JOHNSON, Vt. – Maine Maritime Academy men's basketball fell to Johnson State College 78-73 in a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) contest on Saturday afternoon inside of Carter Gym.

With the loss the Mariners fall to 2-14 on the season and 1-8 in the NAC, the Badgers improve to 6-9 overall and 3-6 in the conference. Maine Maritime returns to action on Tuesday night when they travel to Thomas College for a 7:30 pm NAC matchup. 

Maine Maritime held a 20-19 advantage midway through the first half and outscored Johnson 24-16, before the Badgers hit a last second three to cut the Mariners' lead to 44-38 heading into halftime.

The Badgers cut Maine Maritime's lead to one (52-51) six minutes into the half and took a 53-51 lead on their next possession. The two teams exchanged the lead eight times over the next eight minutes, with Johnson holding a narrow 69-67 lead with just under five minutes to go.

The Mariners closed Johnson's lead to one (74-73) following a Brendan Newcomb (Holden, Maine) three, but the Badgers hung on for the 78-73 victory.

Adam Richardson (Bradley, Maine) tallied a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and also added three assists, three blocks and a steal. Riley Jorgenson (Vienna, Va.) added 16 points, three steals, two rebounds and two assists and Nicholas DePatsy (Waldoboro, Maine) contributed 12 points, two rebounds and an assist.

Donell Shaw led Johnson State with 17 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal, Marqwon Wynn and Vernon Slater each contributed 12 points, and Shakeel Irvin rounded out the players in double-digits with 10 points.

The Badgers shot 49.2 percent from the floor, while the Mariners shot 45.5 percent. Johnson held a 38-34 edge in rebounds.