The Red Foxes struggled in a 65-59 defeat at the hands of St. Peter’s, snapping their four-game winning streak. The loss completed a season sweep of Marist by the Peacocks. Brian Parker and Ryan Funk combined for 31 of 59 points for the Red Foxes.
“They were the team with more energy,” head coach John Dunne said. “As a coach, I have to take a strong look at how we handled preparation this week, and the players need to take a look at how they handled preparation this week.”
Friday night felt like a tale of two teams. As soon as the game began, both teams seemed to be heading in different directions. Marist looked to keep the momentum that they had gained during their four game win streak, hoping to finish the night with a season-high fifth win in a row, while St. Peter’s hoped to claim their first win in a month. It was easy to see tonight as a must-win for the Red Foxes as they inched closer to the MAAC Tournament.
Despite outscoring St. Peter’s bench 29 to nine, the offense never quite got it going. Marist shot 39 percent from the field. It was an uncomfortable look for a team that had scored 75 points or more in seven of their last nine outings. The slow start for the Red Foxes left the scoreboard with much to be desired, scoring only two points in the first six minutes of action.
“If we played with the passion for 40 minutes that we played with in the last five minutes, we probably would have seen a different outcome,” said coach John Dunne.
Brian Parker led Marist with 19 points on seven of 11 shooting from the field, but his free throw woes continued, shooting five of 10 from the line. Ryan Funk chipped in with 12 points of his own, and David Knudsen scored nine, hoping to help the Red Foxes to cut into the St. Peter’s lead. The perimeter was unfriendly, though, as the Red Foxes shot a lowly six of 21 from deep. Senior Ryan Funk was able to convert four of his seven attempts, leaving the rest of the team to shoot just two of 14 from three.
“We took two days off earlier in the week,” said Dunne. “Maybe we didn’t keep grinding and let our guard down because of that.”
St. Peter’s eased their offense as the game progressed, converting on seven of their first 10 shots. The Peacocks would finish the game shooting 52 percent from the floor. Their five blocks in the first eight minutes helped to bolster the momentum that they would need to hold a lead over Marist for over 30 minutes of the game. Leading scorer Davauhnte Turner contributed 16 points to the win.
The victory for St. Peter’s ends an eight-game losing streak. The Peacocks improve to 4-11 in the MAAC and 7-20 on the season. The loss for the Red Foxes ends a four-game winning streak, putting them at 12-15 on the season, and below an undesired .500 in the MAAC at 7-8. Marist will look to get back to .500 this Sunday as they travel to Albany to take on Jamion Christian’s Siena Saints.
Dunne remained positive with his outlook for his squad. “We just have to be mentally tough enough to come prepared tomorrow to have a good day of preparation.”
Edited by Will Bjarnar