Feb. 24, 2005
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POUHGKEEPSIE, N.Y.-Jerry Johnson scored 17 points and dished out eight assists to lead the Rider men's basketball squad to a 67-62 victory over homestanding Marist Thursday evening in the James J. McCann Center. Rider improved to 16-10 overall and 12-5 in the MAAC with the win, while Marist fell to 11-15 overall and 8-9 in the MAAC.
Senior Will McClurkin scored 23 points to lead the Red Foxes and snared 11 boards, while going 11-for-17 from the floor. Sophomore Will Whittington added 14 points for the Red Foxes.
The game seemed to be decided at the free throw line as Rider knocked down 80 percent of its attempts (8-for-10), while Marist connected on just 33 percent (5-for-15).
Rider jumped out to a 6-0 lead early on as Marist missed its first nine field goal attempts. The Red Foxes closed the game back to one (16-15) on a free throw by Brandon Ellerbee at the 11:28 mark. However, Rider connected on three 3-pointers in the ensuing minutes to stretch the advantage to seven (30-23) at the half.
The Red Foxes suffered a serious setback with 18:57 remaining in the second half when sophomore point guard Jared Jordan, who is 16th in the nation in assists (6.6), suffered a left ankle injury after scoring on a layup. The Hartford, Conn. native was helped off the floor and did not return to action.
Marist forged on without its floor leader and eventually took its first lead of the game at the 2:12 mark (61-60) on a jumper from the baseline by freshman Shae McNamara. However, Rider's Edwin Muniz drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:52 left to wrench the lead away for good. The Broncs connected on four free throws down the stretch for the final advantage.
Muniz finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Rider's Paul Johnson scored 10.
Rider shot 43.1 percent (25-for-58) from the field, while Marist connected on 25 of 63 attempts (39.7 percent). The Broncs made 36 percent of their 3-point attempts (9-for-25), while the Red Foxes shot an uncharacteristic 25 percent (7-for-28) from long range. The Red Foxes entered the game at 31st nationally in 3-point percentage with a 38.7 percent clip.
The Red Foxes will be back in action Saturday on Senior Night for a 7:30 p.m. tip against Canisius in the McCann Center.
