POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – The Marist men's basketball team was defeated by Fairfield, 55-52, in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game on Saturday evening at McCann Arena.
 

Summary

• Marist scored the game's first six points and two baskets by Jordan Jones and a layup by Matt Herasme, which led to a Fairfield timeout at the 17:46 mark.
• Fairfield took its first lead thanks to a 10-0 run, which included two three-pointers by Caleb Green. The Red Foxes were held scoreless for 2:57 in this span.
• After a basket by Victor Enoh broke Marist's dry spell at the 11:51 mark, Fairfield put together another 7-0 run, as the Red Foxes were held scoreless for 2:49.
• A 6-0 Fairfield run gave the Stags a 14-point lead, their largest of the game, with 3:34 left in the first half. From there, Marist outscored Fairfield 8-1 over the remainder of the half, and the Stags' advantage was 33-26 heading to the locker room.
• A 7-0 run early in the second half extended Fairfield's lead to 13 at the 13:00 mark. This was the Stags' largest lead of the second half, and it was later matched at the 11:46 and 9:50 marks.
• With 5:02 to play, Taj Benning's jumper put Fairfield 53-42. The Stags did not hit another field goal the rest of the way, and Marist scored 10 straight points. Ricardo Wright's three-pointers with 8.5 seconds to play cut Fairfield's lead to 53-52.
• Benning then drained two free throws with 7.9 seconds to play, and the Red Foxes were unable to tie the game on the final possession.

 

Key Stats

• Jones led Marist in points (17), rebounds (seven), and blocked shots (two). The Red Foxes were plus-16 with him on the floor.
• Raheim Sullivan had 10 points and a team-best four assists.
• Benning had a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
• Jake Wojcik led Fairfield with 10 points.
• Fairfield had a 36-31 edge in rebounds.
• Marist committed just 10 turnovers, while Fairfield had 14.
• Marist shot 3-for-20 (.150) from three-point range. The Red Foxes missed their first 14 three-point attempts, and all three of their makes came in the final nine minutes.

 

Notes

• Jones' 17 points tied his season high. He has now scored in double figures in five straight games, and has blocked a shot in nine straight.
• This was Marist's first loss in a game decided by five points or less this season (5-1).
• Marist is now 3-3 on the second day of a back-to-back.

 

Postgame Press Conference

 

Records

• Fairfield is 3-12 overall and 3-7 in the MAAC.
• Marist stands at 7-5 on the season and 5-5 in conference play.

 

Up Next

• Marist is scheduled to return to action with a single game on Wednesday, Jan. 27 against Quinnipiac at McCann Arena.
• Tip-off is set for 5 p.m.