HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - Corielle Yarde (Reading, Pa.) scored a game-high 21 points and the Marist women's basketball team shot 47% from the floor as the Red Foxes ended a two game losing streak with a 69-61 win over Auburn in the New York Life Holiday Invitational, presented by Hofstra. It was Marist's first ever win in 10 tries over a school for the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
Yarde also tied a career-high with nine assists and had five rebounds, four of which came on the offensive glass. Brandy Gang (Hartville, Ohio) finished with 15 points, including 13 in the first half, and tied for game-high honors with seven rebounds. Kelsey Beynnon (Burlington, Vt.) also finished in double figures with 11 points. Casey Dulin (Milford, Conn.) made her second consecutive start at the point guard position and had eight points and more than doubled her career-high with seven assists.
"Today was a very good team effort for us," head coach Brian Giorgis said. "Our girls played very well as a unit and that is what it is going to take for us to win games this year. It was great to get the first win in school history over an SEC opponent by beating a good Auburn team."
A three-pointer by Beynnon got the scoring started for Marist (5-4) in the first half as the two teams played even basketball for the first six and a half minutes. After Auburn (6-4) took the lead with a field goal, Yarde went on a personal 8-0 run to give the Red Foxes a 17-11 lead with 10:44 left in the opening period. A three-pointer, layup and three-point play was all Yarde needed to give Marist the lead for good.
Marist maintained the lead the rest of the half, trading baskets with the Tigers the entire way. In the final minute, strong defense by the Red Foxes did not allow Auburn to get a good look at the basket and Dulin and Gang both hit a layup to give Marist a nine-point lead going into the break at 34-25.
Gang led the Red Foxes with 13 points in the first half and Yarde joined her in double figures with 10 points. As a team, Marist shot 50% from the floor (15-30) and outrebounded Auburn by a 21-11 margin, including seven offensive boards.
The good play continued in the second half as the Red Foxes kept a lead of at least 10 points for the majority of the half. After the Tigers cut the lead to seven at 46-39 with 13:37 left to play, Marist used a 10-2 run over a three and a half minutes span to gain their largest advantage of the game at 56-41. The streak was fueled by back-to-back three pointers by Yarde and Leanne Ockenden (Syracuse, N.Y.), an Emma O'Connor layup and a short jumper by Beynnon.
Auburn picked up their defense, switching to a full-court press, and was able to cut the Red Fox lead to eight at 63-55 with 1:47 left. Yarde came through in clutch however, going 6-6 from the free-throw line over the final two minutes to help hold off any hopes the Tigers had of a comeback.
The Red Foxes will play for the holiday tournament championship on Thursday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. against tournament-host Hofstra. The Pride defeated Central Connecticut State on Wednesday by a score of 67-60. Marist will return to McCann Arena to close out the non-conference portion of their schedule as they host Kansas State on Thursday, Dec. 29.
Notes - Every Red Fox who got into the game registered at least one field goal... Marist had 22 assists on 27 made field goals... Wednesday was the first win by a Marist team over an SEC opponent. The Red Foxes are now 1-9 all-time versus the SEC. The last three of those losses came in the NCAA Tournament against Georgia (2006), Tennessee (2007) and LSU (2008)... Marist was looking to avoid their first three-game losing streak since opening the 2005-06 season with four straight defeats. Two of those losses were to ranked opponents.
