Trailing by six with a minute to play, Marist women’s basketball was once again on the cusp of a remarkable fourth-quarter comeback.
A ridiculous and-one layup from junior guard Kasey Bretones kissed the top of the backboard before falling through, cutting the deficit to just three points.
Marist had no reason to foul with 38 seconds remaining and settled in for a crucial defensive possession.
The Highlanders found the last player the Red Foxes wanted; junior guard Piper Engelby, wide open in the right corner, in the midst of a career game – five threes and 16 points — but her shot rattled out.
NJIT reeled in a back-breaking offensive rebound, their seventh of the night, and forced Marist to foul. Senior guard Marissa Gingrich split her attempts.
Marist head coach Erin Doughty burned her last timeout. For the second straight game, one of her players needed to step up and deliver a clutch shot.
NJIT was all over it defensively, sending the Red Foxes into scramble mode. Junior guard Chloe Escanillas couldn’t find an opening, handing the grenade to senior forward Karly Fischer with less than two seconds to play. Her side-step three didn’t even reach the rim.
The Highlanders (3-0) spoiled Marist’s (0-3) home opener with a 67-63 victory, their third straight, off an incredible shooting effort.
Engelby and Gingrich spearheaded NJIT’s offense from beyond the arc. The two shot a combined 10-of-18 from deep, each knocking down five.
Gingrich continues her red-hot start to the season, equaling her season average with 18 points. Engelby put together the best game of her collegiate career; it took her 47 games to reach five threes before tonight, and she entered averaging 2.5 points per game for the season.
Eerily similar to their loss on Thursday to Bryant, the Red Foxes turned a tied game at halftime into a 13-point deficit by the end of the third period. After their loss on Sunday night, they are now being outscored 66-35 in the third quarter.
“We felt we’ve let two winnable games slip away this week with our third-quarter performances,” said Doughty. “That was my message to them — we have to figure out our third quarter.”
Sophomore forward Justine Henry remains the focal point of the Marist offense; after a career- high 22 points three nights ago, the budding star recorded her first double-double of the season. Despite a poor 4-of-14 mark from the field, Henry stayed aggressive all night, knocking down a career-high nine free throws en route to 18 points, while pulling down a game-high and career-high 13 rebounds.
“The last two games, she’s really come into her own,” said Doughty. “She needs to be steady and consistent…she’s at the top of the scouting report.”
Overall, Marist won the rebounding battle 40-32, their first time doing so this season. Doughty emphasized her team’s presence on the glass as one of the key areas of improvement heading into this season, and Marist’s 11 offensive rebounds in this one is encouraging.
However, a poor passing performance marked Marist’s third consecutive game with a negative assist-to-turnover ratio. With a season-high 16 turnovers against the Highlanders and only three made threes, Doughty knows her half-court offense is not flowing how she wants it to.
“We’re not built to only take 14 threes,” said Doughty. “We need to be attempting more threes than that and knocking down more threes than that. If we’re able to do that, we’ll open up the floor.”
Bretones has stepped into the role of the floor general for Marist, amassing a team-high 16 assists for Marist through three games, while no other player on the roster has reached five. Her do-it-all attitude was on display during Marist’s late surge, as she was the only other Red Fox who scored double figures, and she battled for a career-high eight rebounds.
“Last year, we had Jackie [Piddock], who was tremendous,” said Bretones. “We needed a leader on the team, and I just wanted to try and step up as best as I can. I love getting my teammates involved, I’d rather them make the basket than score a bunch of points.”
Marist will look to shake off this loss in Pittsburgh this Wednesday against Duquesne. Tip is set for 6 p.m.
Edited by Ryan Eichem
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
Photo by Michael O’Neil
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