On a night dedicated to honoring their seniors, Marist women’s basketball pulled off a thrilling 49-48 upset win over a top-flight Manhattan squad.
A night that started as a tribute to the Red Fox seniors ended on a high note. Marist (6-23, 4-15 MAAC Conference) picked up its first win since January against Manhattan (17-11, 10-9 MAAC) and snapped a 12-game losing streak.
Sophomore center Morgan Lee and junior guard Catie Cunnigham stepped up big time for Marist. Lee finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and three blocks while Cunnigham had a double-double, with 11 points and 10 rebounds on the night.
“We had a really long drought of not winning, so we knew that we had to come in and get the job done,” said Lee.
Marist honored their seniors at the beginning of the game with a ceremony featuring the seniors and their families. Forward Zaria Shazer, guard Kiara Fisher, guard Amanda Zeno, center Maeve Donnelly and forward Erin Fox accepted flowers and a round of applause from the crowd.
While it was senior night, the only senior who saw the floor was Fox. Shazer has an upper-body injury and Fisher has dealt with multiple leg injuries throughout the year, keeping each of them out of the lineup.
“[Shazer has] continued to fight for us, play for us and do everything we ask her to do,” said Marist head coach Erin Doughty.
“It’s unfortunate that [Fisher has] had the injuries that she’s had because I don’t think Poughkeepsie has gotten to see how good and how special she can be,” Doughty added.
Donnelly had a season-ending injury early on in the year, also keeping her out tonight.
“[Donnelly has] helped move the needle in terms of mental health support for our student-athletes, and maybe she doesn’t have a ton of points, but she’s made her impact,” said Doughty.
The one senior available to play, forward Erin Fox, got the chance to start in the matchup. Fox has only played 2.8 minutes per game this season, but played 13 minutes tonight in her final game at McCann Arena, grabbing four boards and dishing out two assists.
“I think it’s really special to have [Fox] who’s been in this area, who loves Marist and has dreamt of playing for Marist one day,” said Doughty. “To have that for younger kids to see when they come to our games is really special.”
The first half was a good one for Marist, who led 27-17 after the first two quarters of action. The lead was propelled by a dominant second frame, during which Marist shot 53.8% from the field. Lee led Marist scoring with nine points in the half, with help from Cunnigham, who chipped in seven points and eight rebounds.
Backed by a big showing from sophomore guard Anne Bair, the Jaspers responded in the third quarter. Bair had eleven points and three 3-pointers in the frame, cutting into the Marist lead and making it 38-37 heading into the final ten minutes of the game.
The turnovers from Marist began to become noticeable at this point in the game, as they had accumulated 17 of them by the end of the third. The Red Foxes quickly got their act together in the fourth, with just one turnover in the final frame.
A silent start to the final quarter was finally broken by Bair with her fourth triple of the game, giving Manhattan its first lead since the first quarter, 40-38.
The game continued to go back and forth at this point, leading to things being all knotted up at 45 with under a minute to go. After another empty Marist possession, for a moment, it looked as though the Red Foxes might squander another fourth-quarter lead.
Cunnigham promptly came to the rescue with a heads-up steal and layup to give Marist the lead 47-45, one that they didn’t look back on.
“Couldn’t be prouder of this group,” said Doughty. “Proud of how we fought and hoping we can build on it moving forward.”
The next opportunity for Marist before Atlantic City will come this Saturday at 2 p.m. against Quinnipiac on the road. Manhattan will try to bounce back on Saturday as well, in a home contest against Iona at 1 p.m.
Edited by Luke Sassa
Graphic by Cara Lacey; Photos from Luke Sassa
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