The Circle

Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Greg Hrinya Ryan Schneider, Ryan Stilphen and Spongy Benjamin said each game is played as a team effort.

Media Credit: Greg Hrinya Head Coach Matt Brady said he likes how the team plays one game at a time.

On a day when Marist basketball honored its alumni, a newer face showed glimpses of an older one. With Will Whittington in attendance, redshirt junior Ryan Schneider made his presence felt on the perimeter and on the glass as the Red Foxes cruised to a 66-44 win over Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) rival Canisius.

Schneider scored 12 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds in 21 minutes. After Louie McCroskey went down with a foot injury against Loyola, Coach Brady looked to his bench for increased production.

"He's the guy that's probably stepping into Louie's void a little bit in terms of being a scorer off the bench," Brady said. "We want him to be a shot maker, a guy that's willing to take shots, and when he gets a little bit of time, he's as good a shooter as there is in our league."

Schneider is in his first season with the Red Foxes after sitting out a year following his transfer from Vermont. After spending a season on the bench and appearing in limited playing time this season, Schneider displayed why patience is a virtue.

"I've been waiting for a game like this for a long time," Schneider said. "Obviously [Louie's injury] is difficult, but it's certainly an opportunity to step up. The team needs people to step up, score and get rebounds, and that's all I'm trying to do."

Canisius opened the game with a 12-2 spurt in 3:30. Following Canisius' fast start, Marist held the Golden Griffins to 32 points in the final 36:30.

"We were struggling in the first couple minutes there," forward Ryan Stilphen said. "I really think what got us back in the game is that we locked down defensively."

Coach Brady preached defense to his team prior to the game and the Red Foxes responded. Marist held Canisius to 25.9 percent shooting from the field and Canisius failed to produce one double-digit scorer. That percentage is the lowest from any Marist opponent this season. Marist currently has the highest ranked defense in the MAAC by allowing 66.5 points per game.

"We reminded our team time and again this week that regardless of the opponent, we want to try and play as high a level of defense as we can," Brady said. "[It was] a good defensive performance and I think there's more to come."

After the slow start, the Red Foxes outscored the Golden Griffins 32-12 to close the first half. Marist took the lead for the first time when senior Shae McNamara converted a lay-up plus the free throw with 9:42 remaining in the first half to give the Red Foxes an 18-16 advantage. A Ryan Stilphen tip-in at the buzzer sent the Red Foxes into the half with a ten point lead that they would not relinquish.

The Marist lead grew to as large as 20 in the second half before junior Vince Anthony drained a corner three to give the Foxes a 22-point victory.

For the third straight game, the Red Foxes boasted a balanced scoring attack. Freshman Jay Gavin and senior Ryan Stilphen tied for the game high with 13 points apiece. For Gavin's performances during the week, the MAAC named him rookie of the week for the fifth time this season.

MAAC outlook

With the win, Marist improved to 8-2 in the MAAC and 14-7 overall. There is currently a logjam at the top of the MAAC with five teams within a game of first place. The Red Foxes are tied for first with Rider and Siena, while Niagara and Loyola sit at 7-3.

Siena appeared to be the front-runner in the conference, but an 85-56 loss to the Loyola Greyhounds moved the Saints into the three-way tie. The Rider Broncs have won seven straight MAAC games and their last conference loss came to the Red Foxes.

The Red Foxes have won eight of their last nine contests, but Coach Brady is not surprised by his team's current position.

"To be frank, I expected us to be in first place at this point," Brady said. "In the conference, we're where I thought we could be, and I thought we had a chance to win two other games non-conference."

Marist will look ahead to a home-and-home with Siena on Feb. 4 and Feb. 8. The game played in Poughkeepsie on Feb.8 will be aired on ESPNU. With both teams currently tied for first in the MAAC, the home-and-home series could decide the conference.

Siena has relied heavily on Edwin Ubiles. The sophomore from Poughkeepsie is fourth in the MAAC in scoring with 16.3 points per game. Kenny Hasbrouck and Alex Franklin also rank in the top 10 in MAAC scoring.

Following the game against Rider (game played after Circle went to print), the Red Foxes will face a tough stretch that includes four straight away games.

"Every game is big and now this is a brutal stretch coming up," Brady said. "We're a long ways from the finish line, but these kids have done a marvelous job of just keeping their eye on the next game and just working hard."

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