Nov. 27, 2008
Box Score
NORMAN, OKLA. - The Marist women's basketball team suffered its first loss of the 2008-09 season on Wednesday night, falling 83-57 to #4 Oklahoma at the Lloyd Noble Center. Junior forward Rachele Fitz (Seven Hills, Ohio) led the Red Foxes with 17 points, and in doing so became Marist's fourth all-time leading scorer with 1,263 points.
Fitz was 6-of-13 from the field and made all five of her free throws. Erica Allenspach (Miamisburg, Ohio) added ten points on 4-of-6 field goals. Senior guard Julianne Viani (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) made all six of her free throws on her way to eight points and a team-high six assists. Maria Laterza (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tied her career-high with six rebounds.
Oklahoma (4-1) scored the first two points of the game on a Courtney Paris putback which was followed by a Danielle Robinson jumper. Marist got its first points of the game at the 17:54 mark on a pair of Viani free throws. The Sooners then went on a 13-0 run sparked by five straight points from Whitney Hand to go ahead 17-2 with 14:49 left in the first half. The Red Foxes scored their first field goal of the game on a Fitz layup with 13:50 to go in the half. Marist got to within 10, 19-9, with 11:42 left on a Lynzee Johnson (Bellbrook, Ohio) three-pointer. The two teams traded baskets with Marist making the score 25-15 on an Emily Stallings (Newburgh, N.Y.) jumper.
The Sooners then went on another run. This time Oklahoma scored 10 straight points to go ahead 37-15 with 5:07 left in the first half. After a Fitz jumper, Paris put in a layup to make the score 39-17 with 1:34 left in the half. Oklahoma added four more points to have a 43-17 advantage at halftime.
Marist (3-1) opened the second half on a 5-2 run helped by an Allenspach three-point play to get within 23, 45-22, with 17:46 left in the game. Oklahoma took their largest lead of the game with 12:44 left when Carlee Roethlisberger hit a three-pointer to put the Sooners ahead 60-29. The Red Foxes went on a 10-0 run sparked by a Brandy Gang (Hartville, Ohio) jumper to get within 19, 65-46, with 6:07 left in the game. Although Marist tied Oklahoma with 40 points in the half, this was as close as the Red Foxes would get.
The Red Foxes were held to 35.8% shooting from the field, while Oklahoma shot 50.8% from the floor. The Sooners outrebounded Marist 44-26 and forced 19 turnovers. Marist was 15-of-16 at the free throw line as Oklahoma was 12-of-16. Whitney Hand was one of four Sooners in double-figures with a game-high 20 points. Danielle Robinson had 17 points and eight assists, while Ashley Paris had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Marist concludes its four-game road trip on Friday night at Tulsa. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.
