CASTINE, Maine - Maine Maritime men's basketball fell to SUNY Canton, 67-58 Friday evening in a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) matchup.

How it happened: The first half was a tight matchup as the Mariners and Kangaroos exchanged early baskets. Curt Heinz (Stuttgart, Germany) opened scoring for Maine Maritime with a layup in the opening minute. Baskets continued to be back-and-forth until the Kangaroos began an 8-2 run with 12:15 minutes left in the half. The Mariners responded with a run of their own when Cameron Gerlach (Hendersonville, Tenn.) made a jump shot and Carter Rubin (Littleton, Colo.) added a 3-pointer to bring the Canton lead to just five. A Gerlach layup with 0:24 left in the half tied the game going into halftime with a score of 29-29.

The second half opened up similarly to the first with a tight battle. SUNY Canton jumped out to a 36-31 lead in the first two and a half minutes. The Mariners responded with a run of their own when Rubin made a three to tie the game 38-38. Action remained tight and with 11:42 remaining the Mariners took their first lead of the game after another made three-point shot by Rubin. The lead was short lived as SUNY Canton got the lead again and never let it go. The game was closed out on foul shots by the Kangaroos, claiming a 67-58 win.

Inside the Numbers: Rubin led the game in scoring with 20 points, along with three rebounds and an assist. Heinz tallied a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Gerlach finished with ten points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

SUNY Canton had very balanced scoring from all ten players who saw action in tonight's game. Andrew Fitch and Fadil Atcha-Dedji led the Kangaroos with nine points each, while Danny Santana, Justin Omaga, and Brandon Averitt all had eight points.

The Mariners shot 36.6% from the field, and 20% from three. SUNY Canton shot 38.1% from the hardwood and 25.7% from beyond the arc.

Up Next: Maine Maritime falls to 2-11 overall and 1-4 in conference, while the Kangaroos improve to 5-8 overall and 3-2 in conference. Maine Maritime returns to action on Tuesday, January 18th at 5:30pm when they travel to Thomas College in a NAC matchup.