Marist women’s basketball put up a 19-point fourth quarter on the way to a 55-51 win over Stony Brook (2-3). Sophomore guard Danielle Williamsen led the Red Foxes (2-3) with a season-high 16 points, seven of which came in the fourth.
Marist went the last 4:39 of the third quarter without a field goal, but came out hot in the final frame, going on a 14-5 run to put their lead at six. Williamsen scored the first five of those points, including a three-pointer followed by a very emotionally charged celebration.
“She’s been down on herself… she’s that kid we know we can go to in crunch time,” said head coach Erin Doughty. “Hopefully she’ll springboard from here.”
“I was just happy it went in, to be honest,” added Williamsen. “If I can get myself riled up, it gives my teammates the chance to get riled up too… It’s something I’ve added to my game.”
Stony Brook graduate student guard Diaka Berete led the game in points, putting up 17. 13 of her points came in the first half as she rained three triples down in the second quarter.
The Seawolves opened the game in a full-court press, but Marist continuously dismantled it as they jumped out to a 15-8 lead to end the first quarter.
Junior forward Karly Fischer was a driving force in Marist’s hot start, putting up five points and a pair of blocks early in the game.
“[I tell] myself to stay in the moment and enjoy it,” said Fischer. “Staying happy but never too content.”
Berete’s nine came early in the second quarter, driving her team to not only close the gap but take a lead midway through the frame after a 13-4 run.
Fischer and Williamsen, each with seven at the half, led their side at the break. Berete’s 13 off of 5-10 shooting accounted for over half of Stony Brook’s first-half points, as they trailed this low-scoring affair 26-25.
The two teams battled hard to open the third quarter, getting up to 10 lead changes with 6:46 left in the frame; Stony Brook led 36-34 at the media timeout with 4:24 to go.
Fischer and freshman forward Johanna Potter earned mutual technicals with 1:49 to go in the third for extra contact after the whistle, something both players had to adjust to heading into a close fourth quarter.
Marist ended the third quarter on a nearly five-minute drought, which amounted to an eighth of the entire game. They stayed within reach heading into the fourth, however, as the Seawolves only led by three.
“There were some segments where we got really good looks from the people we want shooting them, but for whatever reason, they didn’t fall,” said Doughty. “But, we continued to lock-in defensively,”
Neither team scored in the first 150 seconds of the fourth quarter, keeping the game at 39-36. A Williamsen layup ended the drought and got her into double-digits for only the second time this season. She proceeded to hit a three with 6:14 left to play to tie the game at 41, and let the crowd know it.
Energized by Williamsen, the Red Foxes pounced, putting together a 14-5 run and going up six as the clock ticked under three minutes.
Berete and sophomore forward Caitlin Frost both hit big threes, and redshirt senior guard Lexie Tarul, who had nine points off three triples, turned the ball over in her side’s press break. Two points separated the teams with under a minute left to play.
Stony Brook won an inbounds play with under 30 to play, but it was Tarul who came up with a huge block to deny the Seawolves a tying shot. Stony Brook did get an inbounds play off, but Williamsen tipped it off Berete and gave her team the win.
“I just did not want to lose,” said Williamsen. “We were a little mellow throughout the three quarters, but when the fourth came and we wanted to win, we knew what we had to do.
This win gives Marist back-to-back home wins and moves them to 2-3 on the season. They host Monmouth at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 24, before heading to the U.S. Virgin Islands to participate in the Paradise Jam.
Edited by Ben Leeds
Graphic by Gene Barbieri
Photo by Quinn DiFiore
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