POUGHKEEPSIE - The Marist men’s basketball team pulled out its second consecutive second half come-from-behind victory at home on Sunday when it defeated Loyola by a score of 69-64. A close game throughout, junior Adam Kemp came through with his second straight 20-plus point, 10-plus rebound game to lead the Red Foxes (7-18, 4-10 MAAC) to victory over the Greyhounds (17-9, 9-5).
Kemp finished the contest with team-highs in points (23), rebounds (13) and blocks (2). Sophomore Chavaughn Lewis added 21 points; his fifth straight game with 21 or more points. Isaiah Morton filled up the box score with nine points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Loyola was the first team to have a break through offensively as the Greyhounds notched baskets on three straight possessions to turn an 8-8 game into a 15-8 contest by 10:36. The Red Foxes quickly responded with a 9-1 run to take at 17-16 lead.
The game stayed close throughout the remainder of the first half, outside of a five-point lead by Loyola that lasted all of one possession. Consecutive made baskets by the Red Foxes in the final 33 seconds made it a 27-26 contest at the halftime break.
Loyola continued to hold a slight lead coming out of the locker room in the second half until an Eric Truog layup at 15:29 gave Marist the lead at 35-34. The Red Foxes extended their lead further on the next possession as Morton picked Loyola’s Anthony Winbush’s pocket and hit a wide-open Jay Bowie for a three-pointer.
Following a 6-0 run by the Greyhounds to make it a 40-38 game, the Red Foxes fired back with a 7-0 run of their own to make the score 45-40 at 10:58. This would mark the final lead change of the game.
The Red Foxes kept their composure down the stretch at the foul line (they hit 80 percent, 12-15), as well as with their ball control, as they only had two turnovers. For the game, Marist outshot Loyola 45.7 percent to 44.4 percent from the field and 67.6 percent to 46.2 from the foul line.
The Red Foxes will be back in action on Friday, February 15th when they host Niagara at McCann Arena. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m.
