POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (2/17/2007)—Marist had three players in double figures as the Red Foxes outlasted Colgate University 63-47 in the O’Reilly ESPNU BracketBuster game at the McCann Center on Feb. 17. Marist’s Will Whittington led all scorers with 15 points, going 5-of-12 from three-point range.
Colgate (9-17) was led by senior
Jon Simon (Phoenix, Ariz.) with 10 points. Juniors
Kyle Chones (Cleveland, Ohio) and
Daniel Waddy (Tuscon, Ariz.) added nine points apiece.
Kyle Chones also led the Raiders on the glass with seven boards.
Marist got 12 points apiece from Ben Farmer and Wilfred Benjamin, while James Smith handled the rebounding duties with 11 caroms. Six of Benjamin’s 12 points came from the charity stripe as the Red Foxes finished the game 16-of-19 from the free throw line. Jared Jordan finished with nine points and seven assists.
The Red Foxes used a pair of big runs in the game to seal their 21st victory of the season. The Raiders were all over Marist in the early going of the second half. Leading 11-10 at the 15:30 mark, Colgate went on an 11-4 run over the next seven minutes for its biggest lead of the game at 22-15.
Marist got back on track and put together it first run of the game, outscoring the Raiders 14-1 over the next four minutes for a 29-23 advantage with four minutes left in the half. Colgate pulled back within two in the closing minutes before Smith hit a jumper with 30 ticks on the clock to send the Red Foxes in to the locker room with a 31-27 advantage.
Marist carried that momentum in the second frame, never letting Colgate within three points. A four-point Marist advantage quickly became a 15-point advantage, 52-37, as the Red Foxes went on a 15-4 run over a span of six minutes. They built the lead to 16 points as they earned the 62-47 victory.
Colgate shot 34 percent for the game and just 29.2 percent in the second half. Marist hit 41.7 percent of its shots for the game and went 84.2 percent from the charity stripe. The Red Foxes dominated the glass 40-26.
The Raiders return to Patriot League action on Feb. 21, at Holy Cross. Colgate will tip off against the Crusaders at 7 p.m., at the Hart Center.
