Marist tallied their fourth win of the season as they boat raced Manhattan in a 61-39 victory over the Jaspers. It’s the lowest point total a team has been held to by the Red Foxes in eight seasons.
“We had a nice game defensively, but we know the weekend’s not over,” said head coach John Dunne.
The Red Foxes entered the matchup with a 3-1 record and were playing their fourth road game of the season. The Jaspers sat at 1-1 after just two games and they split their opening conference series at home against Rider. Marist has beaten Manhattan at least once every year since 2015, including an overtime win over Steve Masiello’s squad a season ago.
It was a game of runs as Marist got off to a blazing start to the game with a 20-4 run in the first 10:13. Seven steals in that span helped limit the Jasper offense to just two-for-nine shooting from the field and ten turnovers. Manhattan quickly responded with a 19-4 run of their own to close out the rest of the first half and to pull within one at the intermission.
Just two minutes into the second frame, an Elijah Buchanan three-pointer for the Jaspers helped put them in front for the first time in the game. An immediate response on a Raheim Sullivan jump shot for the Red Foxes helped them retake the lead and Marist never looked back. A one-sided 35-12 run sealed the deal for Marist as they shot a red hot 12-for-18 from the field including eight-for-12 from beyond the arc.
“We knew we had returners that can make shots,” said Dunne. “Then you add the playmaking to those guys and then you have a solid, all-around good group. We know we’re far from the finished product, we’ve got a lot to learn on both ends of the floor, but we feel good about our potential.”
Marist freshman guard Hakim Byrd paced the victors with 20 points on seven-for-11 shooting and four three pointers. Junior forward Braden Bell, freshman guard Ricardo Wright, and junior guard Raheim Sullivan all chipped in with double digits. The Red Foxes were able to find separation as they shot an efficient 12-for-24 from deep.
“We made a lot of really nice plays that led to some easy buckets and open threes in transition,” said Dunne. “It’s nice to have some playmaking on the court with our new guys. And our returners have some nice shooting and some toughness.”
Manhattan struggled to find much offense other than the late first half stretch as the Jaspers shot a lowly two-for-22 from the perimeter in the defeat. Junior guard Ant Nelson led the way with 11 points while junior guard Elijah Buchanan pitched in nine and junior guard Jason Douglas-Stanley added seven.
“We did a good job of keeping them off the foul line,” said Dunne. “We also did a good job containing [Ant] Nelson. He’s a player and there was a couple of consecutive plays in the second half that he was trying to put his head down and get fouled. We were able to do a really good job of not letting them get into a rhythm.”
The victory marks the first time since the 2001-02 season where the Red Foxes sit at 4-1 to start the season. Marist will remain in Riverdale this weekend and take on the Jaspers tomorrow at Draddy Gymnasium. Tip-off is at 2:00 p.m.
Edited by Nicholas Stanziale