Khallid Hart
Earlier in the week, Marist College men’s basketball guard Khallid Hart said in order to beat Iona, the Red Foxes would need to control the tempo.
And the Red Foxes did keep up with the Gaels for the most part, but in the end, Iona had just a little more fire power. Marist lost 90-80 in New Rochelle Saturday, dropping to 4-10 overall and 1-4 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play.
Trailing by five coming out of the half, the Red Foxes scored four straight points on a jumper by freshman guard Brian Parker, then a dunk by junior center Kentrall Brooks. Iona still led by one, however, and never relinquished the lead over the game’s final 20 minutes.
Hart was Marist’s leading scorer with 23 points, nine of which came over the final 4:14. He grabbed five rebounds, shot 5 for 13 from the field and drained five 3-pointers in eight attempts. Parker scored 21 points and finished 9 for 11 from the field.
Marist men on season, improvements
Freshman swingman Kristinn Palsson scored 12 points, all of which were poured in on 3-point field goals. Sophomore swingman Obi Momah scored a career-high 11 points and added six rebounds.
The Red Foxes led 17-14 with 12:55 to play in the first half, but Iona answered with a seven-point run. Marist fought back to tie it twice, however, but trailed 43-38 at the intermission.
Iona, which previously beat Marist 101-66 on Dec. 4, received a pivotal performance from senior guard A.J. English, who scored 24 points in 38 minutes. English went 10 for 10 from behind the foul line and added eight assists.
Deyshonee Much, another Iona senior guard, scored 21 points and buried five 3-pointers in nine tries. He also led the Gaels in rebounds with six. Junior forward Taylor Bessick and senior guard Ibn Muhammad each added 11 points.
Senior center Eric Troug did not play on account of a finger injury he sustained in practice. Marist will visit MAAC foe Rider at 8 p.m. on Thursday.
A.J. Martelli: amartelli@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4836, Twitter: @AJM_PoJoSports