CASTINE, Maine – Maine Maritime men's basketball fell to NVU-Lyndon, 69-63 in the first round of the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) tournament.

How it Happened: The Hornets started off strong with an 8-0 run to start the game. Carter Rubin (Littleton, Colo.) splashed one of his four threes to spark a 20-5 answer for the Mariners to make the score 20-13 with 9:33 left in the first half. The two teams started to trade baskets for the rest of the half and Cameron Gerlach (Hendersonville, Tenn.) hit a layup to take the Mariners into halftime with a 14 point lead.

Curt Heinz (Stuttgart, Germany) started off the second half for the Mariners with a made layup as the teams began to trade baskets again. The Hornets went on a 9 point run to get within five points of the Mariners with 14:20 left in the game. The Mariners answered with two quick buckets to extend their lead to nine. Lyndon then scored seven straight points to make the score 55-53 in favor of the Mariners with 5:24 left on the clock. Gerlach made a layup to extend the lead to four, then Mondwell Bukle hit a three for the Hornets to get within one. Rubin nailed another three for the Mariners to take a four point lead again. The Hornet then scored eight straight points to take a four point lead with 1:29 left on the clock. The Mariners had to start fouling to stretch out the game but the Hornets made 5 out of 6 foul shots to extend their lead and claim a 69-63 win.

Inside the Numbers: Rubin led the Mariners with 19 points, four rebounds, four assists, and one steal. Heinz added a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds, along with an assist and block. Malachi Reincke (Houston, Texas) chipped in 14 points, four rebounds, and one assist, while Gerlach had a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, one steal, and one block.

Tyrese Harris led the Hornets with 18 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Antonio Carlisle added 11 points, three rebounds, three assists, and one steal, while Mondwell Bukle chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds from off the bench.

The Mariners shot 47.1% from the floor and 36.8% from beyond the arc, while the Hornets shot 38.3% from the hardwood and 36.8% from the three point line.