Marist shows promise in loss to Holy Cross

Yes, the Red Foxes lost to an 0-6 team on the road, but a much-needed morale booster in the second half gives them something going into the MAAC opener at Fairfield.
Marist got it going offensively in the second half. Unfortunately, it was too little too late as Holy Cross won, 68-56.
Marist had another miserable opening 20 minutes, scoring just 18 points and trailing by that same number.
While Marist is not likely to knock off a Fairfield team playing incredibly well (three 20+ point scorers tonight in a loss to Hofstra), there were a few good signs.
Candon Rusin continues his exceptional play. For a freshman to come in under the radar and play the most minutes on the team says something about his character and make-up. He scored 12 points in 34 minutes of action. His game will get a huge boost when Drummond returns and draws defenders in the paint.
Daye Kaba came off the bench and produced solid offensive numbers. He shot 5-of-9 from the field and also scored 12 points.
Devin Price had his first good outing of the season. Dejuan Goodwin struggled early and shot 2-of-7 from the field. He dished out three assists, but committed three turnovers and fouled out.
Several observations/concerns from the game:
- The 38-point second half could give some of the younger guys some confidence. The last two games were absolute confidence-crushers.
- Sam Prescott and Rob Johnson struggled mightily tonight, combining for three points on 1-of-12 shooting. No surprise there are some growing pains, but when the older guys aren't clicking on all cylinders, problems are magnified.
- Many have complained about the lack of defense on the team, but that really stems from offensive ineptitude. When Marist is clanking shots off the rim, turning the ball over, and not getting second chance opportunites, opposing teams can run on them. The team will be completely different once Drummond returns. Unfortunately, it won't be different enough to cure all the Red Foxes' woes.
- Nice to see Dorvell Carter ge some minutes tonight and score a few buckets. Marist needs him to produce.
- Walk-on Mike Taylor played 20 minutes tonight and scored nine points. Javon Parris played three minutes...
- Finally, it looks like Chuck Martin brought Memphis' free-throw shooting with him. Going 7-of-15 from the charity stripe is unacceptable. We saw the problems last year (Siena...), but there has to be some improvement.