Marist’s senior night rolled out like a typical Red Fox women’s basketball game this year. A strong start for Marist, a slow second and third quarter and then a spark too little too late, resulting in the team’s third overtime game this season. This time, Manhattan came out victorious, 66-61.
With the cheer team on one side of the floor and the dance team on the opposite, the Marist women’s basketball seniors heard their names called in McCann Arena for the last time.
Three of the four seniors, with the absence of senior guard Morgan Tompkins due to an injury in the off-season, took the court for their final tip-off in Poughkeepsie. Despite Tompkins’ injury, she has provided constant energy for the Red Foxes. When the team needs a little pick-me-up, Tompkins is one of the first ones to stomp her feet and clap her hands in a ‘defense’ chant.
Senior forward Ciara Croker, the program’s first women’s basketball legacy player; senior guard Jackie Piddock, the team’s facilitator; and redshirt senior Lexie Tarul, a reliable and dominant guard, took their spots in the starting five.
Alongside them, Kasey Bretones earned her first start after two career-high games while sophomore guard Danielle Williamsen remains injured.
This group of seniors has set the tone for this Marist program, and they knew they needed a final win at McCann not just to tie a bow on their careers as Red Foxes, but also to ensure they have more than two games left and a trip to Atlantic City for the MAAC Tournament in their future.
Croker and Tarul did all they could in the first quarter to push Marist ahead. With Tarul creating off-ball movement and Croker shooting dialed from mid-range.
Croker had a near-perfect game; she shot 8-for-10 and had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Tarul marked her 20th double-digit game this season with 15 points.
Despite their efforts, Marist struggled on defense with down-low switches and failed to take care of the ball. At halftime, the Red Foxes had 11 turnovers to Manhattan’s four. With double-digit turnovers and graduate student guard Elisa Solé Sanchez shooting a personal best 4-for-5 from the arc in the first half, Marist’s lead disappeared.
The Jaspers controlled the second quarter from start to finish, going on two scoring runs, nearly three minutes each, without a Marist basket. Manhattan outshot Marist 23-7 in the second quarter to help send the Red Foxes to the locker room down 26-33.
Two points away from a career high, Solé Sanchez opened the third with a three and the seven-point deficit turned to 12 for the Red Foxes.
Opening the second half, graduate student Collette Mulderig became dangerous from mid-range and sparked another Manhattan seven-point run; Marist head coach Erin Doughty called a timeout to regroup.
Croker provided a spark out of the timeout and the Red Foxes closed out the third quarter on a 13-0 run, clawing their way back against Manhattan.
Entering Thursday’s matchup, Piddock had hit only one three-pointer in the past six games for the Red Foxes; on her senior night, she hit two.
Off the bench, sophomore guard Julia Corsentino used her athleticism to bring Marist within one via a quick drive to the basket; she ended the game with a season high of 11 points.
With 40 seconds on the clock, Marist did the usual and looked to get Tarul the ball. Driving to the basket, Tarul drew a foul to go to the line and make it a one-point game.
Solé Sanchez immediately answered with a hard drive of her own, but Tarul answered again. With three seconds on the clock, she drained a 3-pointer to send the game into overtime.
In a sloppy overtime with four turnovers from the Red Foxes in just four minutes, the clock wound down, and with 30 seconds left down by one point and without a lead since the second quarter, a comeback OT winner slipped through Marist’s hands.
The Red Foxes sit at 7-11, on a three-game loss streak. With a playoff future still in the air, the Red Foxes need a win to clinch a spot in Atlantic City. Without a win, they will need a Rider loss.
Marist will travel to Saint Peter’s, another team unsure of their playoff fate, on Thursday, Feb. 26. The Red Foxes hope to leave with a snapped losing streak and a reason to go to Jim Wheelan Boardwalk Hall.
Edited by Max Rosen
Graphic by Gene Barbieri
Photo by Quinn DiFiore
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