KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Jan. 3, 2026) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy men's basketball team used a strong second-half surge to pull away from Old Westbury for a hard-fought 76–64 victory on Saturday afternoon in Skyline Conference action. The Mariners improved to 4–7 overall (1–1 Skyline) while the Panthers dropped to 2–10 (0–2 Skyline).
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Three Mariners scored in double figures on the afternoon. Freshman Jack Flannery (McKinney, Texas) led the charge with his first career double-double, scoring 14 of his team-high 17 points in the second half to go along with a team-best 10 rebounds. Classmate Noah Brown (Hedgesville, W.Va.) dropped a career-high 14 points off the bench, while sophomore Tim Barton (Waldorf, Md.) added 12 points and registered a career-high five blocks and tied another career-best with four assists. Sophomore Aaron Zalescik (Lambertville, N.J.) chipped in with nine points and nine rebounds in the contest.
Merchant Marine finished the afternoon shooting 45.5 percent from the floor (25-of-55) and 40.9 percent from three-point range (9-of-22), while converting 17-of-27 attempts at the free-throw line. The Blue and Gray won the rebounding battle 35–27, posted a 17–10 edge in points off turnovers, and finished with advantages in points in the paint (32–28) and fast-break scoring (8–4). The hosts also received a boost from their bench, outscoring the Panthers 21–12 in reserve points.
The Mariners struck first, but Old Westbury controlled much of the early half behind interior scoring. After falling behind 10–4 at the 16:24 mark, USMMA answered with a three-pointer from Flannery at 16:01 to cut the margin to 10–7. Old Westbury extended its lead to 23–11 at 10:05, but Merchant Marine responded with a decisive run. Sophomore Colin Hart (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.) knocked down a three at 9:54 to make it 23–14, followed by back-to-back triples from Brown at 8:43 and 8:23 to pull the Mariners within three. Zalescik tied the game with a three-pointer at 7:41, making it 23–23. After another push by the Panthers, Barton finished a fast-break layup at 2:05 to cut the deficit to 31–30, and the hosts went into halftime trailing just 33–31.
Merchant Marine opened the second half with renewed energy. Barton scored inside at 17:12 to make it 36–33, and Flannery followed with a fast-break layup at 16:23 to pull the Mariners within one. Moments later, Flannery drilled a three at 15:41 to give USMMA its first lead of the half, 38–36. The momentum continued as sophomore Mason Lavergne (Baton Rouge, La.) buried a three at 14:47, and Barton finished in transition at 14:19 to extend the lead to 43–39. Lavergne added another fast-break bucket at 13:52, pushing the margin to 45–39.
Old Westbury battled back to within one at 60–59 with 4:02 remaining, but Merchant Marine responded with poise. Zalescik converted a tip-in at 3:38 to make it 63–60, and Hart followed by knocking down two free throws at 3:17 to extend the lead to five. Barton added a layup with 40 seconds remaining to make it 71–62, and Flannery sealed the victory at the line, converting multiple free throws in the final half-minute as the Mariners closed out the 76–64 win.
Joel Ofori led Old Westbury with a game-high 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Jermaine King and Imole Akinwale contributed 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Merchant Marine returns to the hardwood on Wednesday, Jan. 7, against SUNY Maritime for the annual 142 game at 7 p.m. at Liebertz Gymnasium.
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