryan Graham knocked in a pair of three-pointers as part of an 8-0 spurt that saw the Knights open up a 61-43 lead just past the 10-minute mark of the half. The Mariners were unable to trim that deficit, as the Knights drilled eight of twelve shots, including five triples, to close out the ballgame and defeat USMMA 82-61.
 
Next up for the Mariners, they return home to take on Manhattanville, on Wednesday January 29th inside Liebertz Gymnasium. Tip off is set for 7 p.m..
 
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