Marist travelled to Binghamton for the program’s first matchup versus the Bearcats, who extended their win streak to four in their 69-58 win over the Red Foxes. The American East team exploited what the Red Foxes have struggled with thus far this season.
Marist entered the matchup averaging 17.3 turnovers per game. With Binghamton forcing 21.88 turnovers per game, the 33rd most in the nation, Marist needed to control the ball considerably better.
With both teams playing man-to-man, the Red Foxes spent most of the opening ten minutes adjusting to Binghamton’s driving to the paint and the off-ball down screens.
Binghamton scored its first eight points before Marist found an offensive rhythm. At the five-minute mark, the Red Foxes got on the scoreboard for the first time thanks to freshman guard Justine Henry.
The Red Foxes adjusted for the latter half of the first quarter, fixing communication on the defensive end, closing gaps and monitoring the off-ball screens. Despite nine turnovers in the first quarter, Marist stayed within five points heading into the second.
In the opening minutes of the second quarter, Marist tied the game at 18 off a jump shot from sophomore guard Kasey Bretones, her first points as a Red Fox; Marist took its first lead of the game with Bretones converting at the line for the three-point play.
Binghamton went on an 18-6 run to end the half, shooting over 50% from the field. Redshirt senior guard Lexie Tarul ended a 16-point scoring drought for Marist out of a timeout called by head coach Erin Doughty.
Knocking in her third 3-pointer of the game, followed by her fourth less than a minute later, Tarul recorded her season best in just 14 minutes.
Tarul ended the half with 14 points and three rebounds. Since arriving in Poughkeepsie, Tarul has emerged as a do-it-all player for the Red Foxes, and that role was evident against Binghamton. Tarul led Marist on both offense and defense with a career-high stat line of 24 points and seven rebounds.
Tarul’s stellar plus-22 efficiency play proved to be not enough for Marist, with Binghamton recording 24 points off forced turnovers against the Red Foxes.
As a breakout player thus far for the Red Foxes, Henry received heavy attention from the Binghamton defense, who shut down plays typically run through Henry with effective faceguarding. The Bearcats held the freshman to just two points in the first half.
Heading into the break, Binghamton led 36-25. The Bearcats had different players stepping up throughout different plays, with nine different players contributing to the team’s lead in the first 20 minutes.
Junior forward Kendall Bennett documented her second double-double of the season for the Bearcats with 14 points and 10 rebounds, with 10 of her points coming from the charity stripe.
Outscored again in the third quarter, Binghamton controlled the court, leading 52-38 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Tarul accounted for more than half of the Red Foxes’ points, where the second-highest scorer for the Red Foxes ended up being Henry with 15. All but two of Henry’s points came in the second half when she came off the bench after some time to regroup.
At one point trailing by 19, the Red Foxes got back within eight off a 3-point shot from sophomore guard Chloe Escanillas with two minutes left on the clock. Marist’s impressive 20-point fourth quarter was not enough to come back. Binghamton kept the Red Foxes at bay and secured their fourth win in a row.
As the Red Foxes move into MAAC play next week, the team will need to continuously improve ball security as well as deal with increased scouting on Henry. Figuring out how to get Henry the ball and getting more players involved is vital for Marist this season.
Next Friday, Dec. 13, marks the start of conference play for the Red Foxes, opening with the team that ended their season last year, Mount St. Mary’s.
The Mount lost two-star seniors at the end of last season in Jo Raflo and Anna LeMaster.
Similarly to Marist, the Mount has struggled in their non-conference scheduling, posting a 3-5 record, with one last non-conference game before their MAAC opener against the Red Foxes at 7 p.m.
Edited by Ben Leeds
Graphic by Cara Lacey
Photo by Jaylen Rizzo
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