In their eighth straight win, Marist men’s basketball finished off Fairfield (6-10, 2-3 MAAC) with an 11-3 run in the final three minutes to secure a 61-51 win at McCann Arena Sunday afternoon.
“We gutted it out considering we weren’t shooting well from three. All year long we’ve stayed poised in crucial situations. Our defensive energy was really good. Being home, having the crowd behind us giving us that little boost of energy,” said Marist head coach John Dunne.
Four Red Foxes scored in double figures with senior forward Jackson Price leading with 12. Marist (12-2, 5-0 MAAC) shot poorly from deep, going 4-18 but pounded the paint. Price’s perfect 6-6 from 2-point range was a part of their 42 of 61 points below the arc.
Junior guard Elijah Lewis, who is the Red Foxes’ second offensive option, struggled throughout shooting 3-13 but, when it mattered most, Lewis nailed a 3-pointer thanks to junior forward Jaden Daughtry’s kick out, stretching Marist’s lead to five with two minutes remaining
“It wasn’t going in for him tonight but he stayed mentally strong. If he’s 0-20, we want him to be confident on that 21st shot. He came up big for us [in the end],” said Dunne.
The Stags shot a ridiculous 10-20 from 3-point range to carry their offense. Without their best player, junior guard Prophet Johnson, graduate guard Jamie Bergens stepped up leading all scorers with 16 points. Fairfield’s offense petered out in the second half and did not defend the paint to be outscored 36-26 in the second frame.
Marist once again owned the glass against a Stags team that works the offensive glass; Fairfield had just five offensive rebounds today. The Red Foxes’ ability to crash the boards and limit second-chance opportunities is a staple of John Dunne’s defensive emphasis.
In the first half, Bergens scored eight of Fairfield’s first 15 points as the Stags hit three of four 3-point attempts to begin the game.
Fairfield played with a focused defensive effort, getting in the gaps and forcing six Marist turnovers at the under-eight timeout. Despite disrupting the Red Foxes’ offensive rhythm, Fairfield’s largest lead was just four and Marist tied the game at 22 with under three minutes left.
Marist again tied the game with a buzzer-beating corner 3-pointer by sophomore guard Josh Pascarelli. The Stags shot 5-8 from three in the half but the Red Foxes never let the game get away, fighting to tie it before halftime.
“We didn’t play well offensively. We didn’t make the appropriate reads. We used a late-game special [for Pascarelli],” said Dunne.
To begin the second half, neither team scored in the first three minutes. Marist missed their first five shots until Price finished in the paint.
In a cold shooting day for the Red Foxes, Fairfield knocked down numerous 3-pointers to sustain their offense. When Marist occasionally hit one, Fairfield responded on the next possession.
Sophomore guard Jadin Collins-Roberts created offense with guard post-ups and subsequent passing or scoring at the rim. He finished with six points, four assists and seven rebounds.
“Part of the gameplan was to let [Jadin] play in the paint with Perry on him. We had a few nice cuts and offensive rebound putbacks,” said Dunne regarding Marist attacking the paint.
Marist took their first lead in 20 minutes of game time with a Collins-Roberts score in the post at the 10:58 mark of the second half. However, Fairfield quickly responded with a patient drive and floater by Bergens.
Two more scores by the Red Foxes, including a one-handed slam by Daughtry, brought the home crowd to their feet. Once again, the Stags found an answer with a step-back 3-pointer by junior guard Deon Perry.
With under three minutes to play, both teams slowed on offense but Lewis scored five straight points to give Marist their largest lead of seven.
“Coming down the stretch we’ve got some really good scorers like Josh and [Elijah]. We want the ball in his hands and he produced,” said Price.
Junior guard Braden Sparks broke a Stags drought with a wing 3-pointer and Fairfield called timeout trailing 55-51 with 1:46 to go. Fairfield scored just twice in the last five minutes with Daughtry sealing the game with another lefty hammer.
“We kept them out of transition and we started trapping ball screens. They were getting into a rhythm against our drop coverage. We trapped for a few minutes and that was effective,” said Dunne.
The Red Foxes stay perfect in conference play despite a sluggish performance for much of the game. Marist executed on both ends in the final 10 minutes to pull away from a short-handed Fairfield team.
Marist heads on the road next to face Saint Peter’s on Thursday, January 16. Tipoff at The Victor R. Yanitelli, S.J. Recreational Life Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Edited by: Aidan Lavin
Photo/Graphic: Kira Crutcher
