Facing the best team in the MAAC conference, Marist women’s basketball could not keep up with Fairfield, losing 76-49 in a road matchup Thursday morning.
Fairfield (20-1, 12-1 MAAC) entered play trying to keep a staggering 17-game win streak intact, and they had no trouble doing so, securing their 18th straight victory in wire-to-wire fashion.
This matchup featured three of the MAAC conference’s top performers: Fairfield senior guard Janelle Brown, freshman forward Meghan Andersen and Marist (5-16, 3-8 MAAC) senior forward Zaria Shazer. Both Brown and Andersen showed up for the Stags, but Shazer struggled and was held scoreless through three quarters. Shazer ended up only scoring two points and was in danger of being held scoreless for the first time since March 13, 2021.
Marist notched their first points of the day on a gorgeous play; senior point guard Kiara Fisher swung the rock to redshirt sophomore guard Lexie Tarul, who drilled a nothing-but-net 3-pointer from the wing. Fisher then intercepted a pass from Andersen and made a fast break layup on the other end to put Marist in front.
The Stags then went on an 11-0 run and never looked back, highlighted by precise passes from Brown inside to junior forward Lauren Beach and freshman forward Karley Fischer, each of whom finished at the rim. At the end of one, Marist trailed 14-5.
Sophomore forward Ciara Croker broke Marist out of their slump early in the second quarter, burying a triple from the top of the arc. Brown continued to stake her claim as the most efficient shooter in the MAAC, burying a pair of triples on consecutive possessions to put Fairfield up 22-9 midway through the second quarter.
Tarul continued to string together a solid first half, scoring on the interior and swishing a shot from way downtown to draw Marist within eight. Brown continued to sizzle, swishing her third three of the day from the wing. At the half, Fairfield still had a double-digit 35-25 lead.
Tarul put herself in double figures early in the third quarter by making a long two-point jumper. Junior guard Kendall McGruder came to life for Fairfield, quickly sinking two 3-pointers to push the Stags to a 14-point lead. Tarul had more up her sleeve, burying yet another triple to keep her team in the game.
Andersen began to make her presence felt, making a pair of layups, including one on a fast break. Brown continued to cook, using a fast break opportunity to assist McGruder inside for an and-one. Brown punctuated her strong third quarter with a steal-and-score, and McGruder buried another triple from far beyond the arc. With a quarter remaining, Fairfield led 56-36.
Fairfield maintained their commanding lead in the fourth quarter and salted the game away, winning by 27. Brown notched a double-double, finishing with 15 points, 10 assists and going 3-4 from beyond the arc. All told, Brown was a plus-31 on the day. McGruder scored 16 and went 4-5 from deep. Fisher scored an efficient 17 points but struggled from deep, missing all five 3-pointers she attempted.
“I gotta thank my teammates because I wouldn’t even have a double-double without them,” said Brown in the ESPN Plus postgame interview. “Just playing with our pace, just playing our basketball, and they just make it easy.”
Mired in another losing streak that has now reached five games, Marist will limp home for a Saturday night matchup against Iona at 7 p.m. The Red Foxes will attempt to snap their skid against an Iona team that has also struggled mightily, as the Gaels have also lost five straight and currently have a 2-9 conference record.
Edited by Sam Murphy
Photo Credit: Jaylen Rizzo
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