Jan. 30, 2008

Final Stats Press Conference Video

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Marist men's basketball team was defeated at home for the first time this season, as the Red Foxes suffered a 79-65 loss to Rider in a battle for first place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference on Wednesday. Senior Ben Farmer (Clinton, Conn.) had team-high totals of 15 points and seven rebounds while also adding three assists.

Rider had four scorers in double digits, led by Jason Thompson, who had 20 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and four assists. Harris Mansell and Ryan Thompson had 15 and 14 points, respectively, for Rider, which shot .519 (28-for-54) from the field. The Broncs also shot 8-for-16 from three-point range and committed just 11 turnovers. Rider also outrebounded Marist by a count of 38-27.

The Red Foxes drained 12 three-pointers in the contest, with five coming from Farmer. Red-shirt sophomore point guard David Devezin (Houston, Texas) finished with 13 points, seven assists and two steals. Freshman guard Jay Gavin (Seat Pleasant, Md.) had 11 points, including three three-pointers.

Marist never led in the contest. Rider closed out the first half on a 16-6 run to take a 41-29 halftime lead.

"I thought the first half really set the tone for the game," Marist Head Coach Matt Brady said. "We had turnovers and missed free throws early, and Rider took advantage of our miscues."

Marist cut Rider's lead to six points on two occasions in the second half, but drew no closer. With 5:10 remaining, a basket by red-shirt senior forward Ryan Stilphen (Bay Village, Ohio) brought the Red Foxes to within seven at 66-59. On the ensuing possession, Thompson was called for offensive foul, which was his fourth. However, Gavin missed a three-pointer on Marist's next possession, and Justin Robinson's three-pointer for Rider gave the Broncs a 69-59 lead with 4:20 to go. Rider held a double-digit lead the rest of the game.

"We never got them to go into a dry spell," Brady said. "We never give up, and we're going to learn from this game."

Marist fell to 14-8 overall and 8-3 in MAAC play. The Red Foxes now sit in third place in the conference, one-half game behind Siena for second and a full game behind Rider for first. The Broncs improved to 16-6 overall and 9-2 in the MAAC.

Marist returns to action on Monday at Siena for the first meeting of the year between the Red Foxes and the Saints. Marist and Siena will meet consecutively in a five-day span, as the Saints will come to the McCann Center on Friday, Feb. 8.