Marist men’s basketball fell to Georgia Tech 87-76 in the Red Foxes’ (7-3, 2-0 MAAC) second-to-last out-of-conference matchup. Marist only trailed by eight at halftime, but the Yellow Jackets (7-4, 0-0 ACC) pulled away in the second period.
Georgia Tech outscored Marist 43-40 in the second half, including a 12-1 run in the first part of the frame. Redshirt-senior forward Kowacie Reeves Jr. scored 21 in the game, leading both teams. Senior guard Elijah Lewis led the Red Foxes with 19.
“I love this team. Guys look for each other, and we want to play together. Our teammates are constantly looking for the hot hand,” said Lewis.
This loss, only their third on the campaign, ends Marist’s five-game win streak. The Red Foxes also drop to 0-5 in their all-time meetings with Georgia Tech, still winless against ACC opponents.
Marist kept pace to open the second half but trailed by 11 when head coach John Dunne called his first timeout. The Yellow Jackets entered foul trouble early, then bursted to a 12-1 run, ballooning the gap to 23 with eight minutes remaining.
“They just got it going. We were worried about their pick & rolls and ball screens,” said Dunne. “It certainly got the best of us.”
Both sides of the ball froze up for Marist on that run; they committed four turnovers in quick succession, finishing the three minute stretch without a field goal.
“We talked about putting two halves together,” said Georgia Tech head coach Damon Stoudamire. “We’ve played in spurts; We’ve been up 8 to 10 then give it right back up.”
McCamish Pavilion roared after senior guard Lamar Washington lobbed back-to-back alley-oops that freshman centers Mohammad Sylla and Cole Kirouac converted. Sylla scored 14, a new career-high, and came down with eight rebounds.
A much-needed media timeout propelled Marist to a 6-0 run with 11:30 left to play, cutting the lead to 17.
“We thought our competitive spirits were there, and our hearts were into it; we just left a lot of points off the board,” said Dunne.
Both teams exchanged buckets to begin play. Georgia Tech spread the wealth; all five of their starters scored once before any of them scored a second basket.
The Yellow Jackets led 13-11 at the first media timeout and held that lead during the second pause. Marist, however, led during the next two breaks.
Despite the size discrepancy, Marist grabbed five offensive rebounds in the first 10 minutes of the game and led 8-6 in boards overall to hold their own.
“We didn’t want to force feed it [into the paint]. We wanted it to be natural,” said Stoudamire. “The perimeter guys have to play around and not get stagnant.”
Senior forward Jaden Daughtry then hit a three for the eight point mark. Marist fought back, holding the Yellow Jackets scoreless over a two-minute period in a 5-0 run. Their largest lead, four, came in the first half. Daughtry scored 11, including a career-high three triples, but also ended with five turnovers.
The Red Foxes went nearly five minutes without a field goal to end the first half, scoring only once off a free-throw from sophomore center Jason Schofield. Schofield, listed at six-foot-ten, earned his first start of the season, coming in as a counter to the Yellow Jackets’ two seven-footers.
“We just needed to be bigger,” said Dunne. “I don’t think [sophomore center Tarik] Watson is where he needs to be from a conditioning standpoint.”
Georgia Tech wound the shot clock down in the final ten minutes, putting Marist against the clock. With under a minute to play, trailing by 11, Dunne brought in mass substitutions.
“We just collectively did a really good job,” said Stoudamire.
Marist entered play 9th in the country in opponents’ points per game, but Georgia Tech lapped a season-high against Marist. The Red Foxes also entered 6th in opponents’ three-point percentage at just over 25%, although the Yellow Jackets broke that streak too with a 72.7% clip. This marked the highest single-game three-point percentage under Stoudamire, surpassing the previous record by over 17%.
“They were really ready to play tonight,” said Dunne. “Sometimes it’s hard to see energy on film, but their energy level was through the roof.”
Marist hosts Stony Brook in their final non-conference game and final contest before Christmas, on December 21. The Seawolves sit at 8-3 on the year prior to the start of their Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) season.
Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Poughkeepsie, NY.
Edited by Mike Duda
Graphic by Quinn DiFiore
Photo by Quinn DiFiore
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