Loyola, Md. 79, Marist 71

1/17/2008 9:10 PM

By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer

BALTIMORE (AP) -Gerald Brown scored 24, and Marquis Sullivan fueled a 13-0 second-half run that carried Loyola, Md. past Marist 83-71 Thursday night.

Sullivan scored 10 of his 13 points after halftime to help the Greyhounds knock Marist out of first place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Loyola (8-10, 4-3) trailed 50-47 before holding Marist scoreless for more than five minutes.

Jay Gavin led the Red Foxes (11-7, 5-2) with 20 points, his fifth consecutive game with at least 20. But the freshman guard couldn't prevent the Greyhounds from ending Marist's five-game winning streak.

Louie McCroskey, Marist's leading scorer, left with a sprained right ankle after playing only two minutes.

Sullivan made a 3-pointer to put Loyola up 56-50 and ended the pivotal 13-point run with a follow shot. Then, after Gavin made a free throw, Loyola's Brian Rudolph scored from beyond the arc to make it 63-51 with 7:05 left.

The Greyhounds had five players score in double figures. Brett Harvey had 13, Rudolph chipped in with 12 and Michael Tuck added 11.

Ryan Stilphen scored 13 and Spongy Benjamin had 11 for the Red Foxes. Marist was 7-0 when scoring at least 70 points.

The Red Foxes overcame a 15-point deficit and 12 turnovers to take a 36-35 halftime lead.

Brown scored 10 points in a 15-0 run that put Loyola up 19-4. Benjamin ended the Marist drought with a three-point play that sparked an 11-4 spurt that got the Red Foxes within 8.

After Tuck hit a jumper off the glass, Marist rattled off nine straight points to close to 25-24. Stilphen contributed a 3-pointer and a hook in the lane, and Gavin capped the surge by making two free throws following a technical foul call on Greyhounds coach Jimmy Patsos.

Minutes later, Benjamin made three successive baskets to give Marist its first lead, 32-30.