By Paul Gotham
BUFFALO, NY — Not sure if Chavaughn Lewis spends any time climbing mountains, but Saturday night he looked more than comfortable going uphill.
In a game they trailed throughout, the Marist Red Foxes looked to Lewis to keep them within striking distance. His first and last basket of the night both pulled the Red Foxes within five points. A fact that shouldn’t be overlooked. It is one thing to score when your team has a comfortable lead. It is another thing to knock down shots under pressure. The sophomore guard is comfortable executing under pressure.
Trailing 9-2, Lewis used an upfake at foul line extended to elude the defense. With the slightest of motion, he put the ball to the floor for two dribbles and pulled up just outside the lane for a deuce. The 6-5 small forward found a seam in the Canisius Golden Griffin zone.
“Coach wanted me to find the opening in the gaps in the defense and basically capitalize on them,” Lewis said. “My teammates did a good job of getting me open.”
His fadeaway jumper just outside the lane pulled Marist within five at 67-62. Again Lewis found the smallest of openings and finished with a quick release.
Between those bookends, the Queens, New York native went seven-of-16 from the floor including five-of-11 inside the arc.
“We knew where we wanted the ball to go,” said Marist head coach Chuck Martin. “We were patient and got the ball to Chavaughn. He was tremendous.”
Along with teammate Devin Price, Lewis leads the Red Foxes with 14.1 points per game. Much of that production occurs inside the arc. According to Hoop-Math.com, Lewis takes just 17 percent of his shots from three-point territory. The sophomore guard’s talent shows in his ability to create his own shot. Thirty-one percent of the shots Lewis takes are mid-range jumpers. Only 35 percent of those makes come as the result of an assist.
“We knew he could put the ball on the deck and shoot it a little bit,” said Canisius guard Billy Baron. “He’s very difficult to guard.”
Fifty-two percent of Lewis’s shots come at the rim yet only 34 percent receive an assist.
“You got someone with size who can do that too,” Baron added. “He’s a good player. He can get to the rack. He’s very athletic. He’s got the whole package.”
When needed, Lewis can convert from long range. He nailed a catch-and-shoot three in transition to pull Marist within a dozen at 52-40. His second three of the night came with the Griffs’ Jordan Heath closing out hard. Lewis adjusted easily and lofted a shot over the outstretched fingers of the 6-10 Heath.
He finished with a game-high 24 on nine-of-18 shooting from the floor. Lewis converted four-of-six from the free throw line and added eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals.
“A lot of players tend to force me to shoot the ball because they know I like to drive,” Lewis added. “I try to work a lot with the coaching staff on mid-range pullups. Today it fell for me.”
The Red Foxes have struggled out of the gate losers of 11 of 15. Seven of those setbacks have come on the road or at neutral sites. Earlier this season Marist defeated Vanderbilt, 50-33 in one of the school’s more historic moments in athletics.
Marist hosts Iona Thursday night. A 7 p.m. tip is scheduled.
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