KINGS POINT, N.Y. – For the first time in school history the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy men’s basketball team are Landmark Conference Champions. On Saturday afternoon, the top-seeded Mariners defeated the second-seeded University of Scranton, 68-54, at Liebertz Gymnasium in Kings Point, N.Y. USMMA grabbed the title from the Royals, who were two-time defending champions.
Junior forward
Richard Roach (Monticello, Ind.) netted four points in the first three minutes of play to give Kings Point (23-4) the early 6-3 advantage. The two squads, however, traded buckets in the first ten and a half minutes as the game saw five ties. With 5:54 remaining in the opening stanza, the Mariners went on a 9-0 run. The burst included two lay-ups from Roach and one from senior guard
Ryan Samuel (Cedar Hill, Texas). Sophomore forward
Jon Snead (Garden City, N.Y.) also drained a jumper and a free throw to give Kings Point a 22-15 lead.
The Royals (18-9) tried to make some noise with a 5-0 run, but were stymied when senior guard
Chad Ray (Carrollton, Texas) nailed a three-pointer with 1:48 left to give his team a 25-20 edge. Scranton answered back with six straight, including four converted foul shots from junior guard
Zach Ashworth (Doylestown, Pa.). Samuel closed out the first half with two free throws of his own to give USMMA a 27-26 lead going into halftime.
Kings Point came out of the intermission fired up as it reeled off eight consecutive points over the span of two minutes. Snead recorded four points in the run. Looking to close out the game and end the Royals’ title streak, the Mariners scored ten straight with 14:32 remaining in regulation. The run ended with two lay-ups from sophomore forward
Denver Effland (Hedgesville, W. Va.).
From that point on, Scranton would not get any closer than within ten points, which came with 1:57 left in the game. To ice its opponent for good, USMMA went 7-for-8 from the charity stripe in the last minute and a half of play.
For the championship Mariners, Snead poured in a game-high 19 points. In addition, he had three rebounds and one steal. Junior forward
Matt Hueber (Alexandria, Va.) recorded the double-double in the contest (12 points, 16 boards). Junior forward
Tom Izzo (Bridgeport, W. Va.) and Samuel contributed ten and 11 points, respectively. Roach finished with eight points, three boards and three steals. For the Royals, Ashworth scored a team-high 15 points. Moreover, the Doylestown native went a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line. Senior forward
Eli Londo (Hamlin, Pa.) netted 14 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Head Coach
John Krikorian and the Mariners return to the hardwood when they compete in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Their opponent will be announced in the NCAA Selection Show on Monday morning. Continue to check back here for the most up-to-date information as Kings Point attempts to bring a national title to the Academy.