Marist men’s basketball trailed 37-24 at halftime on the road against Siena. They played poorly on both ends of the floor and were on the way to a three-game losing streak before facing the top of the MAAC, Merrimack, on Sunday.
The Red Foxes (17-5, 10-3 MAAC) had other plans; they outscored Siena (11-14, 6-8 MAAC) 41-27 in the second frame to win 65-64, just slipping past another possible buzzer-beating loss, as Siena freshman guard Gavin Doty almost banked a heave after Marist missed another front-end free throw.
Junior guard Elijah Lewis struggled in two games last week with the flu. Tonight, he led Marist with 14 points and the eventual game-winning 3-point shot with 24 seconds to go.
“It was a big turnaround for me. I had to prove to myself that I was back and I was ready. We were trying to get Josh on a shot but my coaches and my teammates told me to be ready,” said Lewis.
From there, Siena missed two potential game-winners before Doty’s last-second attempt. The Saints shot 6-24 in the second half to squander their halftime cushion.
Siena kept their lead for much of the second half despite poor shooting from the field. The Saints scored 14 points from the free-throw line and finished 22-35. Marist made 53% of their second-half shots to complete the season sweep of their Route 9 rival.
“I thought we had great execution down the stretch. We settled into the game, Jadin Collins-Roberts was in the game the whole second half. I don’t think I took him out,” said Dunne.
Sophomore guard Josh Pascrelli scored all 12 of his points in the second half, including three 3-pointers. Junior forward Jaden Daughtry added six points and 13 key rebounds to limit Siena from second-chance opportunities.
The Red Foxes bench scored 17 points and junior forward Trace Salton tallied six points and seven rebounds while Daughtry sat with foul trouble.
“The bench players know what they’re capable of. Keeping us in the game from a standpoint where we could come back,” said Daughtry.
Siena’s offense started strong early making six of their first 11 shots, including 3-4 from 3-point range. The Saints also used a token press from the jump, which caused Marist problems the last time these teams faced off. An 11-0 run opened an 18-11 Siena lead.
Marist again could not handle the press with multiple turnovers and did not score for over four minutes. Siena’s lead grew to double-digits, having their way on both ends of the floor.
Two of Marist’s best defenders, sophomore guard Jadin Collins-Roberts and Daughtry sat most of the half with foul trouble, a factor in Siena’s efficient shooting in the first half. The Saints pushed in transition and converted off turnovers while running their offense confidently and quickly.
Offensively, Marist struggled to finish opportunities or get their best weapons going. The Red Foxes trailed 37-24 at halftime after rough execution on both ends.
Marist started the second half with a 12-3 run in three minutes to cut the deficit to four. Pascarelli scored six points after an 0-3 first half. Siena answered with seven straight to stem Marist’s momentum.
The Red Foxes executed better offensively and again cut the deficit to four with under 10 minutes remaining. A quick 6-0 run forced a Siena timeout with Marist trailing 50-48.
As the second half continued, Marist hung around, trailing by four to seven points, but they could not string together enough possessions to tie or take a lead. With 2:35 left, it was 61-58.
The Saints lived at the free throw line in the second half, playing in the bonus for the final 10 minutes.
“I have to go back and watch the film, see where all the fouls came from. There were definitely a couple of bad ones. Siena is good, they create a lot of contact on their drives,” said Dunne.
Down 62-60 with 1:10 left, Collins-Roberts tied the game with a strong drive in the lane. Doty answered on the other end with a tough jumper with 45 seconds left. 20 seconds later, Lewis drained a wing 3-pointer to give Marist their first lead since 13:30 first half.
“I knew it was going to be really hard to get Pascarelli a shot. The last thing we said was ‘If they double you, you’re going to have Elijah coming off the down screen’. Pascarelli was selfless and didn’t try to be a hero and made the right play,” said Dunne.
Siena drew two jump balls to gain possession and Shoats’ jumper rimmed out with two seconds left. Daughtry then missed a front-end after securing his 13th rebound of the night and Doty almost nailed a buzzer-beater from half-court. The Red Foxes completed the comeback and snapped their two-game losing streak.
“We definitely needed that win coming off of two losses, one of them a buzzer-beater. Just to get our momentum back and our heads back,” said Lewis.
Marist finishes the weekend on the road against MAAC leaders Merrimack in North Andover, Mass. on Sunday, February 16. Tipoff at Lawler Arena is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Edited by: Aidan Lavin
Graphic: Quinn DiFiore; Photo: Cassidy Connors
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