KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Jan. 20, 2026) – The USMMA men's basketball team extended its win-steak to three-straight games with a 65-48 home win over Mount St. Mary on Tuesday night at the Liebertz Gymnasium. The victory improved the Mariners' record to 7-9 (4-3 Skyline), while the Knights fall to 2-14 (0-7 Skyline) with the loss.
Game Links
Two Mariners recorded double-doubles, as sophomore
Tim Barton (Waldorf, Md.) scored a game-high 17 points to go along with 14 rebounds and classmate
Aaron Zalescik (Lambertville, N.J.) drained 14 points and led all players with a career-high 17 rebounds. Barton also filled out the scoresheet with three assists, two blocks and two steals, while Zalescik tallied a game-best five steals.
Mount St. Mary scored on its first possession, but USMMA answered quickly after back-to-back steals by sophomore
Colin Hart (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.) helped settle the game into an early back-and-forth. Barton provided a lift on both ends with a block and consecutive layups, and KP moved in front at the line before a 3-pointed by freshman
Jack Flannery (McKinney, Texas) pushed the margin to 12-8 at the 12:44 mark. Zalescik and sophomore
Mason Lavergne (Baton Rouge, La.) kept the offense moving with second-chance opportunities, and Merchant Marine extended the run with Lavergne's 3 at 10:19 to make it 17-8.
Kings Point continued to build the lead through the middle portion of the half, using offensive rebounds and transition chances to create extra possessions. Freshman
Talan Dawkins (South Riding, Va.) converted after an offensive board and the Mariners forced multiple turnovers that turned into points, with Lavergne finishing feed by Flannery at 3:37 and Hart adding two free throws at 2:47. By the final minutes of the half, USMMA had stretched the advantage to 28-13 and went to the break with control after limiting clean looks and repeatedly winning loose-ball sequences.
In the second half, Mount St. Mary opened with a 3, but the Mariners responded immediately through Barton at the rim and continued to lean on their rebounding and pressure to keep the margin comfortable. Merchant Marine pushed the lead with a sequence that included a 3 by freshman
Richard Sykes Jr. () at 13:06 and back-to-back Hart triples at 8:55 and 7:18, extending the cushion to 49-28. From there, Kings Point managed the closing stretch with timely baskets inside-plus a late finish by Zalescik and free throws from Lavergne-to see out the home win.
USMMA shot 36.8% from the field (21-of-57) and 26.3% from three (5-of-19), while holding Mount St. Mary to 32.7% overall (16-of-49) and 24.1% from behind the arc (7-of-29). The Mariners controlled the glass, 45-23, and turned that margin into a decisive advantage in second-chance scoring (23-3) and points in the paint (26-12), while also generating a 19-11 edge in points off turnovers. The biggest efficiency gap came at the line, where Kings Point went 18-of-22 (81.8%) compared to 9-of-16 (56.3%) for Mount St. Mary.
Mount St. Mary was led offensively by senior Brenden Graham, who scored a game-high 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting with four made three-pointers, while classmate JP Egan added nine points, a team-best seven rebounds and a game-high four assists. Senior Justin Rivera contributed eight points.
The Mariners are back in action this Saturday, Jan. 24, when they travel up to Purchase, N.Y., to take on Manhattanville University. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Valiants' Kennedy Gymnasium.
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