Men fall to Canisius in MAAC play-in game

In a microcosm of a difficult season, the Marist men's basketball team's 2009-2010 campaign ended with a 72-54 loss to Canisius in a MAAC tournament play-in game at the Times Union Center in Albany on Friday. The 10th-seeded Red Foxes shot well and battled their way back from several deficits, but could not overcome 17 turnovers and hot outside shooting from the Golden Griffins. For Marist, the defeat was its 29th in 30 games, and its 22nd double-digit defeat of the season. The loss capped the worst season in program history.

"Tough, tough loss," head coach Chuck Martin said. "Our kids played really, really hard, like they did all year."

Devin Price led Marist with 17 points on 7-for-16 shooting. The freshman point guard knocked down 3-for-7 from behind the arc. Korey Bauer added 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting. R.J. Hall scored 10 off the bench.

Elton Frazier led the Golden Griffins with 17 points and Greg Logins recorded a double-double, scoring 11 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.

In a season filled with unexpected obstacles, Friday's game did not stray from the pattern. Soon before its 10 p.m. tip off, Marist learned it would be without the services of senior Daye Kaba, who was ill.

Canisius jumped out to an early lead with a combination of perimeter shooting and Marist miscues. Alshwan Hymes hit a three-pointer to give the Golden Griffins a 14-6 advantage with 12:29 remaining in the first half. Hymes scored 11 points in 20 minutes off the bench.

"We came in with a game plan," Martin said. "We're going to play zone and let Canisius either shoot their way out of the game or blow us out."

Canisius finished the regular season ninth in the MAAC in three-point shooting percentage, but were successful on Friday night. The Golden Griffins hit 46 percent of their field goal attempts, including 10-for-25 from three-point range. Seven of those threes came in the first half.

"We took a lot of them [three-point shots]," Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta said. "This was the first time we played against that much zone. At times you do have to take what they give you, and they were giving us three-point shots. I thought the game plan they put together was right on."

Less than five minutes into the contest, Candon Rusin, Marist's leading scorer and perimeter threat, was given his second foul and a spot on the bench. Rusin took zero shot attempts in the first half.
Hall came off the bench to hit two three-point shots and spark a 12-3 Marist run. Fourteen bench points kept the Red Foxes within striking distance in the first half.

Rob Johnson hit a jumper with 6:30 remaining, giving Marist an 18-17 advantage, its first and only lead of the night. Canisius responded with a 12-0 run to gain a 29-18 lead. Again, Marist fought back with an 8-2 run, cutting the deficit to five. A buzzer-beating three-pointer by Tomas Vazquez-Simmons extended the Golden Griffins' lead to 34-26 at halftime.

An 8-4 Canisius run to start the second half extended its lead to double digits. Price then ignited a 7-2 run, making the score 44-37. In a 90-second span, Price hit a three, grabbed a steal and dished two assists, one on a fast break.

"We went fast and small and we got some buckets in transition," Martin said. "I think we opened the court up, which allowed Devin Price to really blossom; that's where I think he's really good."

This year has been a learning experience for Price, who's played extended minutes due to Marist's lack of depth.

"For me, it's just learning how to read the game," Price said. "The last couple games especially, Candon Rusin and Korey [Bauer] have been just keyed on. When they take those guys away and they help on those guys it just gives me open looks and it gives me opportunities to score."

Trailing by seven, Dejuan Goodwin, Rusin, and Price all missed three-pointers within one minute. The Golden Griffins went on a 10-2 run over the next 3:47 to take a 54-39 lead with just over nine minutes remaining. They led by double digits for the rest of the way.

While Marist shot 44 percent from the field, fundamental errors took it out of the game. With every glimpse of talent and potential came a wild pass, a player catching the ball out of bounds, or a failure to get back on defense.

The victory was Canisius' third double-digit defeat of Marist this season. The Golden Griffins won each of the first two games by 15.

Continuously playing from behind has taken its toll on the young Red Foxes.
"It can be deflating, for us to always have to battle back," Price said.

After the game, an exhausted Martin and his players looked back on a rough year.

"We understood that you're never as good as they make you out to be and you're never as a bad as they make you out to be," Martin said. "You have to have an even keel."

"You can't put a price-tag on the minutes these young guys have played.