Marist women’s basketball shot a measly 19-58 in a 66-59 loss at Mount St. Mary’s, dropping their first game in MAAC Conference play. The Red Foxes (3-8, 0-1 MAAC) never led and even trailed by as much as 24 to the Mountaineers (5-5, 1-0 MAAC).
Redshirt sophomore guard Gabrielle Kennerly started hot for The Mount, scoring 10 points in the first quarter, and never let up on her way to a season-high 23 points on the night. Redshirt freshman Teodora Ivanovic added 10 points of her own, a new career-high.
Marist’s offense spread it around well as ten different Red Foxes scored on the night. Sophomore guard Danielle Williamsen led with 11 points and eight rebounds, and senior guard Jackie Piddock supplemented with eight points, three assists and three steals.
While Kennerly put up 10 points on her own in the first quarter, Marist as a team only had 11. The Red Foxes started 2-8 from the field and went scoreless over the last 2:56 to end the quarter as the Mount led 23-11.
The Mountaineers’ defense proved effective all game as they opened in a full-court press and retreated into a 2-3 zone, daring Marist to beat them with their shooting. The Red Foxes did not do that, finishing the first quarter with a field goal percentage of 29.4%.
The Red Foxes came out cold in the second quarter, too, making only one field goal over a stretch of nine attempts and trailing 29-15.
Mount St. Mary’s good defense, combined with a strong shooting performance, enabled them to blow the game open, going up 32-15 by the time the media timeout came with just under four minutes left in the half.
Redshirt senior guard Lexie Tarul led the Red Foxes with six points in the first half while senior forward Ciara Croker contributed four points and five rebounds. Croker finished with eight points and six rebounds, both season-highs.
Half of Ivanovic’s points came in the second quarter, although Kennerly did not score as the Mount got 20 bench points in the first 20 minutes. The two sides finished the half tied 20-20 on the boards, but the Mount led 39-24. The Mount also shot just under 50 percent in the first half, including 6-15 from beyond the arc.
Mount St. Mary’s came out hot in the third quarter, extending the lead with a 12-4 run. The Mountaineers grabbed 12 rebounds, seven more than Marist, and did not allow the Red Foxes to grab a single offensive rebound.
Another big factor in the quarter was on the fast break, as the Mount had 13 points in transition while limiting Marist to just three. The Red Foxes trailed 57-38 after three frames.
Marist head coach Erin Doughty altered her team’s formula to open the fourth, switching to a 2-3 zone. The zone, accompanied by a zonal full-court press, stifled The Mount as they went three for their first 10 from the field.
The late game subs for Marist, which included five players off the bench, got things going as they went on a 21-4 run over 7:21 and held the Mount, who had also made mass substitutions, scoreless for over four minutes. This run cut the lead to single digits, mainly at the charity stripe, but it was overall too little, too late.
Overall, Marist’s starters went 10-43 from the field, an abysmal 23.3 percent. 23 of the Red Foxes’ points came from the bench, which shot 6-15 total.
Marist beat The Mount on the road to open their conference play last season, exactly a year ago today, 61-50 in overtime. Williamsen led Marist in points in both games, scoring 22 in last year’s meeting.
This loss is Marist’s second in a row and fifth in their last six games. The Red Foxes, now five games under .500, get another chance to test themselves in the MAAC on Sunday, at home against Quinnipiac at 5 p.m.
Edited by Ben Leeds
Photo from Caleb Tysz
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