Second-Half Comeback Sees USMMA Past Men’s Basketball

Patchogue, NY| Despite holding an 11-point lead with less than 14 minutes to play, the St. Joseph's College (L.I.) men's basketball team dropped a 73-71 decision to the United State Merchant Marine Academy inside the Danzi Center on Wednesday evening.

With the loss, the Golden Eagles slip to 2-10 (2-6 Skyline) on the season as the Mariners improve to 6-6 overall and 4-4 in Skyline Conference play.

SJC was led by senior Trey Kinard who tallied 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting. The guard also grabbed a team-best five rebounds.

Senior Isaiah Moore (5-for-6) went for 15 points and a team-high five assists, and fellow classman Jarred Marrow (3-for-9) pitched in with eight points and three boards off the bench.

USMMA's Christian Wittendorf (9-for-13) scored a game-high 18 points.

A furious first half yielded a 22-22 tie with 8:16 to play in the opening frame, but SJC scored 20 of the period's final 32 points and took a 42-34 lead into the break.

Marrow's layup 6:27 into the second put the hosts up 11 points (56-45) but sparked a 14-0 run for the Mariners, who took a 59-56 lead with 7:17 to play in regulation.

Junior Christen Brown's layup with 2:10 on the clock brought SJC back to within two points (73-71) and, thanks in part by a pair of missed USMMA free throws moments later, gave the Golden Eagles a shot at winning the game, but Marrow's missed three-ball with seconds left on the clock clinched the victory for the Mariners.

Though outshot from the field (52.8%-48.2%) and from three (53.3%-31.3%), St. Joseph's held the edge in the paint where they outscored (38-34) and outrebounded (30-27) their opponent.

The Golden Eagles return to action on Saturday, January 13 when they host Farmingdale State in a Skyline Conference showdown at 1:00 pm. Live video and stats will be available here.