Photo collage from ODAC Tournament loss against Guilford College.
Emilie Dajc|Marlin Chronicle
x|Marlin Chronicle
After a 20-point victory over Randolph College on Feb. 17, Men’s Basketball concluded their season with a 12-4 record, improving upon their previous conference record of 9-7. They headed into the ODAC tournament as the No. 4 seed, facing No. 5 Guilford College in the first round of play on Feb. 26. The Marlins had bested the Quakers in conference play back in January, with a near 20-point victory. However, the Quakers came to play, handing the Marlins a very shocking loss.
The first half of the game set the tone, as Guilford jumped the gun, scoring 40 points and shooting nearly 60% from the field and 50% from the three. Contrarily, the Marlins had an abysmal start, scoring only 17 points in the first 20 minutes, shooting 24% from the field and 14% from the three. The Marlins gathered their bearings in the second half, shooting 50% from the field and 55% from the three; however, the comeback effort fell short, ending with the score 61-74.
Head coach Dave Macedo commented on the early loss. “It didn’t feel good, and we probably had one of our worst games of the season,” he said.
The Marlins also missed out on an at large bid to the NCAA tournament this year.
“We came up a bit short to get in the NCAAs. I think we were short by two spots, but the guys have had a really good year. We’re just not satisfied,” coach Macedo said.
The program still has another shot at a championship after being invited recently to the 2025 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament.
“We’re treating it like it’s a chance to win another championship. So we got a chance with a No. 1. We’re going up to Maryland on Friday, and we’re just going to prepare the right way and see if we can get a couple wins and hopefully have a championship next Saturday at our place. So we look forward to it,” coach Macedo said.
In the first round, they were matched up with No. 8 Franciscan University of Steubenville. The Marlins dominated the Barons from the start of the game, leading at the half by 14 points and refusing to let up, ending with a final score of 73-51.
Advancing to the semifinals with the hopes of booking their ticket to the championship, Marlins faced No. 5 McDaniel College. In the match, leading scorers Omari DeVeaux, for the Marlins, and Jonas Sujeta, for the Green Terrors, took charge in the fight for a spot in the finals. DeVeaux scored a career high 27 points to Sujeta’s 22, pushing the Marlins ahead with a final score of 75-62.
The Marlins now face a familiar opponent, No. 2 Salisbury University, in the championship game. The Marlins competed against the Seagulls at home in January, and the close matchup ended in a five-point victory for the Marlins. The key for this matchup is shutting down Salisbury’s leading scorer Jordan Oates. In the semifinals matchup against New Jersey City, Oates scored 24 points to lead the Seagulls to victory. In the January contest, the Marlins held Oates just under his season scoring average. As long as the Marlins play their fast-paced, physical game, this should not be an issue.
The championship is scheduled for March 15 at 6 p.m. in Townebank Arena. Tune in to watch the Marlins battle the Seagulls for the ECAC tournament title.
By: Sydnee Washington
