Marist men’s basketball is 0-8 all-time against Lehigh dating back to 1982. That trend continued tonight with a 74-69 loss on the road on Saturday evening, snapping their four-game win streak. The Red Foxes (4-2) shot 36% in the second half after leading Lehigh (2-5) by as much as nine in the first half.
Junior forward Bube Nomah led Lehigh with 17 points with strong scoring in the low post. Once again, the Mountain Hawks’ big man gave Marist problems after scoring 19 in this matchup last season en route to a Lehigh win in Poughkeepsie. The Mountain Hawks worked an 11-point advantage at the free-throw line in addition to 54% shooting from the field.
Lehigh earned their first win over a Divison I team after losing four previously, three of them to quality opponents.
Four Marist players scored in double figures but could not complete a second-half comeback where they trailed for the last 17 minutes of the game. Senior forward Jackson Price scored 14 points behind four three-pointers and sophomore guard Josh Pascarelli followed him with 13 but just 1-5 from deep.
The Red Foxes started brightly, using efficient offense to lead 17-12 through the first segment of the first half. Marist easily got to spots through off-ball screens and patient shot fakes in the lane.
Lehigh attacked the offensive glass, drawing fouls in the process and getting into the bonus with 10-plus minutes left in the half. Nomah came off the bench, becoming a presence for the Mountain Hawks while Price spaced the floor for Marist nailing three three-pointers in the first half.
The Red Foxes continued to get whatever they wanted offensively and freshman forward Parby Kabamba scored a career-high 10 points in the first half. Lehigh quickly responded when Marist tried to extend the lead past 10, holding their largest lead to nine points.
The Mountain Hawks scored five straight in the final 45 seconds of the first half. Sophomore guard Joshua Ingram beat the buzzer with a three-pointer to bring Marist’s lead down to 38-37.
Price and Kabamba combined for 19 of Marist’s 38 while five Lehigh players scored five-plus points. The Mountain Hawks shot 63% from the field and 3-6 from deep.
Sophomore guard Cam Gillis gave Lehigh their first lead of the game with a stepback three-pointer. A layup following that bucket forced a Marist timeout early in the second half with the Mountain Hawks leading 44-40.
Marist started the second half 1-10 from the field, trailing 46-40 with 13:51 left in the game. The quality of Marist’s shots could have been better; the Red Foxes missed some open looks from deep but did not drive to apply pressure on Lehigh’s defense.
Lehigh continued growing their lead with good offense and Marist could not keep up. A three-pointer by Lehigh senior guard Ben Knostman pushed their lead to 10 with 8:23 left in the second half. Marist called another timeout in an attempt to slow the momentum.
Price knocked in his fourth three-pointer following the timeout but a four-point swing put Lehigh back up six. Marist junior forward Jaden Daughtry blocked a shot but missed the fast break layup, resulting in an Ingram score on the other end for Lehigh.
The Red Foxes chipped the lead down to three but ran out of time, failing to convert on enough chances late to tie or take the lead. Lehigh scored just two field goals after the Ingram bucket with six minutes left but converted six free throws to hold onto their lead.
Junior guard Elijah Lewis scored nine of his 11 points in the second half, giving the Red Foxes life when the offense could not score.
The Red Foxes begin their MAAC schedule with two games next weekend. First up, Mount St. Mary’s visits McCann Arena on Friday, Dec. 6. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Edited by: Aidan Lavin
Photo Credit: Jaylen Rizzo