Marist men’s basketball has been characterized all season by its high-level defense. Nearly every game, opponents struggle to find open looks and the bottom of the basket, allowing the Red Foxes to win games without so much pressure on their offense.
On Saturday afternoon, that Marist defense faced a test: the MAAC Conference-leading Fairfield offense.
They passed that test with flying colors.
The Red Foxes defeated the Stags 82-67 in Poughkeepsie behind big offensive performances from senior guard Elijah Lewis and sophomore forward Parby Kabamba, as well as their always reliable defense. Marist held Fairfield to just 38.6% from the floor and 20% from beyond the arc to keep them significantly below their MAAC-leading 78.6 points per game.
Fairfield’s dynamic duo of freshmen forwards from Bergen Catholic High School — Brandon Benjamin and Declan Wucherpfennig — entered the matchup as the top two rebounders in the MAAC, the keys to the Stags’ also MAAC-leading 40.3 rebounds per game. Nonetheless, Marist outrebounded Fairfield 37-30 in the contest.
Redshirt sophomore center Jason Schofield continued his recent stellar play through the early minutes of the game. He scored six of Marist’s first nine points, four of which came on contested shots around the rim while the other two came from the free throw line; the big man entered shooting over 53% from the field on the season.
Even as Schofield went to the bench with 17:00 to go in the first half, the Red Foxes continued to go to work against a weak Fairfield defense; they rank 317th in the nation in KenPom’s defensive efficiency. Redshirt senior guard Rhyjon Blackwell hit a smooth turnaround jumper, and Marist found themselves ahead 13-7 at the first media break.
The Stags kept pace behind the MAAC’s leading scorer, senior guard Braden Sparks. Sparks came in averaging 17.5 points per game, and Fairfield’s offense runs through him. He took eight of the team’s first 14 shots and contributed nine of their first 15 points.
With the Red Foxes out front 17-15, they began to create a little distance. Freshman forward Myles Parker and sophomore guard Justin Menard connected from downtown on two consecutive possessions to extend the lead to eight. Then, two possessions later, Parker drilled another triple before junior guard Jadin Collins-Roberts dished out a pretty pass to Blackwell for a transition score that put Marist ahead 28-17 with 7:15 to go in the half.
Freshman center Jordan Gabriel produced a solid first half for the Red Foxes despite limited minutes; he played just six minutes but brought down five rebounds. Gabriel has averaged just over five minutes per game on the season and has not played in five games, but with sophomore center Tarik Watson out indefinitely with a left knee injury suffered against Rider, Gabriel has begun to find himself on the floor more frequently.
Kabamba became red-hot from the floor over the closing minutes of the half. With his team up eight points, Kabamba scored all nine of his first-half points in the final two minutes to help build a 43-29 halftime Marist lead. He and Lewis led the Red Foxes with nine points each in the half while Kabamba capped his run with a wing 3-pointer off a pass from Collins-Roberts, the guard’s sixth assist to that point.
Just as he did in the first half, Schofield began the second half with authority. He scored four quick points to reach double figures, the second two of which came on a put-back following his third offensive rebound. Schofield also found an open passing lane a few possessions later as he delivered a beautiful bounce pass to cutting senior forward Jaden Daughtry for his first assist.
After Kabamba’s lightning-fast nine-point run to end the first half, he continued to contribute in all facets throughout the second. He made two more 3-pointers to raise his scoring output to 15 points, along with five rebounds and two assists. As a team, Marist shot 52.8% from the field and finished the game with seven more rebounds than Fairfield.
If there was any remaining doubt about Marist solidifying itself as a true defensive powerhouse, they certainly put much of it to rest with their performance on Saturday. They entered allowing just over 61 points per game, which is right around where the Stags would have been if not for six made free throws over the final 55 seconds.
The Red Foxes’ 61.7 points allowed per game entering the day ranked fourth in the country, while they also found themselves in the top-10 in opponent field goal and 3-point percentage. Marist gives up very few open looks and plays with high-level energy on the defensive end; in any given game, as long as they can find some semblance of offensive consistency, they are extremely hard to beat.
The Red Foxes will be back on the floor on Monday when Merrimack travels to Poughkeepsie. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
Edited by Ben Leeds
Photo by Quinn DiFiore
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