Marist men’s basketball dominated Canisius in the second half, outscoring the Golden Griffins 40-20 en route to a 70-47 win on Saturday afternoon. The win secures their third Buffalo sweep in program history, with two coming in the last three seasons (2022-23, 2024-25).
The MAAC’s leading scorer, Canisius (2-18, 2-7 MAAC) junior guard Paul McMillan IV, was held to 13 points on 5-20 shooting. Marist (15-3, 8-1 MAAC) did not allow him to develop a rhythm, running him off the 3-point line and contesting tough 2-point attempts. McMillan IV also attempted just two free throws, a key part of his game this season.
“You got to keep him out of transition and off the foul line. You’re not going to shut him out but you want his points to be inefficient,” said Marist head coach John Dunne.
The Red Foxes held Canisius to 6-26 shooting in the second half and slowed their offense to a complete halt. Marist executed well on offense behind sophomore guard Josh Pascarelli’s 15 points and four assists. Four other Red Foxes scored eight or more in a balanced offensive display.
Canisius started out the gate with high intensity on defense and shotmaking on offense. Sophomore forward Dylan Godfrey scored a quick five off the bench and sophomore guard Anthony Benard forced two turnovers to spark a 9-0 Griffins run. Marist called timeout trailing 16-10 with 11:28 left in the first half.
“Their intensity defensively, the way they were playing ball screens affected us a little bit early, kept us out of rhythm,” said Dunne.
Following the timeout, Marist regained the lead with a 13-5 run behind numerous 3-pointers. Bernard then drew a flagrant foul on Red Foxes sophomore guard Jadin Collins-Roberts taking an elbow to the chin.
The Red Foxes did not let that kill their momentum and finished the half well, leading 30-27 at the break.
Marist upped their defense to begin the second half, holding Canisius to a 1-9 start and converting on the other end to open a double-digit lead. Junior guard Martin Kawa’s second 3-pointer forced a Canisus timeout with 14:09 left in the game. 26 bench points from Marist provided a nice boost and possibly a trend toward the reserves scoring more for the rest of the season.
“I thought this was a good weekend by those guys. Travis [Roberts] and Martin [Kawa] making shots. Tarik [was nice] on his rolls off the ball screens and Schofield threw some nice passes. Our bench gave us a big lift [in the first half],” said Dunne.
The Red Foxes continued getting stops and gained full control as the second half waned. Pascarelli found some open looks and Marist played the game at their pace; methodical on offense, disciplined on defense. Five Red Foxes recorded two or more assists today, sharing the ball on this road trip against two aggressive teams in ball screens.
“We’re always emphasizing sharing the ball, I do that most years. Not every team buys into it but this group’s been a special group. It’s more about them being connected,” said Dunne.
In the final minutes, Marist walk-on freshman guard Antoni Vlogianitis scored his first career points with a wing 3-pointer. The Red Foxes are now 7-0 in day games this season and 11-0 when they outrebound their opponent. Six wins is the most in January since 2008. Marist dominated the boards with a season-best +19 in rebounding.
Marist returns home for a key Friday night matchup on their home floor versus rival Siena. Tipoff on January 31 at McCann Arena is scheduled for 9 p.m. on ESPNU.
Edited by: Aidan Lavin
Graphic: Cara Lacey; Photo: Jaylen Rizzo
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