Jan. 25, 2006
Final Stats
JERSEY CITY, N.J.-The Marist men's basketball squad posted five players in double figures for the fourth time this season in a 71-63 victory over Saint Peter's at the Yanitelli Center Wednesday evening. Marist, winners of six straight and nine of its last 11, moved to 11-6 overall and 5-4 in the MAAC, while the Peacocks dropped to 8-10 overall and 4-5 in the MAAC.
The Red Foxes were led by junior Jared Jordan's (Hartford, Conn.) 15 points, while junior James Smith (Nyack, N.Y.) and redshirt sophomore Ryan Stilphen (Bay Village, Ohio) had nine boards apiece. As a team, Marist outrebounded its eighth opponent in the last nine games with a 48-37 edge for the contest. Jordan, who entered the game second in the nation in assists (8.1) and third in minutes (38.4), finished with five dishes and 40 minutes, respectively.
Junior Miles Orman (Englewood, N.J.) has possibly the best outing of the night, tying career-highs with 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Stilphen fought off foul trouble to notch 13 points, while Smith and junior Will Whittington (Kingwood, Tx.) had 10 each.
Saint Peter had four players in double digits, led by Keydren Clark's 15 points. Todd Sowell and Raul Orta each had 13, while Kaimondre Owes had 12. Clark also finished with 11 assists, while Kevin Spann had four steals.
The lead changed hands four times in the first half, with the Peacocks taking their last lead (16-15) of the game on a jumper by Owes at the 9:49 mark. However, Marist blasted out on a 15-0 run over the next 4:07 to take a 30-16 lead on a 3-pointer by Jordan.
Saint Peter's climbed back into the game by rallying with a 15-5 run of its own over the balance of the first half with Orta's layup at the halftime horn to pull the Peacocks within four at 35-31.
Smith led Marist with 10 points and six rebounds in the first half. Jordan notched four assists in the first stanza.
Saint Peter's was led in the first half by 12 points and six assists from Clark, the two-time defending NCAA scoring leader. Sowell had three blocks, while Spann posted three steals.
The Red Foxes outrebounded Saint Peter's 23-15 in the first half, but also committed an uncharacteristic 11 turnovers.
For the first half, Marist held the shooting edge, connecting on 50 percent (13-for-26) to the Peacocks' 34.4 percent (11-for-32).
In the second half, Marist held Saint Peter's at bay with solid defense by senior Carl Hood (Houston, Tx.) on Clark, forcing the Peacock's star into a 4-23 night from the field. The closest Saint Peter's got the rest of the way was three (47-44) at the 10:46 mark on a layup by Owes.
The Peacocks got the better of Marist in steals (14-7) and turnovers (11-21), but converted on just 45.5 percent of their free throws (10-22) for the game.
Marist finished at 46.3 percent (25-for-54) for the game, while Saint Peter's went 24-for-69 (35.3 percent). Neither team found the mark consistently from 3-point range, with the Red Foxes connecting on 20.8 percent (5-for-24) and Saint Peter's making 25 percent (5-for-20). Marist made 64 percent of its free throws (16-for-25), five percent below its season average.
The Red Foxes will be back in action Saturday at 7:30 p.m. when they take on arch rival Siena at the McCann Center. Marist picked up an 85-77 victory earlier this season against the Saints at the Pepsi Arena. Earlier that day, the Red Foxes will also host their alumni game, featuring former NBA All-Star Rik Smits at 3 p.m.
