Marist men’s basketball bounced back in a big way with an impressive 80-71 win over Canisius. The Red Foxes had four players score in double-digits and nailed 10 three-pointers to come away with a Buffalo split.
Freshman guard Josh Pascarelli led Marist (10-8, 5-4 MAAC) with 20 points, while sophomore center Max Allen II scored 18 points and senior guard Kam Farris poured in four three-pointers off the bench. The Red Foxes’ offense hummed with 22 team assists despite only averaging 11 this season.
“Our whole game plan was to get to high ball screens and hit our big guys on short rolls. We had good spacing and offense always looks good when you make shots,” said Marist head coach John Dunne.
The Golden Griffins (8-12, 3-7 MAAC) snapped a three-game skid with a win over Manhattan Friday night. Still, Canisius has struggled to meet expectations this season after being picked third in the MAAC preseason poll. Missing two All-MAAC players (sophomore guard Tahj Staveskie and junior forward Xzavier Long) for almost all of the season has derailed their campaign.
Farris came off the bench and scored five straight for the Red Foxes while Canisius played at a high pace and started 7-14 from the field. Junior guard Tre Dinkins displayed his dynamic ability with several midrange jump shots leading the Griffs to an early 15-12 advantage.
The Golden Griffins showed extreme athletic ability, including an alley-oop slam from senior forward Bryce Okpoh finished an alley-oop slam from junior forward Frank Mitchell.
The quick rotations by Canisius provided some open looks for Marist, one of which gave graduate student forward Javon Cooley an open three-point look from the corner. He converted for his second triple of the game but the Red Foxes called timeout at the 7:51 mark after a steal and finish by Griff’s sophomore guard Devean Williams.
Another three from Farris and a crisp assist to Allen II gave the Red Foxes their first lead since the 13:51 mark of the first half.
With 3:32 left in the first half, Marist led 29-27 behind 5-10 three-point shooting and eight team assists.
Canisius’ offense went cold with a three-minute scoring drought and Marist took advantage by extending their lead to six after Allen II scored in the paint. Mitchell ended the 11-0 Marist run with a jump hook.
Allen II reached double-digits with a buzzer-beating layup to end the half extending the Marist lead to 37-31. The Red Foxes moved the ball on offense and their 12 first-half team assists eclipsed their season average. Even though Canisius shot 50 percent from the field, 1-11 from deep was the difference. The Red Foxes also held their own on the glass and limited second-chance opportunities for Canisius.
At the half, Allen II led all scorers with 10 and Farris followed with eight points off the bench. Dinkins had eight for the Griffs and Mitchell added six points and five rebounds.
After Dinkins scored four straight for Canisius to begin the second half, Allen II and Pascarelli finished inside to keep the Red Foxes in front. After a technical foul was assessed to the Canisius bench, Cooley pushed the Marist lead to 10.
Canisius moved into a zone defense, but Farris canned another three to force a Griffins timeout trailing 54-42.
“I think [Farris] has been very efficient and brought great energy on both sides of the ball. He just made shots and played with a lot of confidence. When we get multiple guards shooting the ball well with Max [Allen II], we have a chance to beat anybody,” said Dunne.
Junior guard Cam Palesse sparked Canisius with a 7-2 run of his own to bring the Griffins within seven with 10:11 left in the game. He knocked down just the team’s second three-pointer.
The Red Foxes scored at an even higher clip in the second half at 61 percent and handled whatever Canisius threw at them. The Griffins tried a press, but they missed too many shots, allowing Marist to play in transition. They moved into another zone look, but Pascarelli laced two straight from behind the arc.
Farris drained a heat check step back three to set a new season-high of 14 points. A quick 8-2 run from Canisius capped by a Dinkins’ three cut the deficit to eight with 2:29 remaining in the game.
“Tre [Dinkins] is streaky, we wanted to limit him. He didn’t come out well-guarded the first four minutes of the game but the next 32 we were locked in. He scored a couple of buckets there late but overall I think we did a nice job on him,” said Dunne.
Pascarelli answered with his fourth three-pointer to reach 20 points but Canisius kept playing. A 6-0 run in under a minute brought the Griffins within seven with 30 seconds left, but Farris put a stamp on the game with a layup, bringing Marist back into the win column.
The Red Foxes held Canisius to 28 percent shooting from behind the arc and Dinkins, the best shooter in the conference, to 2-8 from deep. The junior from Chester, PA still finished with 18 points while Mitchell followed with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
“We have been mentally tough all year, been bouncing back all year. We just want to get better every day and keep a good spirit,” said Dunne.
The Red Foxes return home to battle Mount St. Mary’s on Friday, February 2. Tipoff at McCann Arena is set for 7 p.m.
Edited by: Aidan Lavin
Graphic: Ben Monrad; Photo Credit: Marist Athletics
