In their final game before the MAAC Conference Tournament, the Quinnipiac stifled Marist women’s basketball to win 51-42, handing the Red Foxes their 24th loss on the season, the most in program history.
Without their senior duo of forward Zaria Shazer and guard Kiara Fisher, Marist (6-24, 4-16 MAAC) could not get the scoring going. Sophomore forward Ciara Croker and redshirt sophomore guard Lexie Tarul carried the weight for the Red Foxes; Croker led the way with 14 and Tarul scored nine to combine for 23 of Marist’s 42 points.
Quinnipiac (12-17, 9-11 MAAC) brought a more balanced attack, as seven players combined to score 51 points for the Bobcats, but none scored more than 11.
Marist and Quinnipiac last met on Feb. 1, when the Red Foxes lost an overtime battle amid their recently-snapped 12-game losing streak.
Staying hot from her 20-point performance on Thursday night, sophomore center Morgan Lee got the ball rolling for the Red Foxes to start this afternoon’s game, scoring Marist’s first five points.
Croker added four points of her own in the first quarter of play, and freshman guard Julia Corsentino nailed a three from the wing with under a minute to play, giving Marist a 14-10 lead after 10 minutes of action.
Marist continued to push the tempo to start the second quarter; junior guard Catie Cunningham sunk a midrange jumper that prompted a timeout from Quinnipiac head coach Tricia Fabbri. The timeout proved effective, halting all Marist momentum.
Out of the timeout, the Bobcats scored 10 unanswered points in the ensuing six and a half minutes to play to close the half. Sophomore forward Ella O’Donnell maneuvered past Lee and got a scoop layup to fall, putting Quinnipiac out front 24-23 heading into the locker room.
Marist’s offensive woes continued to plague them in the third quarter. The Red Foxes did not make their first basket until the five-and-a-half-minute mark when Croker finally found the bottom of the net, putting an end to 12 minutes without a made basket. The 20-1 run allowed Quinnipiac to stake themselves out to a 10-point lead.
After breaking the seal, the Red Foxes fought their way back into the game to only trail by four points as the final seconds of the third quarter ticked down. On the quarter’s final possession, freshman center Anna Foley missed a deep two, but freshman guard Karson Martin positioned herself in front of Piddock for the rebound, where she got a put-back shot to go as the buzzer sounded.
The Bobcats continued to apply pressure in the fourth quarter following Martin’s buzzer-beater, and Foley led the charge. On the first possession of the quarter, she finished through contact at the rim and converted the free throw to complete the three-point play. Foley followed it up by swatting a shot from Piddock, then assisting on a basket from Martin. Just like that, Quinnipiac had their largest lead of the day at 11 points.
The Bobcats never let the lead get under six, as they held control for the remainder of the contest and ultimately won by nine. With Saturday’s loss, head coach Erin Doughty’s first year as head coach at Marist comes to a close with a 6-24 record, the program’s worst in 25 years.
Fabbri, in her 29th year as Quinnipiac’s head coach, recorded her 500th Division I victory with Saturday’s defeat of Marist.
Due to every team making the MAAC tournament, the Red Foxes will begin with a fresh slate in Atlantic City. As the 11 seed, they can look to last year’s Marist men’s basketball team for inspiration; the Red Foxes embarked on a Cinderella-esque run to the MAAC tournament final before losing to Iona.
Marist’s journey will begin at 3 p.m. on Tuesday in Atlantic City when they face off against Mount St. Mary’s at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.
Edited by Luke Sassa
Photo from Luke Sassa
For more coverage of Marist athletics, follow @cfmarist on Instagram, X and TikTok, and sign up to receive daily alerts here.
