Marist Men’s Basketball (2-1) put up their worst defensive performance of the season, allowing 82 points in a massive loss to Binghamton (3-2), 82-59.
The Bearcats shot 58% from the field and 50% from three. The loss ended Marist’s undefeated start, who tried to begin the season 3-0 for the first time since 2001.
The Red Foxes had a rough day offensively, shooting 38% overall, 26% from deep, and 44%(12-27) from the free throw line. Sophomore center Max Allen and freshman guard Josh Pascarelli were the two double-digit scorers for Marist with 17 and 10 each.
Marist graduate student Isaiah Sulack made his season debut off the bench after missing the first two games due to injury.
Binghamton utilized their size at all positions, aggressively driving in the lane and drawing three personal fouls in the first couple of minutes. The Bearcats possess strong leadership, with four of five starters being seniors.
Bearcats graduate point guard Samir Torrence put his imprint on the court early with 4 points and 2 assists where his second helper forced a Marist timeout, with the Red Foxes down 16-11 with 12:14 left in the first half.
Out of the timeout, Allen made a quick move and laid it in for an and-one. Torrence scored again to stretch the lead to seven. Marist became stagnant on offense, and any drives to the paint were blocked or heavily contested.
A corner three from graduate student guard Dan Petcash pushed the lead to double digits, forcing another Marist timeout. The Bearcats shot 60 percent from the field up to that point with just under 9 minutes remaining in the half.
Petcash hit another three from the same spot, and Binghamton blew the game open with a 12-0 run, eight of them from Petcash. Allen responded with another quick move and finish in the post.
Both teams traded baskets with Marist not cutting into the lead, trailing 34-18 with under four minutes left. The length and physicality of Binghamton limited opportunities for the Red Foxes to get good offensive looks.
Marist built some momentum to end the first half with a breakaway slam by sophomore guard Isaiah Brickner and two free throws from Allen. However, the Red Foxes faced a large deficit at halftime, down 38-24.
The offense mustered little success, with 1-for-11 shooting from three, 5-for-13 from the charity stripe, and one team assist. On the other end, Binghamton scored with high efficiency going 52 percent from the floor.
Freshman guard Jadin Collins nailed a three to begin the second half. Allen added a three of his own to cut the lead to 10. Marist again got into foul trouble, with four team fouls within three minutes.
Chenery drained a three-point shot to slow Marist’s momentum after a quick ten points by the Red Foxes. Another bucket from Chenery pushed Binghamton’s lead to 13 at the 15:26 mark.
Senior forward Tariq Balogun completed a three-point play out of the timeout, putting the Bearcats in the bonus for the rest of the game.
Marist junior guard Noah Harris hit a three after a loose ball, but Bearcat guard Chris Walker knocked down three straight from deep to move the lead up to 21. Despite Marist generating better offense, Binghamton matched that and more with hot shooting. Walker ended with 19 points off the bench, his season-high.
The Red Foxes could not find any spark for a comeback, and Binghamton continued to score at a high clip, leading 70-45 with 7:43 left in the game. Marist head coach John Dunne played 12 guys, 11 of them playing ten or more minutes.
Sulack scored his first Marist points with 6:27 left after a threaded pass by Pascarelli. Binghamton salted the game away to win 82-59, stacking their third straight win.
The Red Foxes finish their opening road trip against another America East opponent; the New Hampshire Wildcats on Tuesday, November 21st. Tipoff at Lundholm Gymnasium is set for 7 p.m.
Edited by Dan Aulbach
Graphic Credit: Ben Monrad, Photo from Jaylen Rizzo
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