Feb. 25, 2011
Box Score
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. - The #21/21 Marist women's basketball team clinched its seventh straight outright Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Regular Season Title on Friday night following a 64-48 victory over the host Siena Saints. With the win, the Red Foxes tied the program record with 22 straight wins and completed the road portion of their schedule undefeated, a perfect 12-0. In the game, senior guard Erica Allenspach (Miamisburg, Ohio) scored 20 points and shot 6-for-8 from beyond the arc.
Junior guard Kate Oliver (Sydney, Australia) and senior Élise Caron (Quebec, Canada) scored 10 points apiece. Yarde had six assists and Oliver had five blocks and a steal.
The game began in a back-and-forth fashion as the lead changed four times in the first 4:13. Marist (26-2, 17-0 MAAC) claimed the lead for good at the 15:47 mark on the second Oliver jumper of the half. The score became 11-9 following the basket.
At the 11:17 mark, the Red Foxes began a 17-3 run over a span of 5:30. During the spurt, Allenspach hit two of her four first half threes and junior Brandy Gang (Hartville, Ohio) and classmate Corielle Yarde (Reading, Pa.) each hit a pair of foul shots. Caron capped the run at the 4:47 mark with a jumper that made the score 31-16.
Yarde grew the lead to as many as 18 points, 37-19 on a triple with 1:51 to play in the stanza. However, the Saints scored six of the last eight points in the first half to make the halftime score 39-24.
The Red Foxes scored the first seven points of the second half and pushed the lead to 22 points on an Oliver jumper, an Allenspach triple and a Yarde layup.
Siena (12-15, 10-7 MAAC) used a 9-2 run to get as close as 13 points, 54-41, with 7:44 to play in the game. The Saints got the deficit back to 13 points, 58-45, with 2:45 to go following a pair of Cristina Centeno free throws.
Marist shot 22-for-52 (42.3 percent) from the field in the game and made eight three-pointers. Additionally, the Red Foxes shot a flawless 12-for-12 from the charity stripe.
The win marked the first time that Marist went undefeated on the road during the regular season under head coach Brian Giorgis.
Marist will conclude the regular season on Sunday, Feb. 27 when it hosts Fairfield at 2 p.m. at the McCann Center. Prior to the game, Marist will recognize the program's seniors with a special pregame ceremony.
For ticket information call the Marist ticket office at 845-575-3553 or visit http://goredfoxes.cstv.com/tickets/mari-tickets-w-baskbl.html.
Notes: The Red Foxes clinched their seventh straight outright MAAC Regular Season Title with the win... Marist will be the top seed in the MAAC Tournament for the seventh straight year... For the first time under coach Giorgis Marist went undefeated in true road games, a perfect 12-0... Allenspach's hit six three-pointers which ranks tied for sixth on Marist's single-game list... Her 6-for-8 performance from distance ranks tied for seventh on the single-game list in three-point field goal percentage... It was the second straight game and third time in the last four Oliver had at least four blocks. She had five on Friday night... Marist has won the last 14 meetings between the Red Foxes and Saints... Giorgis is 14-8 all-time against Siena.
