Box Score Kings Point, NY - The men's basketball team was back in action on Saturday, looking to return to the win column following a tough home loss against Farmingdale State College this past Wednesday. Despite a strong comeback attempt, the Dolphins fell short against the United States Merchant Marine Academy, losing by the tight score of 67-64. 

The Dolphins have dropped to 6-9 on the season and are sitting at .500 against the conference. 

The first 20 minutes were a struggle for James Mooney's squad, as the team's top two scorers in Dan Porcic and Elijah McKenzie were out of action. The Dolphins struggled to find their groove offensively with the missing pieces, shooting just 30% from the floor while missing all eight three point attempts, allowing the Mariners to break out to a 43-24 lead going into halftime. 

The tide, however, started to turn in CMSV's favor in the second half, as the Dolphins stepped up on both ends of the floor. Over the first 10 minutes of the second half, the Dolphins chipped away at USMMA, with Aaron Darab, Kalos Evans and Jeremiah Simmons all contributing on the offensive end. At the 14 minute mark, CMSV went on a 15-0 run that saw the Dolphins cut the Mariners lead to four. Over that span, both Darab and Evans were sparkplugs, combining for all 15 points. The game got within two points in the waning minutes of the contest, but missed three point opportunities by CMSV combined with clutch USMMA free throws resulted in the loss. 

Darab had a standout performance, as the Vienna, Viriginia native knocked down a career-best 18 points while also contributing four assists and four steals. Freshman Dillon Hod also had a career game with a season-high 12 points and nine rebounds of his own. Evans added 10 points to the score while senior Dorian Robinson added five boards, three assists and three steals. 

The next task for the Dolphins comes at the hands of Sarah Lawrence College, who they'll play host to on Wednesday.