March 6, 2010
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ALBANY, N.Y. - Led by double-doubles from Rachele Fitz (Seven Hills, Ohio) and Corielle Yarde (Leesport, Pa.), the Marist women's basketball team advanced to the title game of the 2010 Citizens Bank Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Basketball Championship on Saturday with a 69-47 win over Niagara in the semifinals at the Times Union Center in Albany. Fitz led all scorers with 25 points and 12 rebounds, with Yarde putting up 12 points and 10 rebounds. Marist will take on Fairfield in the championship game Sunday.
Kate Oliver (Sydney, Australia) had nine points and two rebounds. Elise Caron (Quebec, Canada) had a season-high eight points off the bench. Erica Allenspach (Miamisburg, Ohio) scored seven points and pulled down six rebounds.
Marist (24-7) opened the game on a 7-2 run, getting baskets from Best, Fitz, and a three by Allenspach over the first 4:06. The lead grew to eight when Fitz scored the Red Foxes' next five points, including a three-point play, to put Marist up 12-4 at the 13:39 mark of the opening half. A Rachele Folino basket at the 12:22 mark sparked a 10-2 run for Niagara (13-18), with a Jessica Flamm layup tying the game 14-14 with 9:41 to go in the half.
The Red Foxes took the lead back with a 6-0 run over the next 1:55. Baskets by Fitz, Yarde, and Oliver put Marist ahead 20-14 with 7:38 to go in the half. After Jaclyn Konieczka made a three to put Niagara within three, the Red Foxes got four straight points from Fitz to make the score 24-17 with 5:32 left in the first. Liz Flooks got the Purple Eagles within five with 4:29 to go in the half, with her put-back layup making the score 24-19. Marist then ended the half on a 6-2 run, getting two layups from Fitz and a pair of Caron free throws to take a 30-21 halftime lead. Fitz ended the half with 17 points and eight rebounds, going 7-for-12 from the field.
Niagara scored the first two points of the second half on a Rachele Folino layup, but Marist responded with the next seven. Baskets by Fitz, Allenspach, and a Yarde three-point play helped put the Red Foxes ahead 37-23 with 17:36 to go in the game. The lead grew to 16, 39-23, at the 16:56 mark on a Yarde baseline jumper. Niagara would not go away quietly. A Meghan Waterman three-pointer kickstarted a 9-0 run for the Purple Eagles, as a Kayla Stroman runner in the lane made the score 39-32 with 13:12 left in the game.
Marist put the lead back in double-digits with 10:20 remaining in the second half as an Oliver jumper capped a 6-0 run that put the Red Foxes ahead 45-32. Niagara then went on a 7-2 run, highlighted by another Waterman triple, to get within eight 47-39 with 8:23 to go in the game. The Red Foxes then got a three from Yarde to go ahead 50-39 with 8:09 remaining. Marist then went up by 14 with 4:40 to go on an Oliver triple that made the score 59-45. That three-pointer sparked a 10-2 run for Marist to end the game, as Fitz, Caron, Maria Laterza (Brooklyn, N.Y.) each scored two points in the run to make the final score 69-47.
The Red Foxes shot 43.1% from the field in the game, and 76.2% from the free throw line. Niagara was held to 31.3% from the field. Marist also outrebounded the Purple Eagles 43-41 and committed only eight turnovers. Konieczka led Niagara with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Folino had 11 points and nine boards.
Marist advances to its seventh consecutive MAAC Tournament championship game, to be played Sunday at 12 p.m. The game will be televised on MSG and can be heard on GoRedFoxes.com. The Red Foxes will take on the Fairfield Stags, which defeated Iona 61-57 in the first semifinal.
