Marist women’s basketball failed to snap their losing streak on Thursday night, suffering a 68-52 loss to Canisius as they failed to contain the Golden Griffins’ explosive offense.
Both teams looked to break out of a losing skid, as Marist (5-18, 3-10 MAAC) entered the game with a six-game losing streak, and Canisius (13-10, 8-6 MAAC) had been 1-3 in their last four games.
The Red Foxes remained competitive initially, as the teams traded blows early and the score was tied at 14 at the end of the first quarter. But Canisius would go on a 16-2 run, led by senior guard Mackenzie Amalia, who drained three shots from three-point range to close out the first quarter, turning the momentum in favor of the Golden Griffins. Amalia finished the night with 17 points.
The Red Foxes entered tonight’s game allowing their opponents to shoot just 28% from three-point range, good for third best in the MAAC this season. Canisius was not afraid to take their shots against the highly-rated defense, shooting 11-28 (39%) from downtown.
In contrast, the Red Foxes had less success from long range, finishing a dismal 4-19 (21%) from beyond the arc.
Marist’s senior duo, forward Zaria Shazer and guard Kiara Fisher, provided the bulk of the team’s offense, but their efforts weren’t enough to keep up with the Golden Griffins. Shazer led the Red Foxes with 17 points and seven rebounds and Fisher added 12 points of her own.
Outside of the senior duo of Fisher and Shazer for Marist, no other Red Fox reached double-digits. Junior guard Catie Cunningham and sophomore forward Ciara Croker were the only other Red Foxes to make multiple baskets, highlighting the offensive struggles that plagued the team. As a team, Marist shot below 30% from the field.
Marist had no answer on defense for sophomore forward Sisi Eleko, who finished with a double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Late in the first half, Eleko went down with an ankle injury and had to be assisted to the locker room, but she returned in the second half and continued to create problems on both sides of the ball for the Red Foxes
If containing Amalia and Eleko wasn’t enough of a challenge for the Red Foxes, they also had to account for junior guard Athina Lexa. Lexa contributed 15 points and eight rebounds of her own, including going 3-4 (75%) from three-point range.
The Golden Griffins proved to be a tough matchup for the Red Foxes, as they presented too many capable options offensively for Marist to contain successfully. In their matchup earlier this season, Canisius again had three players score at least 14 points in a 67-62 victory, including another double-double for Eleko. With tonight’s win, Canisius completed the season sweep over Marist and the program has won its past five games against the Red Foxes dating back to 2022.
The Red Foxes will look to bounce back on Saturday, February 17th as they continue their MAAC road trip and take on Niagara (13-11, 10-4 MAAC). Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at the Gallagher Center.
Edited by Ben Leeds
Graphic by Cara Lacey
Photo by Jaylen Rizzo
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