Nov. 27, 2010

Box Score

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Marist men's basketball team dropped its home opener to UC Irvine on Saturday by a score of 77-56. Red-shirt freshman guard/forward Anell Alexis (Hillsborough, N.J.) and freshman guard/forward Jay Bowie (Tampa, Fla.) led the Red Foxes in scoring with 13 apiece.

Alexis also had a team-high nine rebounds, which tied for the game high. He shot 4-for-7 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line, and also blocked a shot. Bowie shot 5-for-8 from the field and 3-for-6 from three-point range, and added five rebounds. Sophomore guard Candon Rusin (Surf City, N.C.) gave the Red Foxes three scorers in double digits with 11.

Alexis opened the scoring with a layup 2:01 into the game. After a tip-in by UC Irvine's Pavol Losonsky tied the score at two apiece, a layup by Rusin with 17:40 left in the first half put the Red Foxes back up at 4-2. However, a three-pointer by UC Irvine's Daman Starring on the ensuing possession gave his team the lead for good, and started the Anteaters on a 13-1 run.

With 6:06 left in the first half, a Rusin three-pointer brought Marist to within five at 19-14. However, the Red Foxes would come no closer than that the rest of the way, as the Anteaters answered with an 11-3 run and took a 32-20 halftime lead. Marist got no closer than 12 in the second half, and UC Irvine led by as much as 24.

Derrick Strings led four Anteaters in double digits with a game-high 17 points, which included five three-pointers in nine attempts. Mike Wilder tied Alexis for the game high with nine rebounds.

UC Irvine shot .453 (24-for-53) from the field, as compared to Marist's .351 clip (20-for-57). The Anteaters shot .471 (8-for-17) from three-point range, while the Red Foxes shot just .231 (6-for-26) from deep. UC Irvine shot .700 (21-for-30) from the free-throw line, while Marist shot .625 (10-for-16) from the line. The Anteaters outrebounded the Red Foxes 40-33, and committed 15 turnovers to Marist's 17.

Marist returns to action on Friday, Dec. 3, when the Red Foxes open their Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference slate against Niagara. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. For ticket information, contact the Marist Ticket Office at (845) 575-3553.