ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – No. 3 seed Marist men’s basketball ended their season on a five-game skid and got knocked out of the MAAC Tournament in the quarterfinal round, falling to No. 6 seed Mount St. Mary’s 62-58 Thursday night at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.
“I’m just trying to hold back tears. Everybody is going to say they have a great group. This is a special group,” said Marist head coach John Dunne. “Even the guys at the end of the bench that were mad probably that they weren’t playing never dertratced from the cause of trying to win.”
Much like the past month, the Red Foxes struggled mightily on the offensive end, shooting 31% from the field tonight. They battled and battled and battled, but at some point, that was not enough to win games. Marist shot 4-28 from 3-point range in a sluggish effort from the perimeter.
The Red Foxes trailed for 35 out of 40 minutes and could never turn the tide in the second half despite several efforts on both ends to complete a comeback.
Sophomore guard Josh Pascarelli scored 16 points, but on 5-19 shooting. His partner in crime, sophomore guard Jadin Collins-Roberts, added 14 points, 12 of which came in the second frame with Marist trailing by multiple possessions.
“Tough games happen, the shots just didn’t drop. Credit to the other teams’ defense they made life difficult,” said Pascarelli.
The Mount played their biggest game of the season without two key pieces in sophomore guard Carmelo Pacheco and senior forward Terrell Ard Jr.
All-MAAC Second Team forward redshirt junior Dola Adebayo added a second double-double in as many games against Marist with 19 points and 11 rebounds. His 12 free throw attempts are a career-high, as he drew contact all night.
“He just creates contact on his drives. He’s a good player. He hasn’t shot the ball this well all year,” said Dunne.
Junior guard Arlandus Keyes added 11 points off the bench, including three 3-pointers in the second half, to help Mount shoot 38% from behind the arc. That lift proved enough when Marist closed the gap late.
Tonight is a crumbling end to the Red Foxes season, that achieved so much throughout the regular season: 20 wins, a record start in conference and consistently sitting in the top two seeds in the MAAC. That reality quickly flipped on its head with a four-game slide to end the season. That reality continued in this game, and Marist could not change it when it mattered most.
One reason for Marist’s season taking a turn in the wrong direction was the injury to senior forward Jackson Price. He returned for the final two games, including a 13-point effort against The Mount last week, but a hand injury left him unable to return.
“He might have broken a bone in his hand. I asked him in the huddle how bad he was hurt. He said, ‘Well, I can’t shoot the ball’,” said Dunne. “I feel bad for Jackson. He’s just an awesome kid. He deserved a better fate.”
Neither team found their offensive flow in the opening moments. Marist started 3-12 from the field, and The Mount similarly started 3-13 at the under-12 timeout.
Five consecutive points by senior forward Jedy Cordilia opened Mount’s largest lead of the half so far with 8:07 left in the first. Marist looked out of rhythm, missing perimeter shots and having trouble getting into the paint.
Junior forward Jaden Daughtry provided a Marist response with a 3-pointer and a perfect pass to a cutter. Price had yet to attempt a shot with 2:58 remaining in the half and the Red Foxes trailing 25-19. The Mount switched one-through-five to eliminate Price’s 3-point threat.
“He’s the energizer every game. He’ll get on you if you’re not ready to play; that’s what we love about [Daughtry],” said Pascarelli.
Marist finished the half with a 4:50 scoring drought to trail 27-19. The Red Foxes shot 23% from the field in the first 20 minutes.
To begin the second half, the Red Foxes made five of their first seven shots, but The Mount made three of their first four to lead by six after the first couple minutes of the second frame.
Adebayo pushed the Mountaineers’ lead to double digits, capping an 8-0 run with free throws. Keyes splashed two 3-pointers off the bench in two minutes to add juice to The Mount’s offense.
Pascarelli and Collins-Roberts combined for a small 7-2 run, but Adebayo again drew a foul and converted to keep The Mount’s lead at eight, 51-43, with 9:00 remaining.
Marist inched closer to turning the momentum but failed to attack the rim in several instances, leaving them running out of time. The Red Foxes forced a 3:45 scoring drought to cut the deficit to four, giving themselves a chance to make a comeback.
Pascarelli shrunk it to two with a 3-pointer, but Adebayo jammed home an inbounds pass to answer. With Mount only ahead by two points moments later, Lipcomb completed a huge 3-point play, driving to the paint and drawing contact with 58 seconds left.
From there, The Mount made enough free throws right after getting two offensive rebounds to turn off the shot clock and force Marist to foul. The Red Foxes made one of their last seven shots and lost to the Mountaineers for the second time in six days.
“I’ve been doing this 30 years and this was arguably the most fun I’ve ever had. Not just because we won 20, because of who they are as people,” said Dunne.
“These guys beside me are going to be ready to go next year, so we’re going to put in some work,” added Collins-Roberts.
Edited by Ben Leeds
Graphic and Photos by Cara Lacey
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