It has been over a month since Marist women’s basketball won a game, and their slide continued with a seventh straight loss, with this one coming to Saint Peter’s by a score of 51-42 in their MAAC conference opener.
Back on the road after giving up a decisive late run to UAlbany last weekend, the Red Foxes (2-8, 0-1 MAAC) made less than a quarter of their field goal attempts as a team. Long scoreless stretches and poor team shooting, even on plays that featured crisp ball movement and open looks, doomed Marist. Their performance allowed Saint Peter’s (3-6, 1-0 MAAC) to start 1-0 in the MAAC, which is especially notable since the Peacocks failed to win any conference games during an 0-30 season last year.
Senior point guard Kiara Fisher returned from injury and played a team-high 39 minutes while wearing a knee brace and with tape around her calf, and while she dished out a half-dozen dimes, she shot only 3-12 from the field. Lead scorer Zaria Shazer also struggled, as the senior forward went 2-10 from the field. Sophomore guard Jackie Piddock and sophomore center Morgan Lee combined to shoot 3-15 from the field, and even freshman guard Julia Corsentino, who led the way with 10 points, did so on a 3-11 shooting line.
Saint Peter’s freshman forward Fatmata Janneh led the way by posting her fourth double-double of the season, as she scored 14 points and secured a career-high 17 boards while consistently preventing second chances for the Red Foxes.
The first quarter was hotly contested, with poor shooting plaguing each side. A minute and a half into the game, Shazer came up with a huge block on Janneh, but Marist couldn’t capitalize on the other end. Marist’s ball movement was adequate for most of the game despite the poor shooting, and it paid off a few minutes later. Around-the-arc movement ended with junior guard Catie Cunningham making her first three of the year on a Fisher assist, putting Marist up 5-4.
Corsentino followed it up with a triple from way downtown halfway through the quarter, staking Marist out to an 8-4 lead. After a Janneh bucket on the ensuing possession, shooting struggles on both sides led to a scoreless five-minute stretch of play. At long last, sophomore guard Jada Leonard ended the drought on a driving layup in the waning moments of the first quarter to tie things up at eight apiece.
The second quarter was a continuation of the offensive struggles from the first, with Saint Peter’s outscoring Marist 10-6 en route to an 18-14 halftime lead. Marist missed some good looks during this quarter, including an open look for Corsentino beyond the arc that was off the mark, then again when great ball movement led to an open look for redshirt sophomore guard Lexie Tarul, who couldn’t knock it down.
Concern arose for Marist midway through the frame with Shazer hobbling up the floor after suffering an apparent injury, forcing her to sub out after she attempted to play through her discomfort. Fortunately for Marist, she checked back into the game before halftime.
In the third quarter, Saint Peter’s began to get their act together on offense. While Piddock, Lee and Fisher missed three-pointer attempts, Saint Peter’s graduate student forward Maria Fux launched a successful three-ball to give the Peacocks further separation.
Shazer finally made her first shot of the day with three and a half minutes remaining in the third, but at that point, Marist trailed by 12. Shazer then assisted Corsentino on a corner three, and Tarul followed it up with a three-pointer despite being fouled, capping off an 8-0 Marist run, bringing them within six of the Peacocks. A handful of possessions later, Fux reestablished the double-digit lead for Saint Peter’s with a three-pointer at the end of the quarter that was made possible by a terrific Janneh pass out of the post, making it 35-25.
Fisher started to shake off the rust in the fourth quarter, making a pair of threes to draw Marist within six and then following it up with a teardrop floater. Regardless, the Peacocks held firm, with Leonard making what seemed to be a dagger three-pointer with just over a minute remaining.
Marist won’t have much time to dwell on the loss, as they have a quick turnaround. They face the Canisius Golden Griffins on Monday at 11 a.m., and they won’t have to travel far from Jersey City with Monday’s matchup taking place in Poughkeepsie.
Canisius has had a nice start to their season, going 5-3 on the whole and most recently grabbing a come-from-behind 65-63 win over Siena in their MAAC opener. Both sophomore forward Sisi Eleko and senior guard Mackenzie Amalia are averaging double-digit scoring and shooting better than 40% from deep for the Golden Griffins; junior guard Athina Lexa has a chance to join that group, averaging 9.9 points on the year.
Edited by Ben Leeds
Photo from Jaylen Rizzo
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