Jan. 24, 2011
Box Score
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Marist women's basketball team saw its 20-point halftime lead cut to as little as seven late in the second half, but the Red Foxes were able to hold off the second-place Loyola Greyhounds in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) contest at the McCann Center Monday night. Marist (17-2, 8-0 MAAC) was paced by a game-high 22 points from senior guard Erica Allenspach (Miamisburg, Ohio). She shot 9-for-10 from the floor and made both of her three pointers.
In addition to her nearly flawless shooting day, Allenspach added six rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal in 37 minutes of action. She was joined in double figures by junior guard Kate Oliver (Sydney, Australia) made four field goals including a three pointer. She scored nine points.
With the teams deadlocked at seven with 16:08 to play in the first half, Marist used a 13-1 run over a span of 4:20 to take a 20-8 lead. The run was sparked by an Oliver jumper and was capped on a layup by Allenspach. She scored 15 points in the first half. During the spurt the Red Foxes held the Greyhounds without a field goal for 7:57.
Marist closed the half on a 9-0 run in the final 5:48 of the period. Senior Maria Laterza (Brooklyn, N.Y.) grew the lead to 20 points, 35-15, on a hook shot from the right baseline with 1:04 left in the period. Loyola went without a field goal for the final 6:07 of the half.
The Red Foxes held a 14-4 advantage in the paint and scored 13 points off 10 Loyola turnovers.
Miriam McKenzie scored the first three points of the second half for Loyola in 36 seconds to cut the Greyhounds' deficit to 35-18. After Marist pushed the lead to 21, 48-27, its largest lead of the game on an Allenspach jump shot with 10:22 left, Loyola answered with a 9-3 run to get to within 15 points, 51-36 with 7:16 remaining.
During the Loyola run Yarde was the only scorer for Marist. She hit a triple. Erica DiClemente had the first five points of the run for Loyola. Katie Sheahin and Alyssa Sutherland each had baskets for the Greyhounds.
The Red Foxes pushed the lead back to 17 points, but Loyola continued to answer. The Greyhounds used a 10-2 run over 2:35 to get as close as seven points with 1:57 remaining. A McKenzie three-point play made the score 56-49, but the Greyhounds would draw no closer.
In the final 1:33 of the game, Marist hit six free throws to seal the victory and garner its closest MAAC win of the season, a 10-point margin.
The Red Foxes shot an even 40 percent from the field in the game and made 22 of 55 field goals. Loyola shot 35.7 percent (20-for-56) from the field, a percentage which was bolstered in the second half behind 14-for-27 shooting in the stanza. Marist held the edge on the glass 40-37 and dished out 10 assists behind a team-high four from Élise Caron (Quebec, Canada).
Loyola, who was led by a double-double from McKenzie scored a team-high 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. She was joined in double figures by DiClemente who netted 13 points.
Winners of their last 13 games, the Red Foxes return to the hardwood on Friday, Jan. 28. Marist takes to the road for a 7 p.m. tip-off at Rider in Lawrenceville, N.J.
Notes: The 13-game win streak equals the longest winning streak from last season... It equals the fourth longest winning streak in program history... Allenspach led the team in scoring for the eighth time this season and third time in the last four games... Her 37 minutes was a season-high... For the fifth time in eight games, the Red Foxes have held their opponents to 20 points or fewer in the first half... Marist leads the all-time series with Loyola 27-12... The Red Foxes have defeated the Greyhounds in the last nine meetings... Marist has a record of 13-5 against Loyola at the McCann Center.
