Nov. 16, 2008
Final Stats |
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POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Marist women's basketball team opened the 2008-09 season at the McCann Center Sunday afternoon with a 74-56 win over Albany. Senior guard Julianne Viani (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) set a new career-high with 26 points, going 10-for-13 from the field including making 5-of-7 three pointers. With the win, head coach Brian Giorgis ties Ken Babineau as Marist's all-time leader in wins.
Junior forward Rachele Fitz (Seven Hills, Ohio) added 23 points and a team-high seven rebounds, going 10-for-14 from the field. Sophomore center Maria Laterza (Brooklyn, N.Y.) made her first career start on Sunday and scored a career-high eight points and had four rebounds and two blocks.
Marist (1-0) jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first 2:02 of the game, highlighted by consecutive jumpers from Laterza and Viani. The Great Danes closed to the gap to two, 11-9, with 14:22 left in the first half on a 7-2 run sparked by a Charity Iromuanya three-pointer. A Fitz jumper in the lane put the Red Foxes ahead by four, 13-9, and Marist kept the momentum rolling. Marist went on an 11-0 run capped off by a Laterza layup to go ahead 20-9 with 12:00 left in the half. The Red Foxes grew the lead to 14 with 6:56 left in the half on Viani's first three of the game, making the score 26-14. Marist ended the half with back-to-back three-pointers from Viani and Erica Allenspach (Miamisburg, Ohio) to go ahead 39-21.
The Red Foxes extended their halftime lead to 20 in the second half as Fitz scored seven straight points to put Marist ahead 48-28 with 15:59 left in the game. Marist had its largest lead of the game at 23 when Viani turned a steal into a fast break layup to put the home team ahead 54-31 with 13:53 to go. Albany (0-2), however, would not back down. The Great Danes went on a 12-0 run over the next 4:35 to cut the deficit to 11, 54-43, with 9:18 to go. Marist was just too much for Albany on this afternoon. The Red Foxes shot 50% from the field in the second half and got the lead back up to 21, 70-49, with 2:55 to go.
The Red Foxes shot 54.5% from the field in the game, holding Albany to a 36.1% clip. Marist held a slight 34-33 edge in rebounds. Janea Aiken and Tiffanie Johnson each had eleven points to lead Albany, with Kim Clements adding 10 points off the bench.
Marist will start a four-game road trip on Friday, November 21 with a 7 p.m. game at Northeastern.
