POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – The Marist men's basketball team (5-5) closes out non-conference play on Wednesday night, when the Red Foxes host Bethune-Cookman (2-8) at McCann Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
 

Follow Along

• Mike Ferraro (play-by-play) and Steve Eggink (analyst) will have the call on ESPN3.
• Follow @MaristMBB for in-game Twitter updates.
• This is Marist's final non-conference game of the season.

 

About Bethune-Cookman

• Marist is 0-1 against Bethune-Cookman all-time. In the only previous meeting, the Wildcats earned an 85-56 home victory against the Red Foxes on Dec. 21, 2019.
• Bethune-Cookman is 2-8 overall, and is in its first year as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Wildcats, who did not play in the 2020-21 season, were picked 10^th out of 12 in the SWAC Preseason Poll.
• In its last outing, Bethune-Cookman defeated Johnson University, 88-41 on Wednesday, Dec. 15. This is the only home game the Wildcats have played this season.
• Bethune-Cookman is led in scoring by Joe French (15.3 ppg). Former NBA star Reggie Theus is in his first season as head coach, and is the Wildcats' athletic director.

 

Last Time Out

• Marist earned a come-from-behind 84-79 overtime win at preseason Patriot League overtime favorite Boston University on Saturday.
• Jao Ituka scored a game-high 34 points (11-for-14 from the field and 11-for-13 from the line. He drained his lone three-point attempt to tie the score with 4.4 seconds remaining as Marist erased an 11-point second-half deficit.
• Ricardo Wright (14 points) and Raheim Sullivan (11) joined Ituka in double digits.
• Matt Herasme grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, and also had two steals. His three-pointer with 1:43 left in overtime put the Red Foxes up for good.

 

Jao Keeps Winning

• On Dec. 20, freshman guard Jao Ituka was named MAAC Player and Rookie of the Week after his 34-point game at Boston University two days prior. He also earned Honorable Mention from the Met Basketball Writers Association.
  • Ituka became the first Red Fox to earn both MAAC honors in the same week since Brian Parker on Dec. 21, 2015.
  • Ituka became the first MAAC men's basketball player to earn both honors in the same week since Siena's Jalen Pickett on Dec. 3, 2018.
• Ituka has now been named MAAC Rookie of the Week each of the last three weeks. His three rookie awards are the most in the conference.

 

Top Trends

• Marist has held its last four opponents to a collective .394 field goal percentage (119-for-302).
• Marist is averaging 9.4 three-pointers made and shooting .409 from three-point range in its wins, while averaging 5.6 three-pointers made and shooting .262 in its losses.
• Marist is averaging 10.0 turnovers over its last four games. The Red Foxes have three games with under 10 turnovers this season. At 11.5 turnovers per game, Marist is 55^th in the NCAA.
• Marist has played four games this year decided by less than five points. The Red Foxes are 2-2 in these contests.
• Marist has played 12 overtime games in head coach John Dunne's 92-game tenure at Marist. The Red Foxes are 6-6 in these contests, including a 2-1 mark this year.

 
 

Up Next

• Marist returns to action on Friday, Dec. 31 at Monmouth at 1 p.m.
• The Monmouth game is the first of 18 straight contests against MAAC opponents to close the regular season.