CASTINE, Maine – With a postseason berth hanging in the balance, Curt Heinz scored 22 points and grabbed a school-record 28 rebounds to lead Maine Maritime to an 80-74 win over Thomas College in North Atlantic Conference men's basketball Monday night. The win avenged Saturday's loss at Thomas that set up the showdown for the fourth and final spot in the NAC East Division Playoffs and propelled the Mariners into NAC postseason play for the first time since the 2018-2019 season.  

Heinz was solid from the floor hitting 8-of14 shots. He was also 6-of-8 more at the charity stripe, but it was his work on the glass that stood out. Heinz collected five offensive boards and 23 on the defensive end to break Allen Huntley's record of 27 rebounds set against Thomas back in 1964. He also blocked six shots, matching the seventh-best effort in program history in that category.

Thomas (9-16, 6-6 NAC East) led by as many as 10 points in the early going, but Maine Maritime (10-14, 6-6 NAC East), chipped away heading into the break down 41-40. The Mariners owned a six-point lead with 1:50 remaining before Cooper Wirkala cut that in half with the last of his eight treys on the night. He led all scorers with 25-points. A Metin Yavuz free throw with 58 ticks got Thomas back within two, 76-74, but Heinz answered with six straight points down the stretch to put the game on ice.

The Mariners got 20 points and 10 assists from Josiah Dancy. Isaiah Oquendo chipped in 13 points and four rebounds. Yavuz gave the Terriers 17 points and eight rebounds on the night.

The Mariners will return to action on Friday night when they face off with top-seeded Husson in the first round of the NAC East Division Playoffs.