The Red Hawks got off to a sizzling start via answering USMMA’s opening bucket by senior center Zach Wyatte with a 9-0 run to take their largest lead of the game (seven points) with 15:06 remaining in the first.
Kings Points responded with a pair of treys from Paul Tricarico and Pat Grace on consecutive possessions to get right back into the game. Freshman forward Alex Loeper continued the run and gave the Mariners the lead two minutes later with a lay up. With the game knotted at 13-all with 8:41 remaining in the period, USMMA soared with a 13-3 run to take its then largest lead of the night, 26-16, with 3:13 left in the half. Kings Point went into the break with a 10-point advantage, 34-24.
In the second, the Mariners continued to cling onto that double-digit edge. Pat Grace upped the margin to 11 points with a three-ball at the 14:34 mark. But RPI had one charge left with a 10-0 run to make it a one-point affair, 46-45. RPI’s Neal Wesson caught fire during the spurt scoring six of the Hawks 10 points during the run.
Grace and Loepker put an end to the run with back-to-back buckets for the Mariners, but Mike Visker made it a one possession game once again with a three pointer with 10:15 left on the clock. A minute later, the Hawks would finally pull even with USMMA courtesy a Grahm Gordon jumper to knot the game at 50-all.
Wyatte tilted the scale back in the favor of Kings Point the next trip down the floor with a lay up. Junior point guard Stephen McDade then made his presence felt off the bench with consecutive lay-ins off RPI turnovers. Wyatte concluded the 8-0 run with a lay up to give the Mariners a 58-50 advantage. The Mariners upped their lead back to 10 in the final minute en route to holding off RPI, 67-62.
With the win, Kings Point improved to 2-1 overall, while RPI fell to 1-3 on the season. The difference of the game resulted in the Mariners ability to score off RPI turnovers. USMMA cashed in with 22 points off 24 Red Hawk miscues.
Leading the way for the Blue & Gray was Wyatte with a team-high 14 points. Grace and Loepker added 13 and 11 points, respectively in the win. Senior Eric Hanson led the way on the glass with eight boards.
Tom Schneider paced the Hawks with a double-double consisting of 15 points and 11 boards. He was the lone player in double-figures for RPI.
USMMA returns to action on Saturday at arch-nemesis the U.S. Coast Guard Academy at 1 p.m.
Newspaper Box Score Rensselaer Poyltechnic Inst. vs U.S. Merchant Marine Academy 11-30-05 6:30 pm at Kings Point, NY - Liebertz Gym At Kings Point, NY - Liebertz Gym U.S. MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY 67, RENSSELAER POYLTECHNIC INST. 62 RENSSELAER POYLTECHNIC INST. (1-3) Tom Schneider 7-15 1-2 15; Neal Wesson 4-10 0-1 8; Russell Herman 4-7 0-2 8; Sam Simmons 3-6 0-0 6; Matt Zepernick 1-6 2-4 5; Graham Gordon 2-3 0-0 5; Devin Galvin 1-3 0-0 3; Mike Visker 1-3 0-0 3; Paul Halas 1-5 0-0 3; Leo O'Keefe 1-1 0-0 2; Joe Johnson 1-2 0-0 2; Clay Hadley 1-3 0-1 2; Henry Melchor 0-0 0-0 0; Dan Rourke 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-65 3-10 62. U.S. MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY (2-1) Wyatte, Zach 6-17 2-6 14; Grace, Pat 4-6 2-2 13; Loepker, Alex 5-9 0-2 11; Tricarico, Paul 2-9 1-6 6; Hanson, Eric 2-7 1-2 6; DeCarlo, Lou 1-4 4-6 6; McDade, Stephen 2-4 0-0 4; Oaks, Matt 1-3 0-0 3; Kelly, Brian 1-4 0-0 2; Fassnacht, Jonathan 0-2 2-2 2; Heal, Ray 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-65 12-26 67. Rensselaer Poyltechnic Inst... 24 38 - 62 U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.. 34 33 - 67 3-point goals-Rensselaer Poyltechnic Inst. 5-16 (Matt Zepernick 1-3; Paul Halas 1-3; Mike Visker 1-2; Devin Galvin 1-2; Graham Gordon 1-1; Dan Rourke 0-1; Neal Wesson 0-2; Tom Schneider 0-2), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy 7-19 (Grace, Pat 3-4; Tricarico, Paul 1-2; Loepker, Alex 1-4; Oaks, Matt 1-2; Hanson, Eric 1-3; Kelly, Brian 0-2; McDade, Stephen 0-1; DeCarlo, Lou 0-1). Fouled out--Rensselaer Poyltechnic Inst.-Joe Johnson; Russell Herman, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy-None. Rebounds-Rensselaer Poyltechnic Inst. 48 (Tom Schneider 11), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy 41 (Hanson, Eric 8). Assists-Rensselaer Poyltechnic Inst. 17 (Neal Wesson 5), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy 16 (Tricarico, Paul 6). Total fouls-Rensselaer Poyltechnic Inst. 25, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy 15.