POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – The Marist men's basketball team was defeated by Niagara, 86-72, at McCann Arena on Saturday afternoon in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game.
 
The Purple Eagles salvaged a split in the two-game series after the Red Foxes were victorious on Friday.
 

Summary

• Marist scored the game's first five points on a jumper by Jordan Jones and a three-pointer by Javon Cooley.
• A three-pointer by Ricardo Wright gave Marist an 11-5 lead at the 16:04 mark.
• Niagara took its first lead thanks to a 20-0 run over a span of 5:46, which included three three-pointers by Nick MacDonald.
• Niagara's lead reached its largest margin of the first half, 17, at the 6:15 mark on MacDonald's fifth three-pointer.
• Niagara took a 51-37 lead to the locker room.
• The Purple Eagles took their largest lead of the game on a three-pointer by Raheem Solomon with 17:10 to play, which put Niagara up 58-39.
• Marist cut its deficit to seven twice, but Niagara maintained a double-digit lead throughout the final three minutes.

 

Key Stats

• Wright led three double-digit Marist scorers with 19 points, 16 of which came in the first half. Jones had 17 on 8-for-9 shooting, and Javon Cooley had 15 as he shot 4-for-6 from three-point range.
• Jones led Marist in rebounds (six) and blocked shots (four).
• Raheim Sullivan had five assists against just one turnover.
• Marist shot .529 (27-for-51) from the field and .423 (11-for-26) from three-point range.
• Niagara's Marcus Hammond led all scorers with 23. He placed five Purple Eagles who scored in double figures, a list that also included MacDonald (15), Solomon (14), Kobi Nwandu (13), and Justin Roberts (11).
• Solomon grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.
• Niagara hit 10 three-pointers in the first half and 14 in the game.
• The Purple Eagles committed just four turnovers.

 

Notes

• Jones set a career high with four assists. His four blocked shots tied a career high, and were his most at Marist.
• Wright's 19 points were a career high.
• Cooley's point total was a career high as he made his first collegiate start.
• This is Marist's first loss on the second day of a back-to-back this season (3-1).

 

Press Conference

 

Records

• Niagara is now 4-4 overall and 3-3 in conference.
• Marist is 6-2 on the season and 4-2 in the MAAC. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Red Foxes.

 

Up Next

• Marist returns to action with a two-game series next weekend at Monmouth.
• The Red Foxes and Hawks will play on Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. in West Long Branch, New Jersey.