ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey – The Marist men's basketball has made the semifinals of the Hercules Tires Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship for the second straight year. The third-seeded Red Foxes (18-12) will take on second-seeded Fairfield (21-11) at 9 p.m. Friday night at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.
 

How to Follow

• The game will be broadcast on ESPNEWS, with Derek Jones (play-by-play) and Tim Welsh (analyst on the call). The game can also be seen on ESPN+.
• Dean Darling (play-by-play) and Steve Eggink (analyst) will have the call on the Red Fox Network. Coverage begins at 8:45.
• For in-game updates, follow @MaristMBB on X.

 

About Last Night

• Marist defeated Niagara, 65-59, as the Red Foxes erased a 15-point deficit.
• Marist took its first lead of the game on a driving layup by Jadin Collins with 5:34 remaining. Collins' jumper with 3:11 remaining gave Marist the lead for good.
• Marist closed the game by going 8-for-8 from the line in the final minute.
• Collins finished with career highs of 20 points and five steals, and shot 9-for-11 (.818) from the field.
• Javon Cooley had 14 points and five rebounds.
• Jackson Price contributed 12 points and four rebounds off the bench.
• Josh Pascarelli had a team-high seven rebounds, which tied his career high.

 

Marist Facts

• In each of its last five wins, Marist has overcome a deficit of at least eight points. Marist has overcome a double-figure deficit to win five times this season, and 11 times in head coach John Dunne's six years at Marist. The 15-point deficit Marist erased in the quarterfinals is the second largest the team has come back from in Dunne's tenure.
• According to the College Basketball Reference Play Index, Jadin Collins is the only player in the MAAC to score 20 points, have five steals, and shoot 80 percent from the floor in a game this season.
• Marist is now 13-0 when holding the opposition under 60 points in a game this season.
• Marist is 14-4 this season when a Red Fox scores in double figures off the bench in a game. This has occurred in five straight games, and 12 of the last 13.
• Marist shot over 50 percent from the field in the quarterfinal victory over Niagara (.523) for the eighth time this season. The Red Foxes are 7-1 when this occurs.
• Marist is now 12-3 this season when at least three Red Foxes score in double figures.
• Jackson Price has scored in double figures in three straight games. He is averaging 10.3 points in his last 11 games, and is 43-for-49 (.878) from the free-throw line in his last 14 games.

 

Fairfield Facts

• Jalen Leach was a First Team All-MAAC selection, Caleb Fields was a Second Team honoree, and Brycen Goodine was named to the Third Team.
• Goodine was named MAAC Sixth Player of the Year.
• Leach leads the Stags in scoring (16.6 ppg), followed by Fields (16.2) and Goodine (14.4).
• Jasper Floyd averages 9.3 points and team highs of 5.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
• Head coach Chris Casey is in his first season.

 

Season Series

• The teams split this year's season series, with each one winning at home.
• Fairfield prevailed at home by a score of 82-61 on Jan. 7.
• The Red Foxes earned a 58-55 home victory on March 1 in which they held the Stags to .283 shooting from the field and .286 from three-point range.
• Jadin Collins averaged 10.5 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.0 rebounds against Fairfield this season.

 

History

• Fairfield leads the all-time series, 43-28. The Stags had won four in a row prior to the Red Foxes' home win of March 1.
• This is the first time Marist and Fairfield have met in the MAAC Championship in John Dunne's six years as head coach of the Red Foxes.
• This is the fourth meeting between the teams in the MAAC Championship, and the deepest into the championship the teams have ever met.
  • Fairfield was Marist's first opponent in its first MAAC Championship in 1998. The Red Foxes prevailed 74-73 in the opening round.
  • Fairfield earned victories in the 2011 quarterfinal round and 2018 opening round.

 

Up Next

• The winner will advance to Saturday's championship game against the winner of top-seeded Quinnipiac against fifth-seeded Saint Peter's.
• Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPNU.