ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey – The Marist men's basketball team is set for its quarterfinal match-up in the BuyB1 Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championships. The 11^th-seeded Red Foxes will face third-seeded Quinnipiac on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall
 

How To Follow

• The game will be shown on ESPN+.
• Coverage on the Red Fox Network and Varsity Network App, with Dean Darling and Steve Eggink on the call, begins at 6:45.
• In-game updates are available on Twitter - @MaristMBB.

 

Top Trends

• Following Tuesday's win over Manhattan, Marist head coach John Dunne tied the MAAC record for most wins by a head coach as a lower seed in the conference championships. Dunne has now won six games as a lower seed, tying Mitch Buonaguro's record (four at Fairfield, two at Siena). At Saint Peter's, Dunne won a semifinal (in a road game at Fairfield) and championship as a #4 seed in 2011, a quarterfinal as a #7 seed in 2015, and became the first #9 seed to reach a semifinal in 2018.
• Marist's 50 points allowed against Manhattan marked the second lowest total the Red Foxes have held an opponent to in the MAAC Championships. The Red Foxes had a 43-40 win against Iona in the opening round in 2009.
• Marist became the third straight #11 seed to win its opening round game.
• Marist last reached the MAAC semifinals in 2008. That year, Marist won a quarterfinal as a #6 seed over #3 Niagara before falling to #2 Rider in the semifinals. If the Red Foxes win Thursday, it would be the second time an #11 seed advanced this far, as Quinnipiac accomplished the feat last season.
• Patrick Gardner led Marist with 22 points against Manhattan in the opening round. It was Gardner's 13th games with at least 20 points this season, and the Red Foxes are 7-6 when he gets to 20 (5-2 with 25+, 1-0 with 30+).
• Gardner added 11 rebounds against Manhattan for his third double-double of the season and fifth by a Red Fox (Stephane Ingo and Javon Cooley also have one apiece).
• Gardner was the lone Red Fox to score in double digits against Manhattan. It marked the third time this year Marist had one double-digit scorer in a game, and it was the first time the Red Foxes won when this occurred. The previous two instances were at University of Maryland Eastern Shore on Nov. 22, and against Iona at McCann Arena on Jan. 6.
• Marist had nine turnovers against Manhattan. It was the sixth time this season Marist has had under 10 in a game. The Red Foxes have had 12 or fewer turnovers in a game in nine of their last 10 contests.
• Marist held Manhattan to 4-for-27 (.148) shooting from three-point range on Tuesday. In their wins this season, the Red Foxes have held the opposition to .271 (70-for-258) shooting from three-point range. In their losses, Marist opponents have shot .422 (159-for-377) from three-point range.
• Marist shot 8-for-20 from three-point range against Manhattan. The Red Foxes are shooting .425 (48-for-113) from deep in their last five games.
• In its wins this season, Marist is shooting .376 (91-for-242) from three-point range. In their losses, the Red Foxes are shooting .301 (141-for-469) from beyond the arc.

 

vs. Quinnipiac

This Season: Quinnipiac swept the 2022-23 regular season series. The Bobcats were the last team the Red Foxes faced for the first time this season (Jan. 31, 72-66 final), and the second meeting was the final day of the regular season last Saturday (March 4, 88-76).
 
First Meeting: Quinnipiac 72, Marist 66 - January 31, 2023
Marist jumped out to a 14-point lead and scored a season-high 40 points in the first half. A 10-0 run by Quinnipiac saw the Bobcats trail by four at halftime. There were seven lead changes in the second half, but the Bobcats took control by outscoring the Red Foxes 12-1 over the final 4:26. Patrick Gardner led Marist with 17 points, and Jaden Daughtry had a career-high 10 rebounds. Matt Balanc scored a game-high 18 for Quinnipiac, with 15 coming in the second half. For the game, the Bobcats shot .500 (11-for-22) from three-point range.
 
Second Meeting: Quinnipiac 88, Marist 76 - March 4, 2023
The Bobcats took command by outscoring the Red Foxes 30-13 over the final 9:55 of the first half, and led 50-34 at halftime. The closest Marist came in the second half was nine with 2:53 remaining. Patrick Gardner had game highs with 27 points and nine rebounds. Quinnipiac had four double-digit scorers, led by Dezi Jones and Matt Balanc with 21 apiece. Jones added team highs of seven rebounds and six assists. Quinnipiac shot 13-for-23 (.565) from three-point range.
 
Notes From The Season's Series: Three Red Foxes averaged in double figures in points per game: Patrick Gardner (22.0), Isaiah Brickner (11.0), and Kam Farris (10.0). ... Jaden Daughtry averaged a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game. ... Noah Harris had eight assists against zero turnovers in the two games, with a career-high seven in the second meeting. ... Marist had assists on 56 percent of its made field goals (31 of 55). ... The Red Foxes shot .451 from the field, .354 from three-point range, and .652 from the free-throw line (with just 23 total attempts). ... Four Bobcats averaged in double figures: Matt Balanc (19.5), Dezi Jones (17.5), Luis Kortright (12.5), and Tyrese Williams (12.5). ... Quinnipiac shot .526 from the field, .533 from three, and .640 from the line (25 attempts). ... Balanc (9-for-11), Jones (6-for-9), and Williams (7-for-12) combined to shoot .667 from three.
 
Championship History: This is the third meeting between Marist and Quinnipiac in MAAC Championships history. The two previous ones came in 6/11 opening round contests with the #11 prevailing: Marist by a score of 80-74 in 2015, and Quinnipiac 77-52 in 2022. Marist's 2015 victory over Quinnipiac was its last win in the MAAC Championships until Tuesday's victory over Manhattan. The 2015 contest also marked the only time Marist was swept by a team in the regular season and then defeated that team in the MAAC Championships.