Loyola junior guard Marquis Sullivan has a simple explanation why he scored 20 of his career-high 28 points in the first half of an 88-77 victory over Canisius on Thursday night.
“I guess I was just letting it fly,” he said. “I was in a zone.”
It certainly appeared that way to the crowd of 1,549 at Reitz Arena, as he came off the bench to make 6-of-7 shots from beyond the arc to give Loyola a lead it would not relinquish.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder, who shoots 41.9 percent from long-range and averages 12.2 points per game, powered his team to a half-game lead in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The win keeps the Greyhounds (18-12 overall, 12-5 MAAC) in the mix for the league?s regular season title, as Loyola concludes the regular season on Sunday afternoon at 4 at Marist (15-13, 9-7) in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Coach Jimmy Patsos calls Sullivan, who has come off the bench in 21 of the Greyhounds 29 games, the best sixth-man in the MAAC.
“When I got the job four years ago, Red Auerbach said, ?Make sure you have a sixth man, especially in college. He can really help you,?” Patsos said. “Marquis has proven that.”
After starting 30 of 31 games as a sophomore, Sullivan has adjusted well to coming off the bench, reaching double figures in scoring in 17 of 21 games off the pine. But he still plays as much as a starter, as only three Greyhounds logged more floor time in Thursday?s win.
“[Patsos] wants me to come off the bench and just be a spark,” Sullivan said. “I?m not really worried about [minutes]. I?m just trying to play real good defense and rebound. If I have my shot, I?ll take it.”
And Loyola senior guard Gerald Brown tried to make sure he had plenty of good looks at the basket.
“I kept looking for him,” Brown said. “I set a screen for him twice. I knew he was in a zone. I was telling [Canisius guard Frank Turner], ?You all might need another man out here. Six-on-five, and double-team [Marquis].? I just wanted everybody to keep going back to him. He came through.”
The emergence of Sullivan opened the court for his teammates, including Brown, who scored 19 second-half points and finished with 27. But because Sullivan is coming off the bench, he thinks other teams are overlooking him when he enters the game ? and that suits him just fine.
“I think I am more relaxed,” Sullivan said. “I think teams start to forget about me during the game.”
