Facing a winless Yale squad, Marist women’s basketball made them look more than competent as they struggled throughout a 61-45 loss.
Coming off two straight losses including an overtime loss on Thanksgiving to Mercer, the Red Foxes (2-4) hoped that the return of playmaking senior point guard Kiara Fisher would give them a spark. It did not, with Fisher only seeing the floor for 15 minutes and making only a modest impact.
Senior forward Zaria Shazer failed to build off of her 22-point showing against Mercer, as she had a tough time matching up against Yale’s size. She shot a woeful 1-13 from the field, as her inability to finish shots and team-high four turnovers served as a microcosm of the entire Marist offense.
The game started out as a close affair, with Fisher making a pull-up jumper off a screen to open the scoring. Back-and-forth play continued throughout the first quarter, with Yale taking a 5-4 lead halfway through the first frame on a gorgeous play; Junior guard Nyla McGill sent a cross-court dime up to junior guard/forward Mackenzie Egger, who made the layup.
The Marist defense had a successful run for most of the first quarter, with constant switching on high ball screens to force a number of empty Yale possessions. Their defense finally cracked in the final 90 seconds of the quarter, as Marist ceded a couple of buckets, allowing the Bulldogs to jump out to an 11-6 lead.
The Red Foxes managed to draw within three at the end of the first on a whacky play. Fisher attempted a three from the right corner, but McGill blocked her shot. Fisher then got her own rebound and threaded the ball through traffic to sophomore forward Ciara Kroker, who made the buzzer-beater shot from the top of the restricted area.
Marist drew closer a few minutes into the second quarter, as Shazer fed Fisher on a backdoor cut to draw Marist within one, 13-12. From there, Yale began to pull away. A Shazer travel and a pass from sophomore guard Lexie Tarul picked off by Yale senior guard Klara Astrom made it 10 turnovers for Marist in just the first 15 minutes of play.
Halfway through the second quarter, Yale junior guard Christen McCann made a long two and then a corner three on back-to-back possessions, staking the Bulldogs out to a 24-12 lead and prompting Marist head coach Erin Doughty to call a timeout.
With a minute remaining in the half, Shazer threaded the ball to Fisher for a layup opportunity, but McGill made another key block to deny the bucket. Shazer did manage to make a buzzer-beater jumper right at the halfway mark, making it 26-17 in favor of Yale at the break.
Yale went on a 9-2 run out of the break, giving them a comfortable 35-19 lead. The closest Marist ever got in the second half came at the four-minute mark in the third quarter when freshman guard Julia Corsentino swished a three to draw Marist within 11, 37-26. Corsentino was the only Red Fox to score in double digits, with 11 points on 4-9 shooting
Marist trailed 44-31 at the end of three and Yale held serve throughout the fourth quarter, walking out of the John J. Lee Amphitheater with a 16-point victory. The Red Foxes shot a dreadful 2-17 from three-point range after entering play shooting 36% from three as a team.
Yale wasn’t much better as they went 4-18 from deep, yet their domination in the paint made all the difference, as they outscored Marist there 38-22. McGill played the star of the show with her all-around effort, notching a near double-double with 11 points, nine rebounds and four assists on 56% shooting.
The Red Foxes will finally end their three-and-a-half week road trip when they face St. John’s this Saturday in a 7 p.m. home game. The Red Storm have also struggled this season, posting a 2-5 record. Marist will have their hands full trying to stop redshirt senior guard Unique Drake, who is averaging 19.1 points per game while shooting a scintillating 46% from deep on nearly seven attempts a game.
Edited by Ben Leeds
Graphic by Cara Lacey; photo from Jaylen Rizzo
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