Kings Point came out lethargic and the Lightening took advantage of the Mariners lack of energy taking a seven-point lead into the break, 31-24. USMMA held the lead just once in the first half on a Brian Kelly lay up to give the Mariners a 5-4 lead at the 15:55 mark.
Lehman’s advantage was cut to one (12-11) nearing the midway point of the stanza on two Matt Oaks free throws, but that was as close as the Mariners could pull to reclaiming the lead.
In the second, USMMA got on the board first on a Kelly lay up to make it a five point deficit, but the Lightning struck quickly with a 5-0 spurt capped by a Ralph Mojca three pointer to give Lehman its largest lead of the night (10 points), 38-28.
The Blue & Gray responded with an 8-0 run to make it a two-point affair, 38-36. Kelly ignited the run with yet another lay in, followed by back-to-back long balls by Stephen McDade and Alex Loepker.
But another small run by the Lightning upped the Lehman advantage to seven, 43-36. Three free throws by senior Eric Hanson and a lay in by classmate Zach Wyatte pulled the Mariners to a field goal of taking the lead once more, but Lehman would again answer the bell with four points in less than a minute to make it a six point (47-41) game.
Loepker would knot the game at 47 with consecutive trifectas to finally five USMMA a sense of hope. Following three quick points scored Lehman, Oaks nailed a three-ball to make it all even at 50.
But it would be all Lehman thereafter. The Lightning ran off eight unanswered to take a 58-50 lead with 5:22 remaining. They would up their advantage to ten and eventually hold on to an eight-point win.
Much of the Lightning’s success in earning their second win of the season (2-5) can be attributed to Pre-Season All-American Sekani Francis’ game-high 28 points and 22 rebounds. The 6-10 center had his way with the Mariners via cashing in on 13-of-22 field goal attempts. He also tallied four steals and three blocks in the winning effort. He was the lone member of the team in double-figures.
USMMA was dominated both in the paint (36-10) and on the glass (55-34).
Two Mariners posted double-digits in the scoring column. Loepker led the way with 18 points on 6-of-20 shooting from the field, with all of his field goal coming from long range, while Kelly added 11 points in the loss. Wyatt had a tough day in the blocks, much due to foul trouble. He finished with six points and eight rebounds. McDade and Hanson recorded eight and seven points, respectively off the bench.
Kings Point (4-3) rounds out the 2005 portion of the season at home on Saturday, Dec. 17 versus William Patterson at 2 p.m.
Newspaper Box Score Lehman College vs U.S. Merchant Marine Academy 12/15/05 7:00 pm at Kings Point, NY - Liebertz Gym At Kings Point, NY - Liebertz Gym LEHMAN COLLEGE 66, U.S. MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY 58 LEHMAN COLLEGE (2-5) Francis, Sekani 13-22 2-2 28; Rhoden, Duane 4-6 0-0 9; Bueno, Rafael 2-7 4-5 9; Mojica, Ralph 2-7 2-3 7; Marchena, Jason 2-4 1-1 5; Lockett, Kyle 1-8 0-0 3; Towsend, Verdayne 1-5 1-1 3; Moses, Derek 1-2 0-0 2; Diplan, Chris 0-2 0-0 0; Terry, Gregory 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-63 10-12 66. U.S. MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY (4-3) Loepker, Alex 6-20 0-0 18; Kelly, Brian 4-9 2-3 11; McDade, Stephen 3-6 0-1 8; Hanson, Eric 2-6 3-3 7; Wyatte, Zach 3-11 0-1 6; Oaks, Matt 1-4 2-2 5; Heal, Ray 1-2 0-0 3; Tricarico, Paul 0-8 0-0 0; DeCarlo, Lou 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 20-68 7-10 58. Lehman College................ 31 35 - 66 U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.. 24 34 - 58 3-point goals-Lehman College 4-14 (Lockett, Kyle 1-6; Rhoden, Duane 1-1; Mojica, Ralph 1-4; Bueno, Rafael 1-2; Francis, Sekani 0-1), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy 11-34 (Loepker, Alex 6-16; McDade, Stephen 2-4; Kelly, Brian 1-4; Oaks, Matt 1-3; Heal, Ray 1-1; Tricarico, Paul 0-2; DeCarlo, Lou 0-2; Hanson, Eric 0-2). Fouled out--Lehman College-None, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy-None. Rebounds-Lehman College 55 (Francis, Sekani 23), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy 34 (Wyatte, Zach 8). Assists-Lehman College 15 (Rhoden, Duane 4), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy 18 (Tricarico, Paul 5). Total fouls-Lehman College 13, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy 14.