Marist men’s basketball ran into a buzz saw against the Fairfield University Stags, losing big behind a career performance by graduate student guard Caleb Fields. The reigning MAAC player of the week drained 10 three-pointers, tying a program record, and finished with a career-high 33 points to propel Fairfield to an 82-61 win.
The Stags (9-6 overall, 3-1 MAAC) shot a lethal 43 percent from behind the arc and 47 percent from the floor to tie a season-high points allowed by the Red Foxes defense. The eighth consecutive win for the Stags is the most in thirteen years.
“Tough afternoon, we didn’t have the appropriate intensity, defensive mindset. We didn’t attack them offensively for how they were playing us. They’re shooting the ball extremely well,” said head coach John Dunne.
The Red Foxes (7-5 overall, 2-1 MAAC) began their full MAAC slate against the hottest team in the conference, as Fairfield comes in on a seven-game win streak, including a thumping of Siena 93-69 on Friday night where redshirt senior guard Brycen Goodine dropped 40 points on the Saints.
Marist looked to end a two-game losing streak, including suffering their first home loss to a struggling Lehigh University to finish their non-conference schedule. The Red Foxes were without their leading scorer sophomore center Max Allen for the second straight game.
Fields started hot with two threes to put the Stags ahead 10-6 in the opening minutes.
Out of the under-16 media timeout, Fields converted again with a pretty step-back move. Goodine came off the bench and nailed his first three to open a 10-point lead, forcing a Marist timeout.
Sophomore guard Isaiah Brickner ended a four-minute scoring drought with a lay-in for Marist. Stags junior guard Jasper Loyd responded with a three-point play.
At the 11:55 mark of the first half, Marist had committed more turnovers than made field goals and looked dysfunctional on offense. Fairfield played aggressive defense, including full-court ball pressure.
“Defensively, their intensity was pretty good. They were making us play off the dribble and our decision-making off the dribble wasn’t good enough. When they were clogging the lanes we aren’t getting the ball out quick enough,” said Dune.
Graduate student forward Javon Cooley hit a corner three to spark a 5-0 Marist run where Goodine answered with two threes of his own. The Stags guards shot with supreme confidence and paired that with strong ball movement for a potent recipe on offense.
Fields hit two more threes to eclipse 1,000 points for his career between Fairfield and Bowling Green State University. Senior guard Kam Farris drained a corner three to stop a 12-2 Stags run, but the onslaught was too much for Marist who trailed by 15 with 3:40 left in the first half.
Fairfield capped off a dominating first half with a put-back slam by senior forward Louis Bleechmore, and the Stags led 43-25 at the break. Fields poured in 17 points and Goodine followed him with 11. Fairfield shot 8-15 from three-point range and scored 15 points off 11 Marist turnovers.
The Red Foxes did not have any player surpass five points, and freshman guard Josh Pascarelli, who has carried the offensive load in recent weeks, got into foul trouble and sat most of the first half. Marist found it difficult to get good looks on offense, as they struggled against the ball pressure Fairfied put on them.
“When a team switches everything and takes you out of rhythm, we just got to be more disciplined off the dribble. We didn’t get the defense moving at all,” said Dunne.
Marist came out of halftime defensively with a zone look, and it did not matter- Fields still found space and knocked in a three on the first possession. Minutes later, Fields found himself wide open in the corner to hit his seventh three, a new career-high.
The Red Foxes used a 1-2-2 pressure look to slow Fairfield and freshman guard Jadin Collins got a steal and finished the ensuing and-one bucket to cut the deficit to 16 points. Bleechmore scored down low to stop a 10-0 Marist run.
After another Fields three-pointer, Marist could not get back into the game and were left trailing by 15 or more the rest of the way. Collins was the lone bright spot for the Red Foxes, who continued to drive in the lane and draw fouls. The freshman standout finished with 15 points, seven assists, and five rebounds.
“I was trying to get guys open shots so they could get rolling. Also looking at the basket myself to make the defense worry about me,” said Collins.
The Red Foxes’ offense again looked out of sync with Allen unavailable, highlighted by a season-high 18-team turnovers. Other than Collins, only Cooley reached double digits with 10. Pascarelli had a rough outing going 1-6 from three; his foul trouble in the first half certainly affected his rhythm.
“Today just wasn’t his day. Just never got into a rhythm with the fouling and some of the turnovers. Sometimes that happens with freshmen on the road, Josh will be fine,” said Dunne.
Marist will return home to face another high-flying offense in the Quinnipiac Bobcats on Friday, January 12th. Tipoff at McCann Arena is set for 7 p.m.
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