Senior forward Jackson Price converted four 3-pointers in the second half, leading Marist men’s basketball to a 56-51 comeback win over St. Peter’s Thursday night in Jersey City. The win marks the Red Foxes’ (13-2, 6-0 MAAC) best start to MAAC play in program history (6-0).
Defeating the Peacocks (6-8, 1-5 MAAC) gives Marist sole possession of first place in the MAAC after Merrimack lost to Quinnipiac tonight.
The win comes against head coach John Dunne’s former team whom he coached for 12 seasons. Tonight is Dunne’s first non-COVID win in Jersey City as Marist’s head coach and the Red Foxes’ first non-COVID win in Jersey City since 2012.
“The first year or two, full disclosure, I was anxious coming back, coaching against players that I recruited. It can be a little distracting just because I know so many people here and it’s always great to see familiar faces. That’s special and that means a lot. But once the game gets going, you’re just coaching the game,” said Dunne.
Marist heated up on offense in the second half, scoring 36 points on ruthless efficiency (10-16 FG, 6-10 3PT, 10-13 FT) to more than overcome the halftime deficit of six points. Price scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half to lift Marist to their ninth consecutive win, tying the second-longest win streak in program Division I history.
“When [Price]’s shooting the ball like that we’re a little tougher to guard. That’s going to open up driving lanes and cutting for other guys,” said Dunne.
Sophomore guard Jadin Collins-Roberts scored all eight of his points in the second half to support Price; the 6-foot-1 point guard added six rebounds and tight ball screen coverage to limit the Peacocks in the paint.
As expected, a tight affair ensued in the opening minutes with both teams trading punches. Marist forced some turnovers with active hands but St. Peter’s attacked the offensive glass to earn extra possessions.
Both teams went deep into their benches; Marist played 11 in the first half and St. Peter’s nine. A 10-0 Peacocks barrage over seven minutes gave them a hold on the game.
After a hot start, the Red Foxes could not find a rhythm for the rest of the first half, missing all four free throw attempts and five of eight shots at the rim. Marist missed tough shots and got knocked out of their sets. Dunne called a timeout with 3:12 left to settle his team and refocus offensively.
Fortunately for Marist, the deficit only reached six at halftime, 26-20. St. Peter’s made four of 10 3-pointers and committed just two turnovers in the final eight minutes. Peacock’s redshirt freshman guard Bryce Eaton led all scorers with nine points.
To open the second half, multiple Peacocks dove onto the court fighting for loose balls and setting the tone in their home gym. Marist kept working on offense to counteract St. Peter’s aggression and get back into the game shooting 4-7 in the first 10 minutes.
Price hit three 3-pointers to open the half where the third gave Marist their first lead since 9:34 in the first half at the 11:11 mark of the second frame. Price’s third make came off an elevator screen at the top of the key with Marist’s support section getting on their feet.
Collins-Roberts followed with key scores at the free-throw line to grow Marist’s lead to five with less than seven minutes left. On a tough shooting night, sophomore guard Josh Pascarelli continued to hunt for his shot. He came off a screen and swished a contested stepback three to give Marist their largest lead of eight.
“He settled into the game in the last 12, 14 minutes. It’s not an easy game to play, [Saint Peter’s] jumping out, going for steals. They’re throwing a lot at him. [Jadin]’s defending extremely well, super proud of the way he hangs in there,” said Dunne.
St. Peter’s did not score during a four-minute 9-0 Red Foxes run. St. Peter’s head coach Bashir Mason called timeout after sophomore guard Armoni Ziegler hit a key corner 3-pointer to cut the deficit to five. Ziegler finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.
The Peacocks did not go down without a fight, keeping Marist without a point for several minutes and completing a 7-1 run to cut the deficit to four. With 29 seconds left, Marist broke the press and junior guard Elijah Lewis sealed the win with free throws.
Marist put on a defensive clinic in the second half, giving St. Peter’s a hard time generating looks and holding them to 1-7 3-point shooting and 9-25 overall. Eaton scored once in the second half after getting buckets in the first. Tonight is the fifth straight game Marist has held their opponent under 40% shooting from the field.
“We clogged up the paint well. We did a good job of making them try to earn every bucket for the most part,” said Dunne.
Historically, this is a game Marist losses with a 9-22 record at St. Peter’s. Tonight provided a stark contrast to said history; the Red Foxes instead came out on top of a gritty battle on the Peacocks’ home floor. Marist is now 5-2 on the road this season.
“There’s two things that’s going on with this team. We have poise in the late stages of games and these guys are super connected and play for each other,” said Dunne.
St. Peter’s, the defending MAAC champions, are now 1-5 in the MAAC and have a deep hole to get out of to make it back to Atlantic City.
Marist returns home to finish the weekend hosting Rider on Saturday, January 18. Tipoff at McCann Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Edited by: Aidan Lavin
Photo Credit: Jaylen Rizzo
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