Marist men’s basketball trailed all 40 minutes against the University of New Hampshire, but they kept the game close until the end, losing 74-71 after a buzzer beater attempt by sophomore center Max Allen. Allen had a stellar performance for the Red Foxes, pouring in a career high 28 points. Graduate student forward Javon Cooley was the only other Marist player to hit double digits with 12.
New Hampshire was led by All-Conference player senior forward Clarence Daniels, who scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Junior guard Ahmad Robinson added 16 points, with eight coming from the free throw line, where he made key shots to put the game away.
The Red Foxes (2-2) allowed their most points last time out with Binghamton hanging 82 on the board. New Hampshire (3-2) also looked to bounce back after a road loss to George Washington University.
New Hampshire started 4-4 from the field and jumped to a 10-4 lead at the 16:30 mark with quick ball movement to create open looks. Junior guard Ahmad Robinson racked up two assists during the strong start for the Wildcats.
Marist’s leading scorer Allen got involved after the first media timeout scoring two buckets in the paint as well as a crisp pass to Cooley on a backdoor cut.
Sophomore forward Matt McCool picked off a pass and scored down the court to cut Marist’s deficit to four with 12:02 remaining. Both teams were shooting over 50 percent from the field to this point. But, the difference came at the three point line with Marist going 0-4 from deep and New Hampshire making two of their first five three-point attempts.
A quick 5-0 Wildcats run from a graduate forward Jaxson Baker wing three and a put back by Daniels forced a Marist timeout. Baker hit his third three after the timeout to put New Hampshire up 24-14.
Junior forward Jackson Price knocked down the Red Foxes’ first three with Marist down 26-19 with 7:34 left in the half. Allen had another perfect pass to a cutting sophomore forward Trace Salton, finishing the play with a lay-in.
After Marist crawled closer to tying the game, Daniels scored five straight to push New Hampshire’s lead back to eight. That lead held to end the half, and Marist trailed 39-31.
Both sides continued to be even in all scoring stats except three-pointers; Marist only converted one attempt and New Hampshire hit five. Going into the second half, Daniels had a quiet 15 for the Wildcats and Allen led Marist with 10.
To open the second half, Allen went to work in the post scoring on the first two possessions. Marist continued to work down low, and Price completed a three-point-play to cut the lead to two with 14:00 left. Allen scored again immediately after re-entering to make it a one-point game.
Sophomore guard Christian Moore hit a deep three for New Hampshire, but junior guard Noah Harris responded with a three of his own to keep Marist close. A breakaway layup by Wildcats forward Trey Woodyard after Marist sophomore guard Isaiah Brickner’s third turnover put New Hampshire back up three.
The Red Foxes offense centered around Allen each possession, continuously getting touches in the post to facilitate the offense. His 18 points led all scorers with 11:10 left in the game. The Wildcats went cold on offense, shooting 41 percent overall and 20 percent from three.
At the eight-minute timeout, Marist trailed 57-52 after four straight Wildcat points. Out of the timeout, Cooley completed an and-one. Robinson entered double digits with a drive and finish for New Hampshire. The Wildcats could not find an answer for Allen all night as he scored once again with a quick spin move. The finish increased his total to 22 points and 11-14 shooting.
Neither team scored for two minutes, and Robinson drew a shooting foul before the media timeout; New Hampshire led 62-59 with 3:28 in the game. Marist continued shooting poorly from behind the arc, going 1-6 in the second half.
Graduate guard Naim Miller drained a huge three to push the Wildcats lead to six. But, Harris once again responded to keep Marist within one possession. After Robinson missed the front end of a one-and-one, Harris took a tough jumper that rimmed out. Sophomore forward Jaden Daughtry followed Harris’ miss with a turnover after he fell off balance and lost possession.
Daniels made one of two free throws and the Red Foxes trailed by four with 1:24 left. Allen missed down low, and Woodyard scored a key layup with under a minute to go. Cooley quickly canned a three to cut the deficit to three with 34 seconds left.
Marist called timeout following Cooley’s three to set up their press, forcing a New Hampshire timeout to save possession with 30 seconds remaining. After two free throws from Robinson, Brickner raced down the court and finished with an incredible poster slam. Brickner finished with a game high eight assists but Marist trailed 72-69 with 17 seconds left.
Robinson made one free throw and Allen scored on the other end; Marist now trailed 73-71 with 4 seconds left. Robinson missed another front end and Marist had a final chance to tie the game; Allen attempted a three but did not get the shot off in time and Marist fell short 74-71.
Despite 4-17 shooting from three by Marist, they shot a higher percentage overall than New Hampshire. But, the Wildcats had the advantage from behind-the-arc and scored 10 more free throws. The Red Foxes two freshman guards, Jadin Collins and Josh Pascarelli were limited to 14 and 11 minutes each, as both Harris and Brickner eclipsed 25 minutes.
Up next, Marist comes home for the first time this season to face Bucknell University on Saturday, November 25th. Tipoff at McCann Arena is set for 4 p.m.
Edited by: Aidan Lavin
Graphic: Ben Monrad
Photo: Marist Athletics
