The 93rd edition of the I-87 rivalry was as tight as it gets, and a last-second score by sophomore forward Matt McCool edged the Red Foxes past Siena, 50-48.
“I know the pass wasn’t to me but I just saw the ball and instinctually just grabbed it. We trusted each other to go out there and make a play,” said McCool.
After being down as many as 16 in the first half, Marist came roaring back in the second stanza with gritty defense and freshman guard Jadin Collins scoring all 10 of his points in the second half.
“We knew we had to get it on the defensive end and lock down on defense, keep playing tough. I feel like we wanted it more down the stretch,” said Collins.
The Red Foxes (9-7 overall, 4-3 MAAC) looked to get right after a season-low scoring output against Mount St. Mary’s on Friday night. Siena comes into Poughkeepsie dropping nine of their last 10, including a double-digit loss to MAAC-leading Quinnipiac.
Both teams were undermanned as sophomore guard Isaiah Brickner and junior forward Jackson Price missed their third straight game for Marist and sophomore guard Michael Eley was unavailable for Siena.
Marist called timeout in the opening minutes after a 1-5 shooting start and two early turnovers. The Saints came out with more intensity and urgency with a quick 7-0 run.
Junior guard Sean Durugordon continued his multi-game heater with eight points in the first five minutes. The Red Foxes had no answer for the Saints who had missed only two shots while Marist had two total baskets giving Sienna an early 20-4 lead.
“I was riding the guys because we were giving them things we shouldn’t have. We just kept saying it’s a long game, stay mentally tough,” said head coach John Dunne.
The Red Foxes forced a six-plus minute scoring drought and brought Siena back to earth offensively. Freshman guard Josh Pascarelli sparked the offense with aggressive driving and Marist cut the deficit to eight with five minutes left in the half.
To finish the half, sophomore center Max Allen II began to find his rhythm scoring four straight to bring the Red Foxes in range as Siena led 25-19 at the break. The Saints scored five points and committed eight turnovers in the last 11 minutes, but Marist was only shooting 24 percent overall.
“I thought we showed some mental strength making it a six-point game at halftime, holding them to five or six for the rest of the half,” said Dunne.
At the half, Durugordon led all scorers with 11 points and sophomore guard Mason Courtney followed him with seven.
Pascarelli led the Red Foxes with seven points and Allen added six points and rebounds. After setting a season-low of 21 first half in the previous game, Marist finished with just 19 points at the half to set a new season-low.
Durugordon started the second half with a buzzer-beating three-pointer, Siena’s first three since the 11-minute mark of the first half. Sophomore forward Jaden Daughtry got his second steal and scored on the other end to narrow Siena’s lead to 4. Sophomore guard Zek Tekin nailed a three-pointer to maintain the lead.
Tekin, who was benched to begin the second half, responded and pushed the Saints’ lead back to ten after a steal and lay-up.
“We could have faltered, we could have put our heads down, but we battled. We didn’t shoot it well and missed a lot of layups. I got to attribute that to how hard Siena played, they played spirited basketball,” said Dunne.
The Red Foxes got the crowd involved with intense defense and pushing the pace on offense. An 8-0 run that occurred primarily through Allen brought Marist within one possession as the big man got what he wanted in the post.
The Saints’ big men were passive while in foul trouble and were not able to limit him. With 7:47 left in the game, the Red Fox faithful roared back to life as Marist trailed 40-38.
Out of the timeout, freshman guard Jadin Collins laced a corner three to give Marist their first lead since the game’s opening minute. Siena struggled to answer, and Durugordon committed his third turnover after a charge call.
Collins put Marist ahead again with an offensive rebound and putback, drawing a foul in the process. The freshman converted from the line to put Marist ahead by two with 2:44 remaining in the game. Durugordon scored for the first time since early in the second frame to tie the game at 46.
Saints freshman guard Michael Evbagharu finished a tough drive to tie the game at 48 with 21 seconds left. The Ontario native took over ball-handling duties down the stretch.
With the game in the balance, and with Allen off the floor due to injury, McCool finished a pick-and-roll layup to give Marist a two-point lead with four seconds on the clock. McCool stepped in for Allen for the last three minutes and came up with a game-winning play.
“I knew I needed to bring energy and composure, not let the moment get too big, and trust my teammates,” said McCool.
With one last chance, Siena’s full-court pass was intercepted by Collins. The freshman missed the front end of a one-and-one, but Evbagharu’s full-court heave missed and the Red Foxes squeezed out a home win.
Marist beat Siena at home for the first time in three years behind 15 points, nine rebounds, and 3 blocks from Allen. The Red Foxes held Siena to 38 percent shooting in the second half and forced nine turnovers.
“Max, in my opinion, is the best offensive big in the league. I forget because he is so talented that he is really a freshman because he redshirted last year. He gutted it out and had a good stretch in the second half,” said Dunne.
Durugordon finished with 16, the only Saint to reach double-figures. Zekin scored seven in the second half.
“[Durugordon] got too many good looks. We weren’t locked in on gameplan discipline enough. [Sienna head coach] Carm had them ready to play,” said Dunne.
Marist will prepare for the western New York swing, starting with a nationally televised matchup against Niagara University on Friday, January 26th. Tipoff at the Gallagher Center is set for 7 p.m.
Edited by: Aidan Lavin
Graphic: Cara Lacey
For more coverage of Marist athletics, follow @cfmarist on Instagram, X and TikTok, and sign up to receive daily alerts here.
