In its first overtime game of the season, Marist snuck past Canisius to earn a ridiculous 88-86 win in Buffalo on Friday night.
The game featured 10 ties, 11 lead changes and lots of scoring on both ends of the floor. Canisius entered the game with the worst offense in the MAAC Conference; they averaged just 62.3 points per game coming in. Their 86-point output marked the first time they scored even 70 points since Jan. 9 against Manhattan.
The Red Foxes had three players score at least 20 points: senior guard Elijah Lewis, graduate student guard Rhyjon Blackwell and sophomore guard Justin Menard. While their usually elite defense stumbled, Marist shot 55.6% from the field to power past the Golden Griffins despite trailing by as many as 12 in the first half.
While they shot the ball well overall, Marist’s offense got off to a slow start. They struggled to generate looks and made just three of their first 12 shots. Sophomore forward Parby Kabamba and senior guard Elijah Lewis, two of the Red Foxes’ most consistent shooters, kept Marist afloat with a combined 12 points over a two and a half minute span. Kabamba made two 3-pointers while Lewis made two smooth mid-range jumpers, the latter of which whittled Canisius’ once large lead to four with 7:52 to go.
Kabamba and Lewis helped counter Canisius freshman guard Javante Edwards, who entered averaging just five points a game but had 10 in the first half, including three 3-pointers.
Junior guard Jadin Collins-Roberts completed Marist’s comeback by tying the game with a fast-break layup after he intercepted an off-balance pass from Edwards. Shortly thereafter, junior guard Mike Evbagharu fired a pass out of bounds for Canisius’ fifth turnover in just over a three minute span; freshman Jordan Gabriel converted on the other end to put Marist in front.
From the Golden Griffins’ 23-11 lead with 10:12 remaining in the first, the Red Foxes outscored them 20-2 to find themselves ahead 31-25 with 4:35 to go. Canisius inched closer heading into the half after Collins-Roberts fouled freshman guard Chris Kumu on a 3-point attempt in the final second; Kumu made two free throws to send the game into halftime with Marist ahead 37-35.
In the second half, junior forward Bryan Ndjonga began a 15-5 Canisius run that saw the Golden Griffins go back in front by converting an acrobatic 3-point play with 11:05 to go. A few minutes later, Singleton converted a 3-point play of his own before Evbagharu hit a wide-open triple following an offensive rebound to extend Canisius’ lead to five.
Evbagharu’s 3-pointer gave him 10 points and made him the fifth Canisius player to reach double figures. Between the 11:50 mark and the 5:00 mark, Marist scored only five points while the Golden Griffins tied the game and took the lead, 65-62.
But, with 5:00 remaining, the game had only just begun.
Blackwell, Menard and Lewis made three consecutive layups for the Red Foxes to create a one-point lead. Menard followed that up with a 3-pointer, just Marist’s third of the day, to expand the lead to four.
Just as they did all evening, Canisius did not go away easily.
Ndjonga and Edwards made two consecutive shots to even the game once again with just over a minute remaining. The Red Foxes went back ahead by two briefly before Ndjonga made one of two shots from the line. The Golden Griffins grabbed an offensive rebound, their thirteenth of the game, and Singleton converted another 3-point play to grab a two point lead.
With 15 seconds remaining, Marist head coach John Dunne waited until there were four seconds left on the clock to use his final timeout. With Lewis inbounding, he found a cutting Blackwell to tie the game in the final seconds and force overtime.
The Red Foxes opened the extra period on a 5-0 run courtesy of Menard and Blackwell. Once again, Singleton hit a triple to bring Canisius back within two; Ndjonga then tied the game again a few moments later.
After the constant stream of ties and lead changes, Blackwell hit a contested 3-pointer to give his team the lead back. While they did not relinquish the lead the rest of the way, they still nearly found themselves in serious trouble.
With Marist ahead by three, Menard struggled to inbound the ball under the basket with 28 seconds remaining. The Red Foxes used their overtime timeout with 1:25 remaining, and Menard attempted to call a timeout while trying to inbound the ball. Attempting to call a timeout without having one available is a technical foul, but luckily enough, the referees called a five-second penalty just before he tried to call timeout.
The game appeared over with the Red Foxes ahead 88-82 with 12 seconds left, but Canisius nearly came back again. Singleton cut the lead to four with four seconds left before Marist committed another five-second penalty on an inbound. Ndjonga scored quickly to make it a two-point game before Blackwell committed an offensive foul on the subsequent inbound. With a shade under three seconds remaining, Canisius had a chance to even the game. They turned the ball over on the inbound attempt to allow Marist to escape victorious.
Marist will return to the floor Sunday on the road against Niagara. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Edited by Mike Schiavone
Photo by Quinn DiFiore
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