In front of a sellout crowd of 3,200 in McCann Arena, Marist men’s basketball (16-3, 9-1 MAAC) survived a late comeback bid to defeat Siena 72-67 in a nationally televised game Friday evening.
“We did not waver in our belief that we were going to win. The crowd was unbelievable,” said Marist head coach John Dunne.
With Siena (9-12, 4-6 MAAC) trailing 69-59 with 2:45 left, they scored eight straight to bring the game within one possession with 54 seconds left. Sophomore guard Jadin Collins-Roberts effectively sealed the game with a layup, putting Marist up four.
Junior guard Elijah Lewis led Marist with 19 points, converting on several mid-range shots to power the Red Foxes offense. Three others added 13+ points in a balanced effort where Marist shot 50% in the second half.
“Elijah has great basketball instincts. He’s an extremely confident kid. He really came to play, he was ready to go tonight. Good players step up in big moments,” said Dunne.
Marist played a nice defensive game, holding junior forward Brendan Coyle to 0-3 from 3-point range after torching multiple MAAC opponents in recent games. Siena shot 42% overall and 29% from behind the arc.
Junior forward Jaden Daughtry impacted the game at multiple points, finishing with a 13-point and 10-rebound double-double– his first of the season.
“I get all the energy from the crowd. It made me want to play as hard as I could,” said Daughtry.
Siena freshman guard Gavin Doty scored an efficient 19 points for Siena, playing with incredible energy and hustle while scoring at key moments to keep Siena within range.
In a tight first half, Daughtry drilled the Red Foxes’ first 3-pointer to force a Siena timeout. With 8:37 left in the first half, Marist held their biggest lead 20-14.
Marist executed defensively, forcing Siena into several late shot clocks unable to find a clean look. The Red Foxes could not take advantage, shooting poorly throughout the first half.
“I thought our defense was tremendous for the most part. We had them on lockdown in the first half,” said Dunne.
Doty kept Siena afloat with perfect 4-4 shooting. He drove hard in the paint on multiple occasions and hit a 3-pointer while guarded by a Marist big.
Marist extended their lead to seven at the break 33-26 despite shooting worse than Siena on all fronts.
Sophomore guard Josh Pascarelli opened the second half with five quick points to open a double-digit lead and force a Siena timeout. He finished with 16 points and yet another efficient performance (6-12 FG, 2-5 3PT).
Siena reverted to their 2-3 zone and forced several stops, which got them back into the game with a two-minute 6-2 mini-run. Lewis ended that with two mid-range jumpers in the zone’s soft spot.
“I did not think it was going to be that open. My teammates just kept finding me and my shot felt good today. That was probably the craziest atmosphere I’ve ever been in,” said Lewis.
Trailing by 11, Siena called a full-court press and forced two turnovers, one of which resulted in a 3-point play for junior guard Justice Shoats, who scored 19 points (12 in the second half). A 7-0 run in 41 seconds forced a Marist timeout with their lead dwindling.
“We did not handle the pressure well down the stretch, that’s what gave them life. Other than that I thought we were in control of the game,” said Dunne.
Doty again was the driving force in Siena’s comeback, along with graduate center Myles Wilmoth blocking shots inside and Shoats getting in the paint, either finishing for drawing fouls.
Marist answered with a 10-3 run including five big points from Daughtry, who capped the run with a lefty hammer in transition to put the Red Foxes back up 10 with 3:13 remaining.
“It kept the momentum because they started getting a couple runs. That momentum change helped us a lot because it kept us composed,” said Daughtry.
Doty went down hard trying to draw a charge and exited the court with 2:45 remaining. He was the Saints’ best player on the night, and his absence was evident in the closing moments.
“His energy is unbelievable, [Doty] has a knack for the basketball. I don’t know if you can teach that and he never seems to get tired,” said Dunne.
Siena started fouling to extend the game with less than two minutes remaining. Marist missed two front-ends and the Saints cut it to five with 1:07 left.
Marist missed a third front-end and Freeman nailed a 3-pointer on the other end. All of a sudden, Siena trailed by two with 55 seconds left behind an 8-0 run. A key review of possession maintained a call on the floor of Marist ball.
On the next play, Collins-Roberts key layup all but sealed the win and Siena ran out of time to complete the late comeback. Men’s basketball is now 1-0 as Marist University. Marist’s 16-3 record is tied for their best start in 19 games in program history.
The Red Foxes are off Sunday and return to action next Thursday, Feb. 6 at Fairfield. Tipoff at Leo D. Mahoney Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Edited by: Aidan Lavin
Graphic/Photo: Kira Crutcher
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