Jan. 11, 2008

Final Stats

BALTIMORE, MD. - In a game that saw eight ties and 14 lead changes, Rachele Fitz's (Seven Hills, Ohio) two free-throws with 3.7 seconds left put Marist ahead for good, giving the Red Foxes a 61-59 win at Reitz Arena Friday night. The sophomore closed the game with 21 points and seven rebounds. With the win, Marist moved to 4-0 in MAAC play and 14-2 overall.

Julianne Viani (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) scored 11 points, hitting a big three-pointer with 29 seconds left to tie the game at 59-59. She also had a team-high five assists. Meg Dahlman (Spencerport, N.Y.) became the 14th player in Marist history to score 1,000 points. Needing two to reach the mark, the senior had a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards.

Marist started the game with a quick 3-0 lead, with Loyola answering with the next four points. A Sarah Smrdel (Mentor, Ohio) three and Fitz layup would give the Red Foxes their largest lead of the half, 8-4, 6:35 into the game. The Greyhounds would take the momentum afterwards, going on a 14-4 run highlighted by three-pointers from Vika Sholokhova and Candace Walker to take an 18-12 lead with 7:59 to go in the first half. Loyola's lead would get as large as seven, as Sholokhova would put in three more of her 17 first-half points to put the Greyhounds ahead 21-14. The Red Foxes would come back to tie the game at 21-21, with Dahlman scoring her 1,000th point during the stretch. Once again, Loyola would take control, scoring nine of the last 13 points in the half to take a 30-25 lead into the locker room.

The two teams would trade baskets to start the second half, but Marist would come away with a 35-34 lead on a Dahlman layup with 15:20 to go in the game. Afterwards, Marist and Loyola would trade the lead seven times and tie three times, making the score 46-46 with 9:50 to go. During that 5:30 span, the teams combined for five threes. Walker made two for Loyola, with Viani, Erica Allenspach (Miamisburg, Ohio), and Lynzee Johnson (Bellbrook, Ohio) connecting from distance for Marist.

With the game tied at 46-46, Marist would go on a 7-2 run powered by a Fitz three-point play and four consecutive free-throws from Johnson to take a 53-48 lead with 6:41 to go. Baskets by Siobhan Prior and Tynisha Davis would get Loyola with one with 6:15 to go. After Dahlman put the Red Foxes back up three, 55-52, with 4:55 left, Walker hit a deep three with the shot clock expiring to tie the game at 55-55. With 3:56 to go, Allenspach split a pair at the free throw line to give Marist a 56-55 lead.

After both teams came up empty on their next possessions, Walker put the Greyhounds ahead 57-56 with a free-throw line jumper. Fitz would try to answer on Marist's next possession, but her jumper would not fall, opening the door for Sholokhova to put Loyola ahead three, 59-56, with 43 seconds to go in the game. The Red Foxes would answer on their next possession, as Fitz setup Viani for a three to tie the game at 59-59 with 29 seconds left. Sholokhova would have a chance to give the Greyhounds a chance to take the lead one more time, but she couldn't connect on her layup and then fouled Fitz with 3.7 seconds remaining. Loyola head coach Joe Logan would use his last two timeouts to ice Fitz, but to no avail. With Marist in the double bonus, Fitz hit both free throws to give Marist the 61-59 lead. Fitz would get it done on defense to end the game, picking off Meghan Wood's inbounds pass to ensure the victory for the Red Foxes.

Marist shot 37% from the field in the game and 38.5% from behind the three-point line. The Red Foxes were 16-of-20 from the free throw line, with Loyola only going 5-of-7 from the line. Marist also took care of the basketball, turning it over only eight times in the game and forcing 13 Greyhounds turnovers. They also dominated the paint, outscoring Loyola 28-18 in the lane.

Loyola (7-7, 2-2 MAAC) shot 40.7% from the field and held a 40-31 rebounding edge. Vika Sholokhova led the Greyhounds with 22 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, with Walker adding 16 points, six assists, and four rebounds.

Marist will continue their current weekend road swing Sunday afternoon at Manhattan. Tipoff at Draddy Gymnasium is scheduled for 2 p.m.