Red Foxes fall at Siena, 66-55

The losing streak has extended to six, as Marist fell to Siena at the Times Union Center on Friday night, 66-55.

Marist started out an abysmal 1-15 from the field in the first 10 minutes and the Saints took an early 12-point lead. About 10 minutes in, head coach Chuck Martin substituted freshman T.J. Curry for starter Isaiah Morton, which seemed to spark a Red Fox comeback. Marist cut the lead to five before Siena took a nine-point lead into the locker rooms. Junior Devin Price led the team with 11 points at the half.

"I thought T.J. did a really nice job of getting us organized," Martin said.

The first few minutes of the second half consisted of a lot of turnovers by both teams, As Marist continued to try to cut into the lead. Eventually the Red Foxes were within two, at 45-43. But every time Marist threatened, the Saints had an answer whether it was an open three-pointer or OD Anosike inside.

Marist struggled down the stretch as Siena earned its largest lead (14) with 16 seconds to go. Freshman Chavaughn Lewis finished with a team leading 21 points going 6-16 from the field. T.J. Curry had 11 points, five rebounds, and two assists.

For Siena, OD Anosike racked up 21 points and 12 rebounds, with Rob Poole and Evan Hymes each adding 15.

Martin said that Anosike "hung in there" despite Marist's double-team and said he was "more physical than our guys."

It was another poor shooting day for Marist, which went 17-60 (28.3 percent) from the field. A bright spot was the three-point shooting, as the Foxes made seven of 16 attempts from beyond the arc. Marist also out-rebounded the Saints, 37-35.

Martin saw progress in what's been a struggle in recent games, breaking down a zone defense.

"We did some really good things," Martin said, "we just didn't make shots. Sometimes, when you don't get the results that you want, you have a tendency to think it's not working… We definitely got the shots we wanted, we just didn't knock them down."

The tone after the game for the Red Foxes wasn't all disappointment.

"It says a lot about these kids," Martin said of the team's fight and comeback. "I'm disappointed in the losses, but I'm excited that we're able to put ourselves in situations to win the game when we're having a tough shooting night. That really is a credit to these guys. They have a mental toughness about them, they've got a winning attitude."

Martin went as far as to say that the more this squad develops, "We'll be one of the better teams in the MAAC."

"Our future is really bright," Martin said, "And we're learning through these games. We just got to figure out how to win and learn."

The Foxes' next chance to do that will be at Fairfield at 2 p.m. on Sunday.