Going into Wednesday’s men’s basketball game between Marist and Penn, the Red Foxes hadn’t won a non-conference game since February 21, 2009 against Hartford.
But that all changed, as missed opportunities by the Quakers were the culprit in their disappointing 66-57 loss in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Penn suffered from poor free throw shooting, gave up an early lead, and couldn’t mentally get back into the game.
“I think [Marist] Coach [Chuck] Martin is doing a tremendous job building his program,” Coach Jerome Allen said. “They play the right way. I don’t think their record is indicative of where they’re at in the process.”
The Red and Blue (5-5) couldn’t take advantage of the charity stripe — they only made six of 13 free throws. Meanwhile, Marist (3-10) capitalized and went 24-for-27 from the line.
“[Free throw shooting] is an important part of the game,” Allen said. “And we’ve been struggling.”
“I don’t know if it’s just because of lack of concentration or just lack of emphasis that we put on it as a staff, but for the most part we have our opportunities,” he continued. “Games are won and lost at the free throw line, and I think we’re not doing a great job of converting.”
While Penn struggled to convert free throws, senior guard Tyler Bernardini played arguably his best game this season, and led Penn with a season-high 18 points.
Bernardini carried the Quakers’ offense after halftime, scoring 10 of his 16 points in the second frame. He connected on a couple threes in the first half but did all of his damage inside after the break.
“I’m just trying to be more aggressive and help our team win,” Bernardini said.
But for the senior and his squad, it wasn’t enough.
Troubles first arose when the Quakers squandered an early 10-point lead. They were up, 16-6, with 11:51 to play in the first, thanks to hot three-point shooting from junior guard Zack Rosen.
Rosen scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half, including three straight three-pointers within the first five minutes.
“I think after maybe the first five minutes of the game, we thought the game was over,” Coach Allen said. “We stopped trying to execute, stopped trying to make the extra pass, stopped being aggressive.”
“I think once they made a run…we just conceded to the adversity,” he added.
While the defense couldn’t stop the Red Foxes, who had a 10-0 run to answer the early deficit, the Quakers’ offense stalled as soon as Marist switched to man-to-man defense from zone.
Allen said the team needed to play “inside-out” and get more shots in the paint.
“It’s a long game,” he said. “You’re not going to continue to make three-pointers as we did in the first couple minutes. It’s kind of like fool’s gold.”
Senior forward Jack Eggleston, who had eight points and 13 boards, took responsibility for Penn’s struggles in the paint.
“I think I have to take a lot of blame for that,” Eggleston said. “I wasn’t strong enough inside, and I have to do a better job helping our team out, giving us the inside presence.
Still, Penn led, 27-25, going into the half before Marist took the lead for good a minute after the break. The Red Foxes later had a 9-0 run that started with 14:55 to play, which solidified their lead.
Marist guard R.J. Hall led all scorers with 19 points.
The Quakers can take away some positives from the trip, though. As Andreas Schreiber stayed in Philadelphia with an injury, and Rob Belcore sat on the sideline suffering from migraines, freshman guard Steve Rennard saw his first significant action of the season. He checked in with 12:36 left in the first half and logged 11 minutes.
“When your number’s called you have to be ready,” Allen said. “And I just think Steve has exemplified that he’s been, for the most part, in tune with what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Allen would not say whether or not the freshman would continue to be a part of the rotation.
“We’ve got 15 men on the roster, and at any given time I feel confident with putting any one of them in a game,” he said.
Unfortunately for the Red and Blue, their schedule does not get any easier next week. They head to Lexington, Ky., to take on the No. 12 Wildcats on Jan. 3. But Coach Allen was not ready to look ahead immediately following the game.
“I’m in the moment right now,” he said. “We’re going to break this film down, see where our mistakes were made and just try to go out and get better.”
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