Marist women’s basketball played their first home game in 21 days, hosting the Manhattan Jaspers won their second consecutive game, taking down the Jaspers 58-51.
Powered by a perfect first half from the field from redshirt junior guard Lexi Tarul (17 points, 5-for-5 on free throws), Marist notched their seventh win of the season, breaking last year’s total with a near-perfect run of free throws (19-for-21 as a team).
The Red Foxes also recorded their fourth home win, already reaching the home win total from last season. With this win, the men’s and women’s basketball teams at Marist are undefeated in the McCann arena.
After scoring a career-high 22 points in the win at Mount St.Mary’s, Williamsen didn’t convert a single shot in the first half, only adding six in the final two quarters. Her first points came off a pair of free throws, with her first basket not coming until less than five minutes were remaining. Two more late free throws secured the Marist win.
Her teammate, junior center Morgan Lee, filled up the stat sheet in comparison, finishing with a double-double; Lee scored 12 points to go along with career-highs in rebounds (12) and blocks (3), as well as three assists and three steals.
After a back-and-forth first quarter which finished with a two-point Marist lead, the Red Foxes found their groove, extending their lead to nine midway through the second quarter. Manhattan did battle back, cutting the lead down to just four with a well-timed 5-0 run as the sides entered the break.
Neither team took particularly good care of the ball in the first half of this MAAC matchup, with Marist recording ten first-half turnovers, ending with 16 compared to Manhattan’s 15.
Marist started the second half cold, going only 3-for-14 from the field in the third frame. The Red Foxes shot 17-for-43 in total and 5-10 from behind the arc.
Although only scoring eight points on shots in the third, Marist went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe, taking a six-point lead into the final 10 minutes. The Jaspers didn’t help themselves in the third quarter, going 4-15 from the field and 1-6 on their last six attempts of the period.
Manhattan took control in the first half of the fourth quarter, mounting a 9-0 run in 85 seconds, causing Marist head coach Erin Doughty to call a timeout with her team trailing 44-42, their first deficit of the game.
Williamsen finally converted her first basket of the game out of the timeout, in arguably the most important spot of the game thus far. Marist also switched to a 2-3 zone, looking to force Manhattan into shooting the ball from deep, something they did not do well in this game.
Tarul’s jumper and Williamsen’s free throws sealed the game for Marist, who took their fifth consecutive victory over Manhattan.
Marist now gets a good rest with a 2-0 conference record. With their next matchup scheduled for Jan. 2, the Red Foxes host Iona for their third conference matchup.
Edited by Dan Aulbach
Graphic from Jaylen Rizzo
Photo from Marist Athletics