Powered by Rachele Fitz’s game-high 21 points and seven rebounds, the Marist women’s basketball team moved to 3-0 in the MAAC, defeating Fairfield 73-43 at the McCann Center on Jan. 5. The Red Foxes’ defense also put on a show, holding the Stags without a field goal for the last 11:04 of the game.
Senior center Meg Dahlman (Spencerport) scored 16 points for the second consecutive game, pulled down five boards and had a game-high three steals. Erica Allenspach (Miamisburg, Ohio) scored in double-figures for the second-straight game, putting in 11 points and going 3-for-6 from three-point distance.
Marist (13-2, 3-0 MAAC) opened the game on a 6-0 run, sparked by a Dahlman triple. Fairfield answered with a 10-0 run, capped by a Lauren Groom three-pointer. Fitz scored the next 5 points for the Red Foxes to give them an 11-10 lead with 14:26 to go in the first half. With the game tied 15-15, Marist went on a 10-0 run, highlighted by three-pointers from Allenspach and Sarah Smrdel (Mentor, Ohio), to go ahead 25-15 with 5:56 to go in the half. Marist led 32-25 at halftime.
The two teams would trade baskets to start the second half, but Marist increased its lead to 15 on an Élise Caron (Quebec, Canada) jumper in the lane, making the score 50-35 with 11:20 to go in the game. After a Meka Werts three put Fairfield within 12, the Red Foxes began to pull away. Marist went on a 23-5 run over the next 11:04, holding the Stags without a field goal for that span. Seven Red Foxes scored over that span, with Nikki Flores (Montvale, N.J.) and Maria Laterza (Brooklyn) scoring four points each for Marist to close the game.
Marist shot 42.9 percent from the field in the game, making 29-of-59 shots. They also went 10-of-13 at the free-throw line. The Red Foxes held Fairfield to 28.3 percent shooting in the game, the third-lowest percentage given up by Marist this season. Marist dominated the paint, outscoring the Stags 40-8 in the lane and held a 42-30 rebounding edge. The Red Foxes also scored 23 points off 18 Fairfield turnovers. Marist assisted on 20 of their 29 baskets in the game.
Fairfield (10-4, 0-3 MAAC) was led by Sabra Wrice’s 11 points. Meka Werts added eight points off the bench and Baendu Lowenthal chipped in seven points and seven rebounds.
Marist goes on the road on Jan. 11 to take on the Loyola Greyhounds in Baltimore. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Men win third straight behind Gavin
Behind a career-high 23 points from freshman guard Jay Gavin (Seat Pleasant, Md.), the Marist men’s basketball team earned a 76-66 triumph over Manhattan on Jan. 7 at the McCann Center. The Red Foxes won their third straight, as they improved to 9-6 overall and 3-1 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play.
“We played very well in spots,” Marist head coach Matt Brady said. “Every game in this league is a battle. We learn a lot from winning, and we’ll learn a lot from tonight.”
Gavin’s previous career high was 21, set in Marist’s previous game against Rider on Jan. 4. He scored 23 in this one without hitting a two-pointer, as he hit six threes, going 6-for-8 from deep. He also shot 5-for-7 from the free-throw line and tied his career high with five rebounds in 29 minutes of action.
Senior center Spongy Benjamin (St. Francis Village Erin, Trinidad) added 15 points, a team-high seven rebounds and two blocked shots for Marist. Red-shirt sophomore point guard David Devezin (Houston, Texas) gave Marist three scorers in double digits with 11.
Marist shot .535 from the field, hit 10 three-pointers and out-rebounded Manhattan by a 41-35 margin. The Red Foxes led by as much as 13 in the second half.
Laurence Jolicoeur led Manhattan (7-7 overall, 1-3 MAAC) with 17 points. Rashad Green scored 12 points, and Devon Austin grabbed a team-best six rebounds for the Jaspers.
A basket by Benjamin with 13:29 left in the first half put Marist up 11-10, and the Red Foxes led the rest of the way. Marist led by as much as 12 in the first half, but Manhattan outscored the Red Foxes 17-8 in the last six minutes leading into halftime. The Jaspers cut the Marist lead to one on two free throws by Brandon Adams just 47 seconds into the second half, but the Red Foxes answered with an 11-2 run. Marist never led by less than six the rest of the way.
The home team has now prevailed in the last eight meetings between Marist and Manhattan. The Red Foxes improved to 4-0 at home this season, and have won their last nine at the McCann Center dating back to last year.
The Red Foxes will return to action on Jan. 11 at the McCann Center against MAAC foe Saint Peter’s, with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m.
Stilphen keys Rider victory
Red-shirt senior forward Ryan Stilphen (Bay Village, Ohio) converted the game-winning three-point play with 3.4 seconds remaining to give the Marist men’s basketball team an 81-80 win at Rider in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game on Jan 4. Stilphen, who finished the game 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from the line, scored his 1,000th point in the first half, becoming the 25th player in program history to reach the milestone.
“This is a terrific win for our program on the road against a team that will contend for the MAAC regular-season title,” Brady said.
With 5 seconds left in the game, Stilphen entered the game during a timeout with Marist trailing 80-78. His lay-up with 3.4 seconds tied the game, and he was fouled on the play. Stilphen hit the ensuing free throw to put the Red Foxes up 81-80, and Rider’s desperation three-pointer as time expired fell short.
Freshman guard Gavin scored 21 points and added five rebounds. Gavin shot 7-for-14 from the field, 4-for-8 from three-point range and 3-for-3 from the line. Devezin (Houston, Texas) added 14 points, four assists and four rebounds. Red-shirt senior guard Louie McCroskey (Bronx) added 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
This wild back-and-forth affair included 17 lead changes and eight ties. Although the score was tied at 45 apiece at halftime, the Red Foxes did not lead in the second half until Gavin’s three-pointer gave Marist a 73-71 edge with 3:22 to play. However, Rider took the lead on the next possession on a three-point play by Jason Thompson, and held it until Stilphen’s game-winning three-point play. The Red Foxes trailed by as many as 11 in the second half, as Rider held a 69-58 lead with 10:21 remaining.
Stilphen, who entered the game with 995 career points, scored his 1,000th point on a free throw with 12:53 remaining in the first half. Prior to the intermission, Rider led by six points on three different occasions, by the Red Foxes tied the score at 45-45 when red-shirt junior forward Ryan Schneider (Yorktown Heights) hit a long three-pointer while falling to the floor in the closing seconds of the half.
Marist shot .468 from the field, as compared to .484 for Rider. Marist hit eight three-pointers and went 15-for-19 (.789) from the free-throw line, while Rider shot just 12-for-21 from the line. The Broncs hit just two of their 11 free-throw attempts in the second half.
For Rider (8-6, 1-2), Thompson led all players with 26 points and 11 rebounds. His brother, Ryan Thompson, finished with 24 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.
Vassar men ready to hit court
Coming off a month-long break, the Vassar College men’s basketball team is hoping its last game – after being off nearly the entire month of December – provides a jumping-off point for the rest of the season.
In their last outing, led by a career-high 20 points from junior Joe Davis (East Amherst), Vassar won its sixth straight game with an 84-57 victory over Southern Vermont College on Dec. 2. The victory improved the Brewers to 7-1 on the season. The team’s next game is Jan. 12 on the road against Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
Davis eclipsed a pair of 19 point career highs set against Clarkson and Hobart last season in tallying his 20 points on 7 of 8 shooting from the field. He was part of a Brewers team that built a 39-26 lead at the half, and shot 59.3 percent from the floor for the game. With those two ingredients, Southern Vermont never got untracked, falling to 1-5 on the season.
Vassar hit 31-of-47 from the floor, as well as 16-of-18 from the foul line. Senior forward Lawrence Avitabile (Southington, Conn.) tallied 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, and senior guard Tyson Brazell (Salt Lake City, Utah) also scored in double figures with 11.
The Mountaineers were led by senior forward Nick Harrington (Brooklyn), who scored 18 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had three steals. Sophomore Joe Karnik (Castleton) added 13 points while freshman Tim Johnson (Bernardsville) had 11 points.