CHARLESTON, South Carolina – The Marist men's basketball team earned its first victory of the season as the Red Foxes rebounded from a 20-point second-half deficit for a 100-91 victory over The Citadel in the first round of the Papa John's Bulldog Bash on Friday at McAlister Field House.
 
Summary

• The Red Foxes led by three twice in the first five minutes, but The Citadel used a 15-4 run to build an 11-point lead halfway through the first half.
• Over the final two minutes of the first half, The Citadel outscored Marist 11-0, and took a 57-39 lead to the locker room.
• A basket by The Citadel's Zane Najdawi gave the Bulldogs a game-high lead of 20 at 59-39 with 18:35 remaining.
• Marist answered with a 12-1 run, which included five straight points by junior guard Brian Parker, to cut its deficit to single digits.
• Matt Frierson's three-pointer gave The Citadel an 86-78 lead with 9:03 to play. A 9-0 run, punctuated by a free throw from red-shirt sophomore forward Aleksandar Dozic, gave Marist its first lead of the second half at 87-86 with 7:01 to go. After The Citadel's Kaelon Harris split a pair of free throws on the next possession, Dozic's three-pointer on Marist's next possession gave the Red Foxes the lead for good.
• Marist held The Citadel scoreless for the last 4:32, and held the Bulldogs without a field goal for the final 5:52.

 
Key Stats

• Junior forward Ryan Funk led Marist with 22 points. Funk drained five three-pointers and also grabbed seven rebounds.
• Dozic had 19 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists. He was 4-for-6 from three-point range.
• Parker finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
• Junior forward Isaiah Lamb added 15 points off the bench to give the Red Foxes four double-digit scorers.
• Five Bulldogs scored in double digits, paced by Quayson Williams with 22. Williams drained six three-pointers and had a team-high five assists.
• Marist outrebounded The Citadel, 43-35.
• Marist shot .450 (18-for-40) from three-point range. The Red Foxes were .263 (5-for-19) in the first half, and .619 (13-for-21) in the second half.
• Marist shot .556 (35-for-63) from the field, including a .606 clip (20-for-33) in the second half.
• The Citadel shot .303 (10-for-33) from the field and .250 (5-for-20) from three-point range in the second half.
• After being outscored 57-39 in the first 20 minutes, the Red Foxes outscored the Bulldogs 61-34 over the final 20.

 
Notes

• This was the first time Marist scored 100 points since a 102-100 double overtime loss at Rider on Jan. 14, 2016. It was the first time Marist scored 100 points in a regulation game since a 103-72 triumph over Quinnipiac on March 2, 2014. It was the first time Marist scored 100 points in a regulation road victory since a 115-101 win at LIU on Feb. 12, 1994.
• Funk's 22 points tied the highest total by a Red Fox this season (previously accomplished twice by Parker). The point total was one shy of his career high, and his rebound total tied his career high.
• Dozic's double-double was the first of his career, and the first by a Red Fox this season.
• This was the first meeting between Marist and The Citadel in program history.

 
Quote of the Day
"We had played well in games where we weren't rewarded with a victory," head coach Mike Maker said. "We did not play well today, but we won the game, and it's nice to be rewarded when we didn't play our best. We made enough shots when it counted, and we got on the glass when it mattered."
 
Up Next
Marist will play for the championship of the Papa John's Bulldog Bash on Saturday, when the Red Foxes take on Army West Point at 5 p.m. This will be the second meeting between the teams this season. The Black Knights defeated the Red Foxes by a score of 94-73 in Poughkeepsie on Nov. 18.