CASTINE, Maine – Maine Maritime Academy men's basketball defeated Husson University, 69-63 on Friday night in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) action inside of Smith Gymnasium. The victory marks the first for the Mariners over the Eagles since December 4, 2012 and is just the third victory over the in-state conference rival in 44 meetings.

How it Happened: The Mariners jumped out to a 14-3 lead at 14:21 forcing a Husson timeout. The Eagles answered back with 13-unanswered points to take a 16-14 lead with just under 10 minutes to go, but DeMerrill Levy (Houston, Texas) splashed a three to stop the Eagles' run, and sparked an 11-point run for the Mariners who took a 36-32 lead into halftime.

A layup from Husson's Justice Kendall at 13:50 in the second half tied the game at 43-43, and the Eagles took a one-point lead (48-47) at 11:48. The two teams battled closely until Malachi Reincke (Houston, Texas) capitalized on a three-point play to give the Mariners the lead for good at 4:35 and hit a pair from the line with 11 seconds to go to secure the victory of the Mariners.

Inside the Numbers: Reincke scored a career and game-high 18 points to lead the Mariners and added five rebounds, three steals and an assist, while teammate Nicholas DePatsy (Waldoboro, Maine) recorded 16 points, including going 4-of-5 from three-point land, five rebounds, three steals and an assist. Kimani Anderson (Houston, Texas) and Riley Jorgenson (Vienna, Va.) chipped in with 12 points each. Anderson led the Mariners with nine rebounds and also added three assists and a block, while Jorgenson contributed five assists, two rebounds and a block.

Scott Lewis led the Eagles with a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds, while also adding two assists, two steals and a pair of blocks, while Derek Collin contributed 11 points, seven rebounds and three steals.

Maine Maritime shot 56.0 percent from the floor and 56.3 percent from three-point land, while the Eagles shot 36.9 percent overall and just 19.0 percent from behind the arc. Husson held a 39-30 edge in rebounds.

Up Next: The Mariners improve to 3-10 overall and 1-4 in the NAC, while the Eagles drop to 6-8 on the season and 4-1 in conference play. Maine Maritime returns to action tomorrow, Saturday, January 18 when they host Pine Manor College for a non-conference matchup at 12:00 pm.