Marist men’s basketball strung together four straight wins twice in the same season for the first time since 2007 with a dominant 78-55 win over Canisius. A raucous McCann Arena witnessed a ridiculous shooting performance with Marist going 52 percent from behind the arc to turn a tight game into a blowout win.
The Red Foxes forced 17 Canisius turnovers and sustained efficient offense to pull away in the second half. Sophomore guard Isaiah Brickner provided a lift off the bench with 16 points and five assists. Brickner’s second straight game scoring in double figures is showing strong signs of his return to form after battling a back injury all season.
“I bring energy every day. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs but just staying consistent with it. I’ve just tried to do whatever I can to win,” said Brickner.
Canisius came out hot, nailing their first three attempts from deep to build an early lead. Graduate student guard Siem Uijtendaal silenced the home crowd with a quick eight points surpassing his total in the last matchup between the two programs.
The Red Foxes looked lost on offense with insufficient movement and a lack of intensity. Brickner ended an 11-0 Canisius run with Marist’s first three-pointer.
The Griffs showed more urgency on both ends, denying Marist from operating their offense and forcing contested looks.
“We went to three guards in the first half. They were pressuring us so hard and extending our catches. We could not run our patterns. Getting another ball handler in there let us play quicker offensively,” said Marist head coach John Dunne.
Despite the early offensive struggles, the Red Foxes kept the deficit close by forcing turnovers on the defensive end. Junior guard Noah Harris hit a corner three to cut the lead to two with 5:11 left in the first half.
With Canisius in a three-plus minute scoring drought, the Red Foxes retained the lead off a three-pointer from freshman guard Josh Pascarelli.
Marist used an extended 15-2 run to lead 34-31 at halftime. The freshman guard tandem of Pascarelli and Jadin Collins paced the Red Foxes in scoring with 11 and 8 points each at the break.
“Being up three after the poor performance in the first half, I thought we were in a good spot,” said Dunne.
Junior guard Tre Dinkins led the Griffs with nine points with Uijtendaal following with eight; Uijtendaal did not score in the last 12 minutes of the first half.
In a tight start to the second half, Marist maintained their advantage by taking care of the ball. The Golden Griffs controlled the boards with authority, but the Red Foxes offset that with lethal offense, going 7-11 in the second frame with 11:39 remaining.
Both teams slowed offensively with the game in the balance and the opportunity to take control as open as ever. Marist took that chance on back-to-back three-pointers by graduate student Javon Cooley and sophomore forward Jackson Price to stretch the lead to nine.
“From day one, Javon has been one of the most mature guys I have ever coached. I can get on him hard, and he responds. He gets it all around and I’m super proud of him,” said Dunne.
Collins and Brickner scored layups to force a Canisius timeout and cap a 10-0 run. Canisius began to chase the game with time running out, but the offense dried up and frustrations grew.
“[Isaiah] has kept good spirit. He’s just kept working and battled through injuries, he had a really nice game,” said Dunne.
Collins finished an and-one bucket, shutting the door on Canisius as Dinkins came out of the game with 4:11 remaining trailing 68-53. The JUCO transfer finished with 15 points but scored just six in the second half.
The Golden Griffins scored four points in the final five minutes and allowed 44 points in the second half. Marist has won four straight matchups against Canisius, completing two straight season sweeps.
The freshman phenom Collins capped off his stellar 15 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals performance with a one-handed slam.
“The ball movement and selfless cutting, I don’t get either dunk if we are not trusting each other. The crowd has been slowly growing, I appreciate everyone who comes out,” said Collins.
Marist took a punch in the mouth early in the first half and responded by wearing down Canisius little by little before blowing the doors open. Pascarelli poured in 16 points along with Brickner to propel the offense.
“[Collins and Pascarelli] have high IQ, they both have toughness. We are in the last third of the season, they are not freshman anymore. Their passion for preparation and to win is high,” said Dunne.
The Red Foxes begin a road trip with local opponent Manhattan College on Feb. 23. Tipoff at Draddy Gymnasium is set for 7 p.m.
Edited by: Aidan Lavin
Graphic/Photo Credit: Gavin Hard/Jaylen Rizzo
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