ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Turnovers did the Red Foxes in against Merrimack, resulting in a MAAC Quarterfinal loss and an end to Marist’s season.
The Red Foxes hung tight with the Warriors, despite 20 turnovers, resulting in an extra 19 points for Merrimack.
The threat of the Warriors’ dominant zone defense changed the complexion of the waning seconds of the game, when the Red Foxes failed to get a potential game-winning shot off.
Merrimack head coach Joe Gallo called a timeout with 12 seconds left in the game and less than six seconds remaining on the shot clock. In the break in action, Marist head coach John Dunne told his team that if they got a stop and got the ball across half-court cleanly, he was not going to call their last timeout.
Presumably, it was to avoid giving the Warriors a chance to set up Gallo’s patented tandem 2-3 zone.
A wildly messy five seconds unfolded after Merrimack’s game-tying shot airballed. Of course, it ended in a Marist turnover, the 20th one that the Warriors forced on the night.
Even when the Red Foxes found the bottom of the net, it never looked comfortable. They hardly ever had open looks; every basket came at a cost, and by the waning minutes of the second half, the undermanned Red Foxes were spent.
The Warriors’ zone defense gave Marist fits all evening, just as it did to the rest of their conference, as they won the regular season title with a 17-3 record.
It’s not your father’s 2-3 zone; they don’t dare you to shoot contested threes like Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone of old. Instead, they eliminate the thought of even attempting long-range shots. The Red Foxes shot 20.7 3-pointers a game in the regular season; on Sunday night, they only tried 11.
The tandem 2-3 zone is stretched out, so much so that it almost resembles a 4-1 zone. Defenders line the perimeter; those at the top of the zone stood as much as five feet outside the three-point line to apply constant pressure.
The way to beat it? Constant motion and passing near the top of the key, and an ability to take what the defense gives you.
To Marist’s credit, they did not try to force three’s over the pesky zone, even after Justin Menard’s heroics from downtown led them to a quarterfinal win over Quinnipiac.
Red Foxes constantly flashed through behind the perimeter defenders, often catching the ball near the free-throw line before the Warriors began to swarm. It opened up small passing lanes, which required quick feeds.
That’s where the Red Foxes faltered. Time and time again, fast, sometimes no-look passes flew out of bounds, or off the fingertips of sophomore forward Parby Kabamba and senior forward Jaden Daughtry.
On top of forcing errant passes, Merrimack was aggressive whenever the Red Foxes got the ball beneath their top line of defense.
“That’s what they do, they turn you over,” Dunne said. “They’re so strong with their swipe downs in the paint.”
Edited by Max Rosen
Photo by Cara Lacey
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