ORLANDO, Florida – The Marist men's basketball team was defeated by #20/23 West Virginia by a score of 84-78 at HP Field House in the first game of the AdvoCare Invitational on Thursday night.
 
Summary

• On the Red Foxes' second possession of the game, red-shirt sophomore forward Aleksandar Dozic drained a three-pointer to give Marist its first lead at 3-1. The Red Foxes led for most of the game's first six minutes, with their largest lead being four.
• With 13:48 left in the first half, a three-point play by West Virginia's Sagaba Konate gave the Mountaineers a lead they would hold for the remainder of the half.
• West Virginia expanded its lead to 16 in the final minute of the first half thanks to a 14-2 run, but a three-pointer by freshman forward Lasse Gummerus at the buzzer made the score 39-26 in favor of the Mountaineers going to the locker room.
• A 7-2 spurt, which culminated in a three-pointer by junior guard David Knudsen, brought Marist's deficit to within single digits at 44-35 with 16:15 left. The Red Foxes got within eight on three occasions in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
• Three consecutive threes by Knudsen brought Marist to within three at 65-62 with 6:50 to go. Thirty seconds later, a three by junior forward Ryan Funk cut Marist's deficit to two at 67-65. Then, junior guard Brian Parker tied the game with a driving layup with 5:37 left. Parker's basket capped a streak of eight consecutive Marist possessions with a score.
• On the ensuing possession, West Virginia's Jevon Carter drained a three-pointer, which gave the Mountaineers the lead for good. West Virginia led by two possessions for the final 3:15, with Marist's deficit between four and six points the entire time.

 
Key Stats

• Knudsen led Marist with 19 points, including 16 in the second half.
• Freshman guard Austin Williams and senior center Connor McClenaghan led Marist with five rebounds.
• Dozic and Williams had a team-high three rebounds.
• Carter led all scorers with 20. He also contributed five rebounds, four steals, and four assists.
• West Virginia forced 24 turnovers, and committed just 11. However, the Red Foxes had eight turnovers in the second half after committing 16 in the first 20 minutes.
• Marist shot 10-for-21 from three-point range, and held West Virginia to 8-for-38 shooting.
• The Mountaineers had 22 offensive rebounds.
• Both teams had 26 field goals, but the Mountaineers had 27 more attempts. West Virginia shot .351 from the field, and Marist shot .553. The Red Foxes shot .739 (17-for-23) in the second half.

 
Notes

• Marist is now 3-4 all-time in the AdvoCare Invitational.
• Marist also opened the 2012 AdvoCare Invitational against West Virginia. The Mountaineers prevailed that day by a score of 87-44.
• Parker (14 points) has now scored in double digits in every game this season.
• Knudsen and junior forward Isaiah Lamb (10) have now scored in double digits in three straight game.
• Junior swingman Kristinn Palsson is now 5-for-6 on field goal attempts this season, and 4-for-5 on three-pointers.

 
Quote of the Day
"I'm a very proud coach," head coach Mike Maker said. "That's the most passion our team and our program has shown in my tenure. … I don't believe in moral victories, but I really believe that we grew up a lot tonight, and hopefully we won't be content with that."
 
Records
West Virginia is 4-1; Marist is 0-4. Three of the Red Foxes losses have been by eight points or less.
 
Up Next
Marist returns to play in the AdvoCare Invitational on Friday, when the Red Foxes face Nebraska at 7 p.m., or approximately 25 minutes after the conclusion of the preceding West Virginia-Central Florida contest at 5 p.m. The contest will be carried live on ESPN3.