Marist has had several close games this season, with the team’s largest loss margin in MAAC play being just 14 points to the undefeated Fairfield Stags. In what was another neck-and-neck conference game, with 11 lead changes and five ties in the first twenty minutes, the Red Foxes fell short, 65-64, to Iona in New Rochelle.
Senior guard Jackie Piddock continued to put on an impressive campaign against the Gaels. On Thursday night, Piddock set a game-high of eight assists in the full team win against Siena. Piddock ranks second in the conference in assists, averaging 3.7 assists per game with 73 assists over 20 games played in her senior season.
She’s a senior captain referred to as the team’s floor general; with fellow guards junior Malea Egan and sophomore Kasey Bretones out due to injury, Marist continues to place its faith in the hands of Piddock.
Averaging 31.6 minutes checked in on the court for Marist this season, starting each game for the Red Foxes, Piddock has provided a constant performance for the Red Foxes. Piddock recorded 18 points in the team’s loss to Iona, shooting 5-for-9 from the floor, 2-for-3 from the 3-point line and 6-for-8 from the charity stripe.
The Red Foxes produced on offense, shooting 12-for-25 from the field and 3-for-8 from beyond the arc. Both teams went on long runs throughout the starting minutes of play. Marist embarked on a 9-0 run in the second quarter, followed by a shift created by the Iona defense that sparked a 7-0 offensive run of their own.
“When we are able to get out on transition and get some easy buckets… and we had a nice little run there to start the second quarter where we were getting some stops on one end and then executing down the other end,” said head coach Erin Doughty on ESPN.
Performing well offensively, Marist looked to lock down on the defensive end of the ball in the second half. Remaining in man-to-man coverage, the Red Foxes upped the pressure to cut down the Gaels’ drives to the baskets.
With a stress on defense, the Red Foxes got caught by the whistle with five fouls in the first four minutes of the second half. Iona took advantage of the Marist frustration, outscoring the Red Foxes, 14-5 in the starting minutes of the third.
The third quarter ended with both Marist and Iona at seven fouls each. Marist’s consistency at the free-throw line, shooting 8-for-9 as the Gaels shot 6-for-9 from the line, kept the Red Foxes in the contest.
Marist leads the MAAC in free throws and ranks 12th in NCAA Division I, with Piddock, Tarul and freshman guard Justine Henry all shooting over 80% from the foul line.
Nearly half of Iona’s points came from within the paint, with the Gaels contributing 26 points from the inside in the first three quarters. The Red Foxes shifted to a 2-3 zone, with the attempt to slow Iona’s game inside.
Henry and Tarul started the Marist comeback in the third quarter. With Henry holding the ball at the elbow, the freshman used her pivot foot to find Tarul on the block. Tarul drove to the hoop and got fouled on the way up, converting for the three-point play.
Piddock then found junior forward Karly Fischer in the paint. Fischer used her size, creating a lane to make the score 63-55. Piddock took it herself the following two Marist possessions, making it a four-point game with under four minutes to play.
The Red Foxes changed to a full-court press, stopping Iona at the half-courtmark. With Piddock on the ball on the inbound, the Red Foxes passed around, creating space until finding Fischer, who turned around for a jumper on the elbow.
Iona started the fourth quarter shooting 1-for-10 from the field. With 90 seconds remaining in play, two of Iona’s top scorers, graduate student guard Isabellah Middleton and junior forward Zoey Ward, sat on the bench, with four personal fouls each.
Sophomore guard Danielle Williamsen forced a turnover with a minute left in play, helping Marist shrink the deficit to three. Quickly finding Piddock near the 3-point line on the next possession, the guard pumped faked and drove to the hoop, closing the gap to one with 50 seconds left.
Holding the Gaels on defense, Doughty called a timeout to advance the ball, with a score at 65-64 and 20 seconds on the clock. Piddock locked down on the baseline, drove and found Williamsen, who let go of a mid-range jumper near the top of the key and the ball bounced out as time expired.
Marist sits ninth in the MAAC with an important week of play ahead, against the bottom two MAAC teams, Canisius, who have one win on Thursday at home, followed by a Saturday afternoon game against Niagara, who are still in the hunt for its first win.
Edited by Ben Leeds
Graphic by Cara Lacey
Photo by Quinn DiFiore
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