Marist men’s basketball won their 20th game of the season for the fifth time in program history after their 64-61 victory over Niagara on Sunday afternoon.
“We’re not a perfect group, but we have a mature group with high character that plays for each other and plays for the name on the jersey more than themselves,” said Marist head coach John Dunne.
Sophomore guard Josh Pascarelli poured in 22 points to lead all scorers to secure another close MAAC win. Marist shot 38% overall but got enough stops and converted free throws to sweep the Purple Eagles on the season.
“I think today is even more impressive than Friday because [Niagara] was trying really hard to take [Pascarelli] out of the game. They were being physical on his cutting, blowing up a lot of plays we run for him,” said Dunne.
Niagara is in the thick of the playoff race, coming into today a half-game off the No. 10 seed in the MAAC tournament. Sophomore guard Jahari Williamson scored 19 points but scored once in the final 10 minutes: A layup with 1 second left when Niagara trailed by five.
With both teams struggling from the perimeter, a grind-it-out type of game took hold, requiring tough plays and defensive energy to win. Junior forward Jaden Daughtry and sophomore guard Jadin Collins-Roberts provided that energy in the second half combining for five steals and 16 rebounds.
“The whole key was Daughtry. His energy was through the roof, I’m super proud of him. When [Collins-Roberts] came back in the intensity was contagious,” said Dunne.
The Purple Eagles found offense late by moving to a smallball lineup with senior wing Olumide Adelodun moving to center with 4:08 left. Adelodun finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds and Niagara outscored Marist by five in that stretch to close the game. The Red Foxes led by around double-digit points for a large segment of the second half until an 8-0 Niagara run cut it to five.
From there, Collins-Roberts made four free throws and made a key pass to Daughtry for a layup to stem Niagara’s comeback.
In the first half, neither team started well offensively as both played their second game in three days. Niagara leaned on their bench early to provide points, with Williamson scoring eight of their first 12.
The Purple Eagles outscored Marist 11-4 in the last five minutes to tie the game at 15 with 7:36 remaining in the half. A three-plus minute drought allowed Niagara to take the lead as the first half continued with their defense executing.
After a technical foul on Niagara’s senior wing Jaeden Marshall, junior guard Elijah Lewis scored four straight before Pascarelli got free for a 3-pointer with 2:35 left. Pascarelli – Marist’s leading scorer on the day – started 1-5 with Niagara limiting his air space.
The Red Foxes finished the half on a 10-1 run to lead 31-24 at the break. Lewis scored 10 in the half, working into the midrange and finishing over his defender.
Early in the second half Marist completed a 7-0 run, forcing a Niagara timeout. Daughtry got involved with a steal and assist before snagging an offensive rebound and getting a layup.
Williamson again came off the bench and scored on multiple possessions. His ability to create off the dribble opened up his shot, and Marist did not find an answer to defend him for the first 30 minutes. Combined with a notch increase in defensive intensity, Niagara again forced a Marist drought to bring the deficit to single digits.
The Red Foxes maintained a multi-possession lead by getting stops and attacking the offensive glass on missed shots. Pascarelli shot 5-8 in the second half with 3:58 left, and Marist up 56-46.
Niagara answered with an 8-0 run to cut it to five, going to a five-guard lineup to spread the floor. Adelodun nailed his first 3-pointer with 1:23 remaining, shrinking the deficit to four.
Collins-Roberts made a ton of plays when Marist needed it, making free throws, grabbing rebounds and defending Williamson to force other Niagara players to score.
“People like to see scoring and stuff, but Jadin is the reason why we have all this success. He scraps, he gets rebounds. Without [Collins-Roberts and Daughtry] we don’t win these games,” said Pascarelli.
Pascarelli scored his 22nd point with a dunk after Marist broke the press. Still, Niagara scored on the other end and called timeout trailing 64-59 with 25 seconds to go.
The Purple Eagles missed a couple of shots late and ran out of time to make the comeback. Marist allowed 37 second-half points but made enough stops to win their fourth straight. The Red Foxes are 6-0 on Sunday, able to tough out wins with limited rest and move to 20-5.
“It starts back to recruiting the right guys. That’s not basketball-wise, just people. They want to play unselfishly and want to share the ball. It’s fun that way. We’re a very resilient team,” said Collins-Roberts.
Marist heads on the road to take on Sacred Heart for the only time in the regular season on Friday, February 28. Tipoff at William Pitt Athletic Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Edited by Ben Leeds
Photo and Graphic Credit: Kira Crutcher
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