Over their four-game winning streak from Jan. 4 to Jan. 17, Marist men’s basketball averaged 78 points per game. After inconsistent offensive performances to open the season, it appeared the Red Foxes found some scoring consistency.
That progress appears to have been halted.
Marist (12-7, 6-4 MAAC Conference) lost 69-50 on the road against Siena (14-7, 7-3 MAAC) on Thursday in their second consecutive poor offensive showing. They scored below 60 points and shot below 40% from the field for the second straight game.
The Red Foxes ended the first half with the lead following an offensive spurt, but saw the advantage fall away in the second half when they shot 5-for-24 from the field and Siena outscored them 39-14. Siena’s star sophomore guard Gavin Doty, who entered the contest third in the MAAC in scoring at 16.5 points per game, led all scorers with 21 points.
Doty wasted no time making his presence known in the early going. He put Siena ahead 9-2 with a deep 3-pointer from the left wing, one possession after knocking down a smooth turn around elbow jumper. Following the first media timeout, Marist head coach John Dunne burned his first timeout trailing 13-4 after four more Saints points.
In a similar start to their loss against Merrimack on Monday, the Red Foxes started 3-for-15 from the field. They had multiple quality looks from around the court but struggled to take the lid off the basket. Meanwhile, Siena opened shooting an efficient 7-for-13 from the field and expanded their lead to 18-7 on a triple by freshman forward Isaiah Henderson with 10:01 remaining in the half.
Sophomore forward Parby Kabamba, who played limited minutes against Merrimack after scoring 15 points in his previous game, provided some stability for the Marist offense. With just under nine minutes remaining in the half, he buried a 3-pointer before hitting a mid-range jumper on the subsequent possession to bring the Red Foxes within six.
A couple of Siena scores later, Marist fought all the way back. A score by redshirt sophomore center Jason Schofield commenced a 12-0 Red Fox run that saw them take a 26-23 lead. Senior guard Elijah Lewis converted from underneath the basket to secure the lead; he also knocked down a triple earlier in the run.
Siena kept the game close, but Marist ended the half on a 22-9 run. Graduate student guard Rhyjon Blackwell contributed nine points including a big 3-pointer with just under three minutes remaining that put Marist ahead by four. Lewis had eight points in the half, highlighted by a 3-pointer in the closing seconds off a pass from sophomore guard Justin Menard.
After beginning 3-for-13 from the field, Marist made a staggering 12 of their next 14 shots to end the half with a field goal percentage over 50%. They also shot 5-for-10 from beyond the arc while Siena shot just 4-for-13 following their hot start.
After his quick start in the game’s opening minutes, Doty went quiet for the Saints. He did not score for the remainder of the first half; silencing him proved to be a key for Marist’s defense in their run to end the half.
Doty’s ineffectiveness and Marist’s suddenly hot shooting changed in the second half.
With 15:38 remaining, Doty drew a foul and hit two free throws to bring his squad back within one. Then, after a turnover by Blackwell, Doty hit a highly contested mid-range jumper to give the Saints their first lead of the second half. On the next possession, the sophomore converted a 3-point play to extend the lead to four after a turnover by junior guard Jadin Collins-Roberts.
Doty’s eight-point run came amidst a 16-3 run for Siena that saw them leading 52-44 with 7:55 to go. The Red Foxes offense appeared to be interrupted after halftime; they made just three of their first 12 shots in the second half while Doty and Siena came back and built a lead.
With the Red Foxes struggling to cut into the Saints’ lead as time dwindled, Doty nailed a massive 3-pointer with 3:50 remaining to give Siena their largest lead of the second half at 59-50. As the crowd at MVP Arena roared, Marist faded into oblivion.
In total, the Saints outscored Marist 39-14 in the second half including a 15-0 run to end the game. The Red Foxes shot an abysmal 5-for-24 from the field in the half including a 1-for-10 mark from deep. Siena also outrebounded them 22-11 after the break.
The Red Foxes received 13 points from Blackwell and 11 points from both Schofield and Menard. They had only five players score points in total while Collins-Roberts did not score for his second consecutive game; in four games since his 19-point showing against Sacred Heart, Collins-Roberts has averaged two points per game.
Marist will look to get back on track at home against Quinnipiac on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
Edited by Mike Schiavone
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
Photo by Cassidy Connors
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