In a rather fitting 11-point loss, Marist women’s basketball lost their 11th straight contest to Siena by a score of 73-62.
Marist (5-22, 3-14 MAAC Conference) struggled to get things going early, and while they fought their way back into the game, the three ball from Siena (15-11, 12-6 MAAC Conference) in the second half proved to be too much for the Red Foxes to overcome.
Siena started the game on a 17-4 run, giving Marist all kinds of problems on the defensive side while knocking down wide-open shots and easy layups off Marist turnovers. The Red Foxes faced a 25-13 deficit after the first, with Siena shooting 58% from the field and draining three triples in the opening frame, two of them coming from Redshirt freshman guard Nikola Zdenkova.
A defensive adjustment from the Red Foxes in the second quarter made a noticeable difference, as Marist head coach Erin Doughty switched to zone defense.
The change defensively caused five Siena turnovers, and while Marist did not fully get going offensively, the Red Foxes connected on a pair of 3-pointers in the closing minutes courtesy of freshman guard Julia Corsentino and sophomore center Morgan Lee. Marist ultimately cut the lead to six going into the half, as Siena scored only four points on 13% shooting in the second quarter while going 0/8 from long-range.
The Red Foxes grabbed their first lead of the game in the third quarter after a mid-range jumper from sophomore guard Jackie Piddock. The lead went back and forth for a solid stretch after that, but Zdenkova got back into the groove she had early on, making three more triples. She finished with 15 points in the game, all coming from beyond the arc.
Marist opened the fourth quarter once again trailing by six, and similar to the start of the third quarter, they initially fought back. Senior forward Zaria Shazer made a rarer 3-pointer and an ensuing three-ball from Piddock cut the deficit to 52-50. Nevertheless, Siena continued to pour on the 3-pointers, as sophomore guard Teresa Seppala and senior guard Ahniysha Jackson hit back-to-back threes to re-extend their lead to eight.
Jackson pretty much copied the third-quarter showing of her teammate Zdenkova, as she had three 3-pointers of her own in the fourth; she led all scorers with 19 points.
While Marist battled, they continued a season-long trend of coming up short in the end. The Red Foxes will have their next crack at a victory in a home matchup against Saint Peter’s on Saturday at 4 p.m. On the other hand, Siena will try to earn their third straight victory in a home matchup against Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Edited by Luke Sassa
Graphic by Cara Lacey; Photo from Jaylen Rizzo
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