Nov. 14, 2006
Final Stats
NEWARK, Del.-Marist senior guard Will Whittington (Kingwood, Tx.) tallied 20 points to lead the Red Foxes to a 78-62 victory over Delaware Tuesday evening at the Bob Carpenter Center. The Red Foxes improved to 1-1 overall, while Delaware dropped to 0-1. Whittington now needs just six 3-pointers to become Marist's all-time leader in 3-pointers made, passing Danny Basile (239, 1992-96).
Senior point guard Jared Jordan (Hartford, Conn.) also notched 17 points and seven assists, while senior center James Smith (Nyack, N.Y.) and redshirt junior Ryan Stilphen (Bay Village, Ohio) had 15 points apiece. Smith led Marist with 10 boards, powering the Red Foxes to a 40-31 advantage on the boards. Jordan, who became Marist's 24th player to eclipse the 1,000 career point mark during the contest, was the national leader in assists last season at 8.5 per contest.
The Blue Hens were led by Herb Courtney's 27 points, while 18 points also came from Darrell Johnson. Henry Olawoye and Brian Johnson finished with a team-high five rebounds, while Johnson's six assists and four steals were also a team-best. Courtney also posted a game-high four blocks.
The first half was a back and forth affair with neither team going up by more than five. The Red Foxes took their largest lead (five, 29-24) with 3:30 to go in the first stanza on a lay-in by junior forward Shae McNamara (Milwaukee, Wisc.). Whittington nailed a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left while being fouled to set the halftime margin of four points.
Whittington had a game-high 15 points at the half, making five of his first six shots. Smith led Marist in rebounding at the break with four, while Jordan had four assists.
Courtney had 14 points to lead Delaware, while Sam McMahon and Raphael Madera each had four boards. Brian Johnson also registered four first half steals. The Blue Hens were stymied by poor shooting from the arc, missing all 11 of their 3-point attempts.
The Red Foxes held a 19-17 advantage on the glass, but committed 13 turnovers, including an uncharacteristic five by Jordan.
Marist shot 54.2 percent in the game's first 20 minutes, while Delaware tossed in 35.5 percent.
The Red Foxes put the game away with a 22-10 run in the game's last seven minutes, 38 seconds. With Marist leading 56-52, Stilphen connected on a jumper and kick-started the run.
Marist hit six of its last seven free throws to ice the contest.
The Red Foxes finished the game shooting 53.8 percent (28-for-52), while Delaware went 24-for-63 (38.1 percent). Marist clearly had the edge in 3-point shooting, connecting on eight of 20 (40 percent) attempts, while the Blue Hens struggled all night, finishing 2-for-21 (9.5 percent). The free throw battle was fairly even, with Marist holding a 70 (14-for-20) to 66.7 percent (12-for-18) edge.
The Red Foxes will be back in action Sunday at 4 p.m. to take on Florida Atlantic. The Red Foxes defeated the Owls 84-75 last season in Boca Raton, Fla.
Season, single-game and group tickets are on sale now at GoRedFoxes.com, the McCann Center ticket office and by phone at (845) 575-3553.
