Marist holds on; Beats UNH, 63-61

For Chuck Martin and the Red Foxes, an ugly win beats a good-looking loss any day of the week.
Marist cruised through most of the game and led by as many as 17 points in the second half, but New Hampshire clawed back and made a game of it. Tyrece Gibbs' 40-foot three-point attempt missed wide left and the Red Foxes held on to win 63-61.
Chuck Martin won his first career home game as Marist head coach, and David Devezin led the Red Foxes in scoring for the second straight game. Devezin scored 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting and forced UNH Coach Bill Herrion to switch to a 2-3 zone midway through the second half.
With 11:11 left to play and Marist leading 54-37, an irate Herrion called timeout and reassembled his defensive alignment. The Red Foxes scored only nine points from that point on.
Following the game, Coach Martin took responsibility for not preparing his team for the 2-3 zone in the pre-game walk-through.
With the win, Marist moved to 2-3 on the season while UNH dropped to 1-3. The Red Foxes will travel to Memphis to take on the No. 18 Tigers on Tuesday, Dec. 2. The game is a homecoming for Chuck Martin and assistant coach Tyrone Weeks. Both coaches were on John Calipari's staff that reached the national championship game last season. The game will also pose a stern test for the undermanned and inexperienced Red Foxes. MAAC play begins on Friday, Dec. 5 against Iona. MORE TO COME.