Marist to take on Barney and friends

The road does not get any easier for Marist as the Red Foxes travel to Maryland to take on the Loyola Greyhounds tomorrow at noon.
After holding Siena's Kenny Hasbrouck and Edwin Ubiles at bay, Marist must now face the MAAC's leading scorer, Jamal Barney. The sophomore guard enters the game averaging 18.3 ppg and has exploded on the offensive end in recent weeks. In the last two weeks, Barney has tallied two 40-point games against Canisius and NJIT. The Providence-transfer has been the high-scorer in five of the last six Loyola games, scoring over 20 points in each of those games. Barney ignited the Loyola offense on Friday night against Manhattan in a MAAC contest televised on ESPNU. Barney notched game highs in both scoring and rebounds with 21 points and eight rebounds in the Loyola 58-54 win.
The road win over Manhattan marked Loyola's first in the last four tries. The Greyhounds rank eighth in the MAAC with a 2-5 conference record. Their other win came on Jan. 3 when Loyola handled Canisius, 86-62. Loyola has lost to Niagara twice, Saint Peter's, Fairfield, and Siena.
The other threat for Loyola is 6-foot-1 guard Brett Harvey. The junior enters this game averaging 13.4 ppg. Harvey's role in the offense has increased substantially after the graduation of Loyola star and all-conference guard Gerald Brown.
Marist is in desperate need of a win after letting Friday night's tilt against Siena slip away. Marist is 3-4 in the league and 7-12 overall. For Marist, the offensive threats are the usual suspects: David Devezin and Ryan Schneider. Marist's offense has taken off since Devezin's return to the starting lineup. Marist is averaging 72.6 ppg since Devezin returned and scored 86 points against Niagara in the 18-point blowout win.
After facing Loyola, Marist will return home on Friday, Jan. 23 for a home contest against Canisius. The game will be televised on ESPNU and tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.