The result wasn?t what his Marist College men?s basketball team would have wanted in its first game of the season, and its first game under new head coach Jeff Bower.
But an hour after the final buzzer ended Marist?s 71-55 loss at Stony Brook on Friday night, junior guard Chavaughn Lewis was already looking forward to improving for today?s home opener.
?We can use this game as a way to see what we need to improve on defense and offense,? Lewis said. ?At home, we can be in full effect and bounce back.?
The Red Foxes welcome Elon to McCann Arena for a 5 p.m. tipoff; they will attempt to win their home opener for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
?It?s great to be able to turn around and play a game,? Bower said. ?The best thing you can do after you lose is get right back and play again.?
The Red Foxes held a 29-22 lead late in the first half Friday, before the Seawolves, the defending regular-season America East champions, rattled off a 23-1 run that spanned two halves.
Marist connected on just over 30 percent of its 53 shots in the game, and went 6 of 27 from behind the 3-point arc. The Seawolves scored 34 points in the paint, and held the Foxes to 10.
Morton scored 15 points to lead Marist, though he turned the ball over five times. Lewis scored 14 and had four turnovers. Senior center Adam Kemp was held to four points on seven shot attempts, and had nine rebounds.
Bower predominantly used an eight-man rotation, with junior guard Isaiah Morton logging 33 minutes to lead the team, and Manny Thomas, Pieter Prinsloo and Phillip Lawrence all playing at least 14 minutes off the bench. Junior guard T.J. Curry, who started much of last season, played two minutes. However, Bower said his rotation is in flux, and will continue to be so for the near future.
?I think my goal is to experiment and to see what groups of players play the best together,? the coach said, ?what groups can combine their talents to create a winning unit and play winning basketball.?
Elon, which won 21 of its 33 games a season ago, cruised in its season opener at home Friday, 114-64 over Washington & Lee, making 72 percent of its shots.
Sebastian Koch, a 6-foot-8 senior guard, led the Phoenix with 22 points, six rebounds and six assists, while senior forwards Ryley Beaumont and Lucas Troutman each scored 18 and sophomore guard Tanner Samson scored 17. A year ago, Troutman led the team with 15.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, and Beaumont averaged 11.8 points and 7.1 rebounds.
?They?re a quality team with a high number of players returning from last year that?s highly regarded in their conference,? Bower said. ?We?re going to have to earn it.?
Lewis said Bower has talked to the team about the importance of defending its home court.
?You just have to come in with the right mindset and the mentality of winning,? Lewis said. ?I think we have to set a standard for ourselves at home.?
But an hour after the final buzzer ended Marist?s 71-55 loss at Stony Brook on Friday night, junior guard Chavaughn Lewis was already looking forward to improving for today?s home opener.
?We can use this game as a way to see what we need to improve on defense and offense,? Lewis said. ?At home, we can be in full effect and bounce back.?
The Red Foxes welcome Elon to McCann Arena for a 5 p.m. tipoff; they will attempt to win their home opener for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
?It?s great to be able to turn around and play a game,? Bower said. ?The best thing you can do after you lose is get right back and play again.?
The Red Foxes held a 29-22 lead late in the first half Friday, before the Seawolves, the defending regular-season America East champions, rattled off a 23-1 run that spanned two halves.
Marist connected on just over 30 percent of its 53 shots in the game, and went 6 of 27 from behind the 3-point arc. The Seawolves scored 34 points in the paint, and held the Foxes to 10.
Morton scored 15 points to lead Marist, though he turned the ball over five times. Lewis scored 14 and had four turnovers. Senior center Adam Kemp was held to four points on seven shot attempts, and had nine rebounds.
Bower predominantly used an eight-man rotation, with junior guard Isaiah Morton logging 33 minutes to lead the team, and Manny Thomas, Pieter Prinsloo and Phillip Lawrence all playing at least 14 minutes off the bench. Junior guard T.J. Curry, who started much of last season, played two minutes. However, Bower said his rotation is in flux, and will continue to be so for the near future.
?I think my goal is to experiment and to see what groups of players play the best together,? the coach said, ?what groups can combine their talents to create a winning unit and play winning basketball.?
Elon, which won 21 of its 33 games a season ago, cruised in its season opener at home Friday, 114-64 over Washington & Lee, making 72 percent of its shots.
Sebastian Koch, a 6-foot-8 senior guard, led the Phoenix with 22 points, six rebounds and six assists, while senior forwards Ryley Beaumont and Lucas Troutman each scored 18 and sophomore guard Tanner Samson scored 17. A year ago, Troutman led the team with 15.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, and Beaumont averaged 11.8 points and 7.1 rebounds.
?They?re a quality team with a high number of players returning from last year that?s highly regarded in their conference,? Bower said. ?We?re going to have to earn it.?
Lewis said Bower has talked to the team about the importance of defending its home court.
?You just have to come in with the right mindset and the mentality of winning,? Lewis said. ?I think we have to set a standard for ourselves at home.?
