Marist men’s basketball suffered their second loss in a row in a home defeat to Saint Peter’s on senior day 57-52, Sunday afternoon.
The Peacocks shot 33% from the field but made 21-28 free throws to sustain their offense. Senior guard Marcus Randolph scored 15 points and played strong defense against sophomore guard Josh Pascarelli, who finished with nine points on 3-16 shooting, his first game scoring less than 10 points all season.
“That’s two games in a row now where both teams’ game plan is to take him out. They’re switching on screening actions and denying him the ball and frustrating him, getting physical with him. It gets fatiguing and it wasn’t his day today,” said Marist head coach John Dunne.
Freshman forward Tarik Watson led Marist with 12 points but fouled out with 2:58 left and played just 19 minutes. His shotmaking proved key in the paint since the Red Foxes shot 2-19 from 3-point range. Despite that, Marist led 51-50 with 1:45 left but scored just two points to close the game.
Marist honored senior forward Jackson Price and junior forward Matt McCool pregame. McCool is graduating in three years. This weekend showed the importance of Price in the paint and on the perimeter, with his rebounding and shotmaking sorely missed in the two losses this weekend.
“Both guys are super super high-character, they’re unbelievable human beings. I couldn’t ask for anything more. We got a lot of basketball left to be played but I’ll certainly be sad when they’re not on the roster anymore,” said Dunne.
The Peacocks executed late, making 15 of 19 free throws in the second half to stave off Marist’s efforts. Saint Peter’s led for 35 minutes and provided an answer for each Marist run.
To begin the game, SPU set the tone defensively, forcing turnovers and tough shots. Redshirt freshman guard Bryce Eaton came off the bench and scored five points to spark an 8-0 run.
Saint Peter’s worked a 14-6 lead at the under-12 timeout, leaving McCann Arena quiet. Watson scored six of Marist’s first eight points while all other Red Foxes shot 1-9 through the first 10 minutes.
“The first half they kept us off balance. Bash is a really good defensive coach. [Tarik] was really good today. He was ready to play and he’s getting better and better,” said Dunne.
Marist got stops and forced a four-plus minute drought without a field goal to get back into the game, crashing the offensive glass to cut the deficit to five with 7:09 left in the first half. The Red Foxes tied the game at 17 moments later, completing a 9-0 run.
The Peacocks punched right back with 10 in a row to close the half and lead 27-19 at the break. Pascarelli missed all seven of his attempts, many of which came with physical contests. The Red Foxes did not make a 3-point shot in the opening 20 minutes and shot 8-28 overall.
With the Marist offense not executing conventionally, they turned to other avenues to score in the second half. Offensive rebounds and finding space in transition gave them chances without facing Saint Peter’s set defense. Like the first half, the Red Foxes made a run to cut the deficit to one possession.
Redshirt junior Mouhamed Sow scored the Pecocks’ last five points before Randolph nailed a corner 3-pointer. On the next possession, Marist made their first 3-pointer of the game via junior forward Travis Roberts after missing their first 14.
Pascarelli rattled in a floater to give Marist their first lead of the game, 41-40 with 8:07 to go but again the Peacocks offered an immediate response, pushing their lead back to five.
Junior guard Elijah Lewis scored five in a row to tie the game at 46, receiving a pretty pass from junior forward Jaden Daughtry on the second score leading to McCann Arena erupting.
Watson fouled out with 2:58 left finishing with 12 points on 6-7 shooting. With Saint Peter’s in the bonus, their free-throw shooting shouldered the offensive production in the second half.
“You just don’t want them to win the game on the foul line or with offensive rebounding, right? You want to make them make plays, so that was disappointing down the stretch,” said Dunne.
Pascarelli made two free throws to make it a one-point game with under two minutes left. Roberts then tipped in an offensive rebound and with under a minute to go Marist trailed 53-50.
Randolph read the play out of the timeout for a steal and knocked down two key free throws, extending Saint Peter’s lead to five. Lewis made two on the other end but with 18 seconds left, Marist had little time to come back.
Saint Peter’s held on to get a crucial win to keep their postseason hopes alive.
The Red Foxes play their last home game of the season against Merrimack Thursday, March 6. Tipoff at McCann Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Edited by: Aidan Lavin
Graphic: Quinn DiFiore/Camera: Kira Crutcher
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