March 1, 2008
Final Stats
Press Conference Video
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Marist women's basketball team made history on Saturday night, becoming the first team in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to go 18-0 since the league expanded to 10 teams in 1997 with a 71-58 over Saint Peter's at the McCann Center. Seniors Meg Dahlman (Spencerport, N.Y.), Nikki Flores (Montvale, N.J.), Sarah Smrdel (Mentor, Ohio), and Alexis Waters (Lansing, Mich.) were honored before the game, then helped the Red Foxes make history with the 13-point win.
Dahlman and Flores each scored 17 points to lead Marist to their 28th win of the season. Dahlman was perfect from the field, making all four of her shots and going 7-for-8 at the free throw line. Flores was 6-of-14 from the field and had a game-high five assists with only one turnover. Sophomore forward Rachele Fitz (Seven Hills, Ohio) scored in double-figures for the 29th straight game, with 16 points off the bench as Lynzee Johnson (Bellbrook, Ohio) scored 12 points and pulled down a game-high seven rebounds.
Marist started the game with four straight points from Dahlman, but Saint Peter's answered with baskets from Charlene Riddick and Johnell Burts to tie the game. The two teams would trade the lead six times in the first half and have seven ties. The Red Foxes got the lead to four, 13-9, with a pair of Fitz jumpers but the Peahens would answer back with six straight points to take a 15-13 lead with 8:19 to go in the half. Dahlman would take the lead right back for Marist, knocking down her first three-pointer to make the score 16-15.
With the score tied at 17-17 with 3:44 to go in the first half, the Red Foxes and Peahens traded three-pointers to end the half. Johnson and Flores connected from beyond the arc for Marist as Tania Kennedy hit two threes for Saint Peter's to tie the score at 23-23 going into halftime.
Marist and Saint Peter's traded baskets to start the second half, playing to a 36-36 tie with 12:17 to go when Kennedy connected on another triple for the Peahens. Dahlman answered with her second three of the game to give the Red Foxes a 39-36 lead with 11:44 to go. Marist would finally start to pull away with 6:39 to go in the game. After Burts made a pair of free throws, the Red Foxes went on an 18-3 run powered by six points from Johnson and four points each from Flores and Fitz to take a 68-53 lead with 1:36 to go, sealing the undefeated conference season.
The Red Foxes moved to 28-2 with the win. Marist shot 47.1% from the field in the game, including a 61.5% mark in the second half. They also shot 50% from the three-point arc going 7-of-14. Marist held a 36-29 rebounding edge and scored 16 second-chance points off of 12 offensive rebounds.
Saint Peter's (18-11, 10-8 MAAC) shot 35.8% from the field in the game. The Peahens forced 12 Marist turnovers while only committing seven. Tania Kennedy led all scorers with 18 points, as Johnell Burts scored 16. Lauma Reke added 10 points and a team-high six rebounds.
Marist now heads to Albany, N.Y., site of the 2008 Citizens Bank MAAC Women's Basketball Championships as the top seed. The Red Foxes will open play at the Times Union Center on Friday, March 7 when they take on the winner of the first round game between Niagara and Canisius at 1:30 p.m.
