Everything sophomore guard Josh Pascarelli threw up on Friday night in McCann Arena seemingly found its way into the basket. The Preseason All-MAAC First Teamer turned in a career performance to propel Marist men’s basketball to their 19th win with 31 points, constantly showing off his range. Marist (19-5, 12-3 MAAC) leaned on him tonight to defeat the reeling Canisius Golden Griffins 89-81 in McCann Arena Friday evening.
The Red Foxes shot 56% from the field and converted 19-25 free throws in a complete offensive performance. However, Canisius (2-24, 2-13 MAAC) matched the Red Foxes’ efficiency and more, shooting 62% from the floor to stay in the fight all night. They did not play like a 2-23 team on a seven-game losing streak and had the Marist crowd at the edge of their seat.
“It was a great team effort on both ends of the floor. We moved the ball really well, we played selflessly. We showed a lot of resilience when they cut it to three after being up 10 plus,” said Marist head coach John Dunne.
The Golden Griffins cut the deficit to two with under three minutes left after trailing by 10 at the half, but Marist, like they have all season, closed out the game with defensive stops and timely scoring on the other end.
Four other Red Foxes added 10-plus points, including junior guard Elijah Lewis scoring 15 and redshirt freshman center Jason Schofield tallying a double-double off the bench.
Canisius junior guard Paul McMillan IV, the MAAC’s leading scorer, dropped 26, 19 coming in the second half, putting the Golden Griffins in position to fight for their third win of the season. Sophomore forward Dylan Godfrey added a season-high 22 points and five 3-pointers, causing Marist defensive issues.
“It’s easy to be up for games when you’re fighting for first place. It’s not easy to be up for games when you have two wins. They came here to win. They can really score, we switched a lot of ball screens in the second half,” said Dunne.
The Red Foxes kept sharpshooter senior forward Tana Kopa down for much of the game, but he still finished with 13 points on five shots. Canisius did not score a field goal in the final 2:30 and Marist outscored the Golden Griffins 8-4 in the final two minutes.
To open the game, both teams established their offense with efficient shooting. Marist held the early edge 19-14 at the under-12 timeout. Godfrey hit two consecutive 3-pointers to end an 8-0 Marist run.
Canisius continued matching Marist’s output with shotmaking. The Red Foxes missed several defensive assignments that the Golden Griffins took advantage of. With 3:28 left in the first half, Canisius still trailed 36-28 despite shooting 59% from the floor.
Both teams traded buckets to close the half, leaving the crowd in excitement and displeasure. Marist finished seven of their last seven, dropping 48 points in the half and leading by 10 at the break. Pascarelli scored 15 of those with 5-6 shooting.
“Credit to my teammates and my coaches, they put me in the right positions to make those shots,” said Pascarelli.
Canisius called a quick timeout in the second half after Marist converted on their first three shots. Pascarelli filled it up from all areas and Canisius could not find a way to slow him down. The Golden Griffins mixed in a zone defense but Marist mostly adjusted and continued scoring.
Canisius did not back down and continued torching Marist’s defense, entering the bonus with over 10 minutes left in the game. A 6-0 run forced a Red Foxes timeout with turnovers leading to runouts and cutting the lead to seven, 63-56.
The duo of Godfrey and McMillan IV powered Canisius to keep pace with Pascarelli’s output. With under seven minutes left, the Red Foxes led by eight but left the Golden Griffins room to hang around.
“It’s a tough cover. We were trying to get under more ball screens. Their guards hit some [shots] behind the screens. And then they were getting us on the pick and pop so we decided to switch and live with the result. McMillan’s been hooping basically all year,” said Dunne.
An 8-2 Canisius run did more for the Golden Griffins than just stay close. With an opportunity to get in striking distance of evening the score, Kopa nailed a wing 3-pointer and cut the deficit to four.
Canisius then got the game within two points, but Marist scored five of the next six points to lead by six with 31 seconds left. The Golden Griffins were left to foul and extend the game.
McMillan IV finished a 3-point play with 12 seconds left but Lewis sealed the win with free throws in a high-octane affair. Pascarelli finished with six 3-pointers coming in a variety of ways. Marist’s 89 total points and 48 points in the first half were both season-highs.
“This group has done a good job this year of making the right play and feeding the hot hand if you can. We think beyond ourselves and it’s been a special group up to this point,” said Dunne.
Marist finishes their home stand hosting Niagara on Sunday, February 23. Tipoff at McCann Arena is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Edited by: Aidan Lavin
Photo/Graphic: Kira Crutcher
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