Marist bracing for MAAC power Niagara

After suffering two straight conference losses, Marist must now regroup to face MAAC rival Niagara. Niagara treks to the McCann Center with a 4-0 conference record and 13-3 overall record. Villanova, Akron, and Chattanoga mark Niagara's only losses on the season.
Although Niagara graduated perennial first-team forward Charron Fisher, the Purple Eagles gained two Big East transfers in Bilal Benn and Rob Garrison. The duo transferred from Villanova and UConn, respectively. When added to last year's holdovers Tyrone Lewis (pictured in the video below) and Benson Egemonye, Niagara has a team capable of winning the MAAC. With the offense that head coach Joe Mihalich's team possesses, a first place finish is not out of the question.



Niagara enters the game with the most potent offensive attack in the MAAC. The Purple Eagles average 77.9 ppg and tallied 93 against the Manhattan Jaspers. Four players average in double-digit scoring and six players average over eight ppg. Lewis, the 5-foot-11 guard, leads the team with 16.6 ppg while Benn, Garrison, and Egemonye all score over 12 ppg. In addition to leading the conference in scoring, Niagara also boasts the best winning-margin in the league. Niagara has a plus-10.4 scoring margin.
Niagara seems like an insurmountable juggernaut, but the Purple Eagles only beat the Saint Peter's Peacocks by seven points Friday night. Niagara held on to win, 62-55, but led by as many as 16 in the second half. Marist topped Saint Peter's in similar fashion earlier last week, 60-54.
Marist's biggest challenge will come at the defensive end. Even though the Red Foxes have endured long scoreless droughts within games, head coach Chuck Martin knows that his team is streaky. According to Martin, defense must remain a constant. Marist yielded 43 first-half points to Manhattan in Friday night's 73-67 loss, and Niagara has proven it can come out looking for a knockout punch. Against Manhattan, Niagara scored 58 points in the first half. In the last two games, Marist has averaged 42 points against in the first half.
Niagara has shown some weakness on the defensive end, however. In its loss to Chattanooga, Niagara allowed 99 points. The Purple Eagles also surrendered 49 first-half points in their win over the Jaspers on Jan. 3. Marist must find its offensive identity in order to take advantage of any Niagara defenisve weakness though. Only Ryan Schneider averages double-digit scoring for the Red Foxes. The senior sits at fourth in the MAAC in scoring with 16.4 ppg. Schneider is only 0.2 ppg behind Niagara's Tyrone Lewis and Loyola's Jamal Barney for second in the conference in scoring. Rider's Ryan Thompson leads the MAAC with 16.7 ppg. Although Schneider is playing like a first-team conference player, Marist has not found a consistent complementary threat. David Devezin is second on the team in scoring with 9.8 ppg but has struggled finishing since returning from a heel injury. Plus, Devezin's plantar fasciitis is still nagging him. Senior Kaylen Gregory has scored in double-digits in his last two games, but Marist has not found a consistent option. Sophomore Dejuan Goodwin looked to be emerging as that threat when he led the MAAC in three-point shooting, but Goodwin has since struggled and remarked after the Bucknell game that he was rundown and "tired."
Marist's main struggle emanates from the lack of low-post scoring. Freshman Alex Vouyoukas replaced sophomore Lawrence Williams in the starting rotation, but Vouyoukas is averaging only 2.8 ppg. Williams has also struggled after some early season success and missed the Manhattan game due to a team-imposed suspension for a rule's violation. Williams averages 6.2 ppg and 4.8 rpg but has seen his role limited due to Vouyoukas' emergence. Korey Bauer has also seen some minutes at the No. 5 position.
Marist enters the game with a 2-3 MAAC record and 6-11 overall record. However, Marist is 2-0 in the McCann Center against MAAC competition. Marist also upset Niagara at home last season, 84-65, after falling earlier at Niagara. Marist will look to continue its home success tomorrow at 4 p.m.