In uncharacteristic fashion, Marist held its first home game against a Division III program — its fellow Poughkeepsie school, Vassar College. It was the inaugural meeting between the two neighbors, and the first time Marist squared off against a non-DI program since Dec. 29, 1992, when the Red Foxes faced Hawaii-Hilo in the Big Island Invitational.
It was complete domination: the Foxes shot 54.5 percent from the field and a precise 46.2 percent from distance, converted 24 assists to nine turnovers and dominated the rebound battle 44-27. Marist came out on top, 93-61
“It’s something our league has been doing for the past five, six years—having a couple high-majors on the schedule, it wouldn’t be the worst thing to play a non-DI, have a little bit of balance,” said Marist head coach John Dunne. “I’m good friends with [Vassar head coach Ryan Mee]; he’s been begging me for years.”
Marist’s 93 points scored were the highest since 2017, when they hit the centennial mark against the Citadel. Sophomore guard Justin Menard led the way with 16 points, but five Red Foxes hit double-digits in the victory.
The Brewers are no slouch for a DIII program—they finished a program-best 12-6 in the Liberty League last season.
“They are very well coached. They have two guards who can really score, real scrappy wings, a couple shooters,” said Dunne. “They competed really hard.”
Junior guard Avery Lee opened the game on fire and stayed scorching, pouring in 20 points on fifty percent shooting as one of two Brewers in double figures.
“He’s really good, like really good,” said Dunne. “We didn’t take him lightly—we guarded him the best we could and he dropped 20.”
Red-hot three-point shooting powered the Red Foxes to a 15-7 lead through five minutes. Five of their six possessions generated open looks from distance, and Marist converted three.
Marist’s eight-point advantage swelled to 13 after freshman center Jordan Gabriel slammed it home on a fastbreak. Mee called a swift timeout after McCann Arena got rowdy as Gabriel hung on the rim.
The rims appeared to be double the size for Marist. They shot 12-21 from the field and an eye-popping 6-12 from beyond the arc through fourteen minutes of play.
Vassar refused to go down so soon. A 6-0 Brewer run cut the lead to ten in under two minutes, forcing a Dunne timeout in response.
Marist responded appropriately, shooting five for their last seven field goals to close out the half with a 47-31 lead.
At the break, the Red Foxes led in every category besides turnovers, and the burner had not shut off, as they jumped up to 17-for-30 on field goals and 7-for-14 on threes. The Brewers struggled comparatively from downtown, just 2-for-11 as they headed to the locker room.
Marist’s scoring attack was balanced, with ten players getting in the scoring column, and five notching as many points. Lee spearheaded Vassar’s offense, the only Brewer in double figures with an efficient 12 points.
Senior guard Elijah Lewis came out aggressively to open the second half, driving for three straight layups as Marist opened 4-for-4.
An emphatic put-back jam from freshman Myles Parker extended their lead to 23. A beautiful feed from senior forward Jaden Daughtry made it 27. Back-to-back layups from freshman center Jordan Gabriel pushed it to 32. Holding all the cards, it appeared Marist had reached the point of assured victory with nine minutes to play.
Up 35 with three minutes remaining, Dunne pulled his starters, and Vassar did the same, waving the white flag as the two units drained the clock.
Marist’s opener is one of six straight home games for the Red Foxes, who take on Harvard this Sunday at 5 p.m.
Edited by Ben Leeds
Photo and graphic by Quinn DiFiore
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