Marist Comes Up Short to Grand Canyon

UNCASVILLE, CT – The Marist men’s basketball team suffered an 84-72 loss to Grand Canyon in its final game of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament on Sunday night at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Sophomore guard Brian Parker paced the Red Foxes, as he scored 21 points for the second straight game. Parker shot 8-for-10 from the field and tied for the team high with five rebounds. He was named to the Springfield Bracket All-Tournament Team following the game.
For the second straight game, four Red Foxes scored in double digits. Red-shirt senior guard Khallid Hart scored 17, followed by sophomore forwards Ryan Funk and Isaiah Lamb with 15 and 13, respectively. Freshman center Tobias Sjoberg tied Parker for the team high with five rebounds, and led the Red Foxes in blocked shots (three) and assists (two).

The Antelopes got off to a fast start, as they scored the game’s first eight points. DeWayne Russell scored 18 points in the first half as Grand Canyon led by as much as 15 in the first half, and held a 49-36 advantage after the first 20 minutes. The Antelopes shot .613 (19-for-31) from the field, while the Red Foxes were .560 (14-for-25) from the field in the first half.

Lamb scored the Red Foxes’ first six points of the second half – including two on an acrobatic alley-oop feed from Parker – and Marist cut its deficit to 54-44 with 16:23 to play. However, the Red Foxes went scoreless for a span of 3:22 after that. Grand Canyon led by at least 10 throughout the final 20 minutes.

Joshua Braun led Grand Canyon with 25 points, and Russell finished with 23 points, seven assists, and four rebounds.

Both teams shot well from the field. Grand Canyon shot .545 (30-for-55), while Marist converted at a .491 clip (28-for-57). The Antelopes were 7-for-14 from three-point range,while the Red Foxes were 5-for-18 from deep.

Marist is now 1-4; Grand Canyon is 2-2.

Sunday’s game concluded a stretch of five games in 10 days to open the season for the Red Foxes. They return to action on Saturday, Nov. 26 at Ivy League foe Dartmouth. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.