Jan. 27, 2008
Final Stats |
Photo Gallery 
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - Red-shirt junior forward Ryan Schneider (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Marist men's basketball team earned a 66-44 victory over Canisius before 2,422 fans at the McCann Center on Sunday. The 22-point margin of victory was the largest of the season for the Red Foxes, who improved to 14-7 overall and 8-2 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play.
Marist held Canisius to 25.9 percent shooting, the lowest total for a Marist opponent this season. The Red Foxes have now held their last three opponents under 30 percent shooting.
"We want to try as hard as we can to play as high a level of defense as we can, and we held them to (25.9) percent shooting today," Marist Head Coach Matt Brady said.
Four Red Foxes scored in double digits. Freshman guard Jay Gavin (Seat Pleasant, Md.) and red-shirt senior forward Ryan Stilphen (Bay Village, Ohio) tied for the game high with 13 points apiece. Senior center Spongy Benjamin (St. Francis Village Erin, Trinidad) added 10 points and six rebounds.
Canisius (3-17, 1-9) started quickly, as the Golden Griffins hit their first four three-point attempts to take a 12-2 lead with 16:30 remaining in the first half. However, Canisius would score just five points over the next 12:48 as the Red Foxes roared back, going on a 21-5 run in that span. A three-point play by senior forward Shae McNamara (Milwaukee, Wisc.) gave Marist the lead for the first time in the game, an 18-16 advantage with 9:42 left in the first half. The Red Foxes led the rest of the way.
Marist took a 34-24 halftime lead, and never led by less than 10 in the second half. The Red Foxes outscored the Golden Griffins 32-20 in the second half, and held Canisius to 22.2 percent shooting in the second half.
The 44 points allowed by the Red Foxes were the second lowest scored by a Marist opponent this year, as Bucknell tallied 40 against Marist on Nov. 28. Frank Turner led Canisius with nine points, marking the second time this season the Red Foxes did not allow a double-digit scorer in a game. The first time also came against Bucknell.
The 8-2 conference start for the Red Foxes ties the best mark in school history. Marist also started 8-2 in the 2000-01 season.
Marist will return to action on Wednesday, as the Red Foxes host Rider at 7:30 p.m. at the McCann Center. Marist, Rider and Siena are currently in a three-way tie for first place in the MAAC. In the first meeting between the Red Foxes and Broncs this season, Marist earned an 81-80 road triumph on Jan. 4. For ticket information, please call the Marist Ticket Office at (845) 575-3553.
