Marist men’s basketball outplayed Dartmouth on both ends of the floor in a 75-62 wire-to-wire victory in McCann Arena Tuesday night.
Five Marist players scored in double figures, most notably junior guard Martin Kawa with 12. He played a season-high 19 minutes in lieu of junior guard Caleb Mackrey’s absence due to illness. Sophomore guard Jadin Collins-Roberts led Marist (3-1) in scoring with 13 while being one rebound short of a double-double while adding five assists.
“It makes me a lot harder to guard [contributing in multiple ways]. This game, I found some opportunities to get some steals [to spark transition],” said Collins-Roberts.
The Red Foxes’ defense held Dartmouth (2-3) to 37% shooting from the field and forced 12 turnovers. Junior forward Jaden Williams led the way for the Big Green with 14 points. Dartmouth had three streaks of five-plus missed shots in a row.
“Thought we were fired up defensively. We did a good job, particularly in the first half. Just got to keep working and get better on a daily basis defensively,” said Marist head coach John Dunne.
The Red Foxes have now won three straight after losing their season opener.
Marist sprinted out to a 16-6 lead in the opening five minutes including a 7-0 run in just 60 seconds. A fastbreak slam by Collins-Roberts capped the run before the first media timeout.
The Red Foxes extended that run to 13-2 over four-plus minutes. Dartmouth had no answers on either end, attempting to press but still allowing points and starting 3-11 from the field offensively with four turnovers.
Dartmouth junior Brandon Mitchell-Day scored seven of the team’s first 14 points at the 7:28 mark of the first half. Kawa stepped in off the bench, hitting three three-pointers in the first half.
“I’ve been waiting for that opportunity and staying ready because I knew it was coming. Coach calls great plays. We were sitting on the bench and he called a play and was like, ‘Dang I don’t know if they can stop that,” said Kawa.
Senior forward Cade Haskins gave Dartmouth some life with eight points off the bench. His buckets prevented Marist from blowing the game open in the later stages of the first half.
Mitchell-Day scored the last four points of the half, cutting the deficit to 12 with the score at 40-28. In the first half, Dartmouth shot 10-30 from the field compared to Marist’s 17-35; six Marist players scored four or more points.
“I do think we have a lot of depth. We can’t expect [sophomore guard] Josh Pascarelli to drop 20-something points every game. Martin Kawa was awesome, man,” said Dunne.
Pascarelli scored 12 points with six rebounds and four assists, but took just eight shots as others got more involved.
The Red Foxes slowed down in the second half, turning the ball over four times in the first 10 minutes and shooting 1-8 from behind the arc. A three-pointer from Williams brought the game to 11 points, sinking his third triple of the game.
Senior guard Ryan Cornish also nailed a three-pointer, cutting Marist’s lead to single-digits for the first time since the 15:18 mark of the first half. A 7-0 Marist run before and after the under-8 timeout pushed their lead back to 16 while holding Dartmouth without a field goal for 5:02.
The Big Green ended that streak with two fastbreak dunks, cutting the deficit to 12. They started their press out of the timeout, forcing Marist to the free-throw line with under three minutes remaining.
“I wished we finished a little cleaner down the stretch. I thought we were a little mentally and physically tired after a pretty emotional win a few days ago. I thought our execution was good down the stretch,” said Dunne.
A technical foul by Cornish after a missed three-pointer allowed junior guard Elijah Lewis to extend the Marist lead to 14.
Lewis finished his 12-point effort with an and-one bucket, icing the game as Dartmouth called off the dogs with 32 seconds left. He’s played a ton of minutes and isn’t afraid to shoot, but the efficiency leaves a little to be desired. The difference from Division II to I is something Lewis will take time to adjust to.
“I’m still trying to get used to it, got to get my shot to fall eventually. Knowing when to shoot or when to pass is my main thing right now,” said Lewis.
The first-half performance gave enough cushion in the second half when the Red Foxes’ offense slowed. Marist turned in their best defensive performance, flashing back to the identity of last season’s team; contesting every shot, staying in front and maintaining active hands.
The Red Foxes finish a three-game home stand on Saturday, Nov. 23 against New Hampshire. Tipoff at McCann Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Edited by: Aidan Lavin
Graphic and Photo: Jaylen Rizzo
