As Marist women’s basketball enters the back half of their season with an overall record of 5-13 (and a more competitive MAAC conference record of 3-5), we gathered some writers to analyze where the team stands at the moment.
Marist started 2-1, then endured a 10-game losing streak that lasted seven full weeks, and now has won three of their last five contests.
In your eyes, what factors contributed most to the 10-game losing streak?
Luke Sassa, Women’s Basketball Beat Writer: Numerous factors contributed to the 10-game losing streak. One of the most glaring developments was the prolonged absence of playmaking senior point guard Kiara Fisher. Fisher, who is averaging 5.5 assists per game, missed six of the 10 losses. The offense at times looked disorganized without her presence on the floor, and even when she did play, she was not at 100%. Other players, including freshman guard Julia Corsentino and sophomore guard Jackie Piddock, assumed primary ball-handling duties but could not replicate Fisher’s playmaking.
Senior forward Zaria Shazer also struggled with her consistency, with particularly inefficient performances coming against Yale (1-13 from the field), Saint Peter’s (2-10 shooting) and Lehigh (4-17 from the field). The schedule also did Marist no favors, as the Red Foxes played an elite UAlbany team that currently sports a 17-2 record, as well as tough non-conference foes in St. John’s, Lehigh and Drexel.
Ben Leeds, Women’s Basketball Beat Editor: The simple answer is this: scoring. The losing streak started with two losses at the Savannah Hoops Invitational, and during the ensuing five losses, Marist failed to score more than 45 points in any of the contests, including two where they could not even break 40 points. The offense’s inconsistency can be attributed to injuries to the team’s primary ball handler, Fisher, who missed the first half of the 10-game skid. Still, even with the senior guard in the lineup, the offense could not find its groove.
As Fisher began to acclimate herself back into the lineup, the offense began to run smoother, highlighted by a narrow loss at home to Canisius, then a defeat at Cornell, where the Red Foxes’ offense erased an early 15-0 deficit to later take the lead. They continued to build onto their recent offensive success in a losing effort at Iona but finally put all of the pieces together in their following three games, all much-needed conference wins by just a singular point. Their winning streak was snapped by a very impressive Fairfield squad, but Marist hung close with the 15-1 Stags, giving them a tight game before Fairfield pulled away in the fourth quarter.
Cara Lacey, Director of Social Media & Graphics: Lack of confidence contributed to the team’s losing streak. Marist has the players and talent to be good, but with Fisher out on injury, no one stepped into her role. Making decisions and taking shots is exactly what this team needs. The Red Foxes average 55.4 points per game while their opponents average 62.5 ppg. Marist is not behind because of the lack of talent on the squad; it is because of the lack of drive. No one seems to want to step up and be the person to make big plays. Without Fisher, the team could not find their groove, but when she came back, her presence was felt on the court immediately. The team ended the 10-game losing streak with three MAAC wins. Their first win was against Rider where Marist won 65-55. Fisher tallied 13 points, five assists and nine rebounds.
Jimmy Tsiantoulas, Assistant Editor: There were a lot of contributing factors to their early season woes, such as a new voice at the top in head coach Erin Doughty and a lack of leadership on the court due to injury. No knock against Doughty, but with this being her first season at the helm, there were bound to be growing pains. After starting the season 2-1, they looked promising, but with how the last couple of seasons finished, it was only a matter of time before they regressed. Furthermore, a critical injury to the team leader in Fisher made Shazer shoulder even more responsibility. Without that two-headed monster on the court together, the ball-handling responsibilities fell on both Shazer and Piddock, who both have fewer assists than Fisher even though they played in all 17 games to Fisher’s 10.
Which version of this team will we see moving forward as the team finishes out conference play?
Luke: It depends. Fisher left last Thursday’s game with an apparent ankle injury and did not return to play. Marist is in the midst of a week-long break, giving her a brief respite. If she continues to miss time, this team will have a tall task trying to perform down the stretch. If she can stay on the floor, Marist will have a chance to rebound; they have upcoming games against middle-of-the-pack MAAC opponents in Quinnipiac and Siena. Defeating both squads is certainly within the realm of possibility after Marist fought against the MAAC’s top two teams in Fairfield and Manhattan on the heels of a three-game win streak.
Ben: As conference play continues and the season rolls on, the team will continue to look more comfortable under Doughty. The losing streak was a brutal start to the season, but Marist has been far more competitive as of late. Following the skid, they won three straight nail-biters and then proved themselves as a formidable opponent in losses to the MAAC’s top teams, Fairfield and Manhattan.
Luckily for Marist, their record won’t matter too much at the end of the day. With all MAAC teams making the tournament, the Red Foxes know they’ll play postseason basketball. Just last year, the Marist’s men’s squad made an improbable run to the championship game as an 11 seed. It will all come down to which team gets hot at the right time; as Marist gets healthier and more acclimated in Doughty’s system, maybe it can be them.
Cara: Despite the 10-game losing streak, this team’s season is not nearly over. If the team remains healthy, I think they can continue playing off of the positives we have seen from them. Recently, they have been able to play up to par with the MAAC’s current No. 1 and 2 seeds, Fairfield and Manhattan. Looking forward to the rest of the team’s conference play, the Red Foxes have a chance to add more wins and grow as a team under the new leadership of Doughty.
Jimmy: Losing key pieces such as Fisher and graduate student center Maeve Donnelly to injury has plagued the squad. But now, as the team dives into conference play and the injured list shortens, we see a brand new team with a newfound fire and hunger. Starting conference play 0-3 would put off a lot of squads, but Marist did not let that phase them. Starting with their game against Rider, they rattled off three straight, with back-to-back one-point wins over Niagara and Mount St. Mary’s. They even held a lead over the MAAC favorite Fairfield for a good portion of their matchup which speaks volumes about what this team can accomplish. I’m hopeful they can take this momentum into the remainder of the season and into Atlantic City.
By now, the contributions of senior forward Zaria Shazer and senior point guard Kiara Fisher have been well-documented. Who else in your eyes has stepped up this season to help carry the load?
Luke: Catie Cunningham. The junior guard has played a pivotal role as Marist’s primary defender, routinely holding MAAC stars such as Aaliyah Parker (Niagara) to minimal scoring outputs. Cunningham’s physical style of play prompted Doughty to refer to her as the team’s “warrior.” She demonstrated her toughness after slamming into the ground and exiting with a back injury against Rider, then miraculously playing through the injury only two days later and making the game-winning play against preseason-favorite Niagara. While Cunningham’s offense could be more consistent, she has been a steady rebounder all season, averaging a team-high 2.2 offensive rebounds. She has had a couple of standout games on the offensive end, such as her 17-point effort in the season opener and her 18-point performance against Cornell.
Ben: One player who has stepped up in a massive way for this team has been sophomore guard Jackie Piddock. Piddock saw an uptick in playing time while Fisher was sidelined due to injury and proved to be a trustworthy ball handler in times of need, as well as an efficient scorer. In her 10 starts in the season so far, Piddock scored in double digits five times. Since Fisher’s return, Piddock’s minutes have gone down, but she has remained in the fold, providing a spark off the bench. A threat from three, Piddock has hit countless triples to help kickstart the at-times, stagnant Marist offensive attack.
Cara: Sophomore transfer Morgan Lee has impressed me the most this season. Lee has played in all 18 games for the Red Foxes and has made herself known as a threat on offense and defense. In the team’s most recent game against Manhattan, we saw how the center can drain deep shots in going 2-3 from the three. Lee also gets back on defense, creating a dominant presence in the paint. Only playing 18 minutes in the game vs Manhattan, Lee totaled seven points and one block.
Jimmy: Redshirt sophomore guard Lexie Tarul has stepped up big-time for the Red Foxes this season. As the season progressed, her minutes increased game after game, and she’s showing exactly why Doughty made that decision. Appearing in all 17 games and starting 13 of them, she is third on the team in points per game with 6.6 and second in points scored with 112. She has been lightening the load for the figureheads of the team, as she is yet another scorer other teams need to key in on.
Give me your predictions for the team’s final record and seed heading into the MAAC tournament.
Luke: I am going to be optimistic and make my prediction as if Fisher will be returning to the floor. If this is the case, I see a recently improved Marist squad going 6-6 down the stretch. Many of the team’s upcoming games could go either way. It seems likely Marist will once again lose to Fairfield and it’s hard to imagine Marist sweeping Niagara, but the Red Foxes certainly have the talent required to defeat other teams in the top half of the standings such as Manhattan, Canisius and Siena. If the Red Foxes fulfill my prediction, they will finish the season with a 9-11 MAAC record that would likely be good for the seventh seed in Atlantic City (but not good enough for a first-round bye).
Ben: With 12 games left to play, I expect the Red Foxes to hover just below .500 and finish with an 8-12 record in MAAC play, a repeat of last year’s record. A year ago, this earned them the seventh seed, but in a more competitive conference this year, I believe an 8-12 record will land them the eighth seed. Only the top five teams receive a first-round bye, meaning it would take a very strong finish for Marist to clinch a day off. In all likelihood, Marist will need to win four games in five days to win the MAAC, undoubtedly a tall task for any team to complete.
Cara: The Red Foxes have 12 games left in their regular season schedule. I think the team will go half and half, making their overall record 11-19 and MAAC record 9-11. I do not see Marist receiving a first-round bye heading to the MAAC tournament but considering the team’s 10-game losing streak to start the season, finishing as a possible eighth seed is not too disheartening. The team needs to continue on the path that they are on to finish the season strong instead of reversing back to early season mistakes.
Jimmy: The rest of the schedule for the Red Foxes is challenging, as the conference has six teams at .500 or better. One of their MAAC wins came against Niagara, who sits right above them in the standings, and Marist has eight more matchups with teams above them in the standings. Only four of their remaining games come against losing teams, so it is tough to say whether they will finish with a winning record. If they can take what they did against Fairfield to the rest of their season, then I can see five to six more wins. But if they revert to their early season ways, then it will be a sad finish to the regular season before the MAAC tournament.
Edited by Sam Murphy and Marley Pope
Graphic by Cara Lacey
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