Marist traveled down I-87 for its last regular-season game against rivals Siena. Once again, graduate student guard Lexie Tarul took over for Marist, but her efforts were answered each time by the Saints in the 67-57 loss.
The last time these two teams met up, Tarul dropped a double-double; this time around, Tarul ended with 16 points, four steals and two assists. Siena’s win earns them a first-round bye as the top 10 teams in the conference look towards the postseason MAAC Tournament and a chance for a championship.
In a matchup with the number one offensive rebounding team versus the last place offensive rebounding team, the stat sheet was reflective of just that. The Saints kept Marist to single-digit offensive rebounds, out-rebounding the Red Foxes 23-5 on offense.
The talk of Siena’s season this year has been about seven-time MAAC Rookie of the Week, freshman guard Francesca Schiro. In her rookie season, Schiro averaged 17.1 points per game, the second-best shooting average behind Fairfield’s junior guard Kaety L’Amoreaux.
In Marist and Siena’s previous matchup, Schiro accounted for half of the Saints’ points in the three-point Red Fox victory, scoring 26. Unfortunately, this time around, Schiro sat on the bench looking on, with her wrist wrapped in a hot pink hard cast after breaking her wrist 10 days ago against Quinnipiac. Before getting injured, Schiro was on a five-game streak of scoring 20 or more points.
Marist has had its fair share of in-season injuries this year, losing key players like junior guard Malea Egan, who had a hot start but suffered a season-ending injury in a non-conference game against LSU and sophomore guard Danielle Williamsen, whose last game was nearly a month ago against Canisius and will not be returning for the remainder of the season.
With players sidelined, freshman guard/forward Justine Henry has been playing out of position all season at the four; the position change has not slowed down Henry’s performance for the Red Foxes.
Two-time MAAC Rookie of the Week Henry averages 12.4 points per game and 7.1 rebounds. Going into the game against Siena, Henry had three double-doubles in her last five games with a season high of 21 points and 10 rebounds against Saint Peter’s earlier in the month.
In a slow start for both teams, Siena frustrated Marist in a man-to-man defense, forcing nine turnovers in the first half. The Saints also exploited the Red Foxes for 13 second-chance points in the first half.
At halftime, Marist trailed by seven, with a hope of a momentum shift, as both Tarul and Henry started to get hot in the second quarter.
Henry made her presence known everywhere on the floor, from mid-range jumpers to using her body and finding points in the inside. Half the energy Marist seemed to be building started to disappear.
Siena had the lanes locked down, forcing the Red Foxes to play from the outside with no room to take the ball to the basket.
In Schiro’s absence, junior guard Genevive Wedemeyer has stepped up big for Siena. Wedemeyer has become a facilitator for the Saints, not leading the score but creating the opportunities that lead to her teammates getting on the board.
With Siena once just a seven-point lead over Marist, quickly turned into 16 point lead, as the Saints went on an 11-2 run in the third quarter.
Out of the third quarter media timeout, Marist began to full-court press, which sparked a defense intensity at the perfect time. On offense The Red Foxes struggled to find the best available shot, shooting just 3-for-9 in the quarter, with all points coming from Tarul and Henry.
Tarul recorded seven of her nine points in the third quarter. Despite Tarul’s efforts, Siena answered on offense, keeping a double-digit lead, with the scoreboard reading 51-37 in favor of the Saints heading into the final minutes of play.
Ultimately, rebounding became the catalyst in the Saints’ win, outrebounding Marist 21-to-50. Siena shot just 37.1% to Marist’s 40% from the field. The Saints outshot Marist by 12 attempts.
Tarul continued her hot streak into the fourth, almost single-handedly keeping the Red Foxes in the game. Tarul knocked down threes with defensive hands in her face while Marist struggled where they usually shine. Shooting 13-for-20 from the free-throw line and 4-for-14 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Saints were near perfect at the line, shooting 17-for-18.
Able to bring the game back within single digits in the final three minutes, Siena remained in control.
In a turnover-heavy game, the Saints turned Marist’s mistakes into 22 points, four more than Marist managed, helping the momentum off the offensive glass.
The loss ends the Red Foxes regular season play as the team heads to Atlantic City next week for the MAAC Tournament. Marist has locked in the nine seed and will face off against Manhattan on Thursday, March 5, at noon for the first round of the postseason.
Edited by Ben Leeds
Photo and Graphic by Quinn DiFiore
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