The Blue Knights ran out to an early 19-9 lead, but the Mariners answered with a 13-3 run to tie the game at 22 with seven minutes remaining in the first half. The visitors then hit four consecutive three-pointers and carried a six point lead into the intermission.
Mount Saint Mary closed the gap several times in the second, but couldn’t get a defensive stop when it was needed most. The Merchant Marine Academy continued to drain threes, 8-12 in the second half, and came away with the nine point win.
Freshman guard Ryan Samuel (Cedar Hill, TX) had the best day for the Mariners. He finished the game with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists. Senior Stephen McDade (Bellmore, NY) was the leading scorer for USMMA with 21.
The story of the day, however, was the intense defensive pressure put on senior guard Mike Hoyt (Florida, NY) by the Mariners. Hoyt was double-teamed for most of the afternoon and even faced several triple-teams. The senior finished with 28 points, including 20 in the second half as he tried to rally his team late in the game.
Sophomore Matt Cunningham (Alpharetta, GA) continued his strong play as of late, putting up his first double-double of the season. He finished with 15 points and 15 boards.
The Mariners improved their Skyline Conference record to 5-2 and now find themselves in a three-way tie for the third position. They are 9-6 overall. The Blue Knights dropped back into eighth place in the Skyline, standing at 3-5. Next up for MSMC is a trip to Skyline-leading Farmingdale State College. The game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on January 27.
Newspaper Box Score USMMA vs Mount Saint Mary College 1/20/07 2:00 PM at Kaplan Center, Newburgh, NY At Kaplan Center, Newburgh, NY USMMA 92, MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE 83 USMMA (9-6, 5-2 Sky) Stephen McDade 7-11 3-4 21; Ryan Samuel 3-8 8-10 17; Matt Oaks 5-8 4-4 17; Chad Ray 5-8 3-3 16; Brian Kelly 4-12 0-0 9; Pat Grace 3-7 0-0 9; Max Paul 1-3 1-2 3; Jon Fassnacht 0-0 0-0 0; Scott Rattigan 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-57 19-23 92. MOUNT SAINT MARY COLLEGE (6-11, 3-5 Sky) Hoyt, Mike 9-17 6-8 28; Cunningham, Matt 6-14 1-2 15; Cutney, Matt 4-8 1-2 11; Johnson, Troy 3-3 0-1 8; Hoyt, Joe 3-8 0-0 7; Begley, Kieran 3-5 0-0 7; Peters, Matt 2-7 0-0 4; Harrison, Chris 1-4 1-3 3; Cardez, Jason 0-5 0-0 0. Totals 31-71 9-16 83. USMMA......................... 44 48 - 92 Mount Saint Mary College...... 38 45 - 83 3-point goals-USMMA 17-30 (Stephen McDade 4-6; Pat Grace 3-7; Matt Oaks 3-5; Chad Ray 3-4; Ryan Samuel 3-4; Brian Kelly 1-4), Mount Saint Mary College 12-39 (Hoyt, Mike 4-9; Johnson, Troy 2-2; Cutney, Matt 2-5; Cunningham, Matt 2-7; Begley, Kieran 1-3; Hoyt, Joe 1-5; Cardez, Jason 0-4; Peters, Matt 0-4). Fouled out--USMMA-Brian Kelly, Mount Saint Mary College-None. Rebounds-USMMA 38 (Ryan Samuel 11), Mount Saint Mary College 38 (Cunningham, Matt 15). Assists-USMMA 19 (Matt Oaks 4; Chad Ray 4; Ryan Samuel 4), Mount Saint Mary College 17 (Cutney, Matt 7). Total fouls-USMMA 18, Mount Saint Mary College 21. A-350