It took a lot for Marist women’s basketball to reach a 10-game losing streak, as Rider barely managed to hold on in overtime, 62-61, in a game that came down to the final seconds.
Overtime went back and forth until Rider (8-17, 6-10 MAAC conference) had a 62-59 lead with one second to go. Marist (5-21, 3-13 MAAC) looked to be dead in the water; redshirt sophomore guard Lexie Tarul sent up a prayer shot from her own end of the court that appeared to have no chance. Yet senior guard Makayla Firebaugh dumbfoundingly fouled Tarul in the act of shooting, sending her to the line with .3 seconds remaining and a chance to tie the game.
Tarul made her first and second free throw attempts, but with the game on the line, she could not deliver the game-tying one. As the clock showed zeroes, Marist had lost another heartbreaker.
Marist had a chance to win in regulation; the Red Foxes had a 54-53 lead with 20 seconds to go after two clutch free throws from Tarul, but graduate student guard Taylor Langan tied things up at the charity stripe with 12 seconds remaining.
On the ensuing possession, senior forward Zaria Shazar missed a jumper that rimmed out, followed by an offensive rebound and missed shot from junior guard Catie Cunnigham, sending the game into overtime.
Marist had themselves a 25-19 lead at halftime, holding Rider’s leading scorers Langan and Firebaugh to three points apiece. The script turned quickly in the second half after a 13-1 run from Rider, led by eight points from junior guard Mariona Cos-Morales during the burst.
The Red Foxes did claw their way back after Rider’s third-quarter run, with huge second-half performances from senior forward Zaria Shazer and sophomore forward Ciara Croker powering Marist. Shazer finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, while Croker had 14 points and six boards.
Marist outrebounded the Broncs 47-35, but Rider made up for it by limiting turnovers; Rider turned the ball over 17 times compared to Rider’s nine, with those turnovers from Marist leading to 17 points for the Broncs.
With senior guard Kiara Fisher out with an injury, sophomore guard Jackie Piddock played heavier minutes than usual, as did Croker, who soaked up the vast majority of playing time at the five. Piddock had seven points in the first half, including a layup at the buzzer in the second quarter to give Marist the six-point lead going into halftime.
After coming up short against Rider, Marist fans are still awaiting their team’s first victory since mid-January. The next opportunity to pick up a win will come on the road against Siena on Thursday at 7 p.m. For Rider, they will attempt to build on their four-game winning streak in a road matchup against Niagara on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Edited by Luke Sassa
Graphic by Raegan Van Zandt; Photo from Jaylen Rizzo
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