Feb. 4, 2011
Box Score | Video: Post-Game Press Conference
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Marist women's basketball team defeated Niagara 61-35 in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) game on Friday night before a sellout crowd of 3,200 at the McCann Center on Pack The House Night. The Red Foxes are still the only school in the nation to sell out the event in each of the four years the NCAA-sponsored initiative has been in existence. The win also marked Marist's 20th of the season and 16th in a row. It is the eighth straight season the Red Foxes have eclipsed 20 wins.
Senior guard Erica Allenspach (Miamisburg, Ohio) packed the Marist offense with 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field. She added five rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot. Classmate Élise Caron (Quebec, Canada) contributed eight points and three assists, while junior guard Corielle Yarde (Reading, Pa.) and freshmen Leanne Ockenden (Syracuse, N.Y.) and Casey Dulin (Milford, Conn.) had seven points apiece.
After Marist (20-2, 11-0 MAAC) scored the first five points of the game on a triple by Caron and a layup by Oliver, the teams traded baskets until the score was 9-6 in favor of the Red Foxes with 13:08 to play in the opening half.
From there, Marist went on an 11-0 run over the next 2:13 to take a 20-6 advantage with 10:09 to go in the stanza. During the spurt Marist got a triple from Allenspach, a pair of free throws from Caron and a layup from Emma O'Connor (Lynbrook, N.Y.). O'Connor's second field goal forced a Niagara timeout which put a stop to the run. She finished the game with four points.
Jessica Flamm scored consecutive baskets for Niagara (1-21, 0-11 MAAC) to get the Purple Eagles as close as eight, 20-12, with 6:14 to play in the frame. Oliver hit the last shot of the half for both teams with 4:45 to go. The score at halftime was 25-14 in favor of Marist.
In the second half, the Red Foxes used an 11-0 run over a span of 2:31 to take a 25-point lead. Allenspach scored six points during the stretch, while Ockenden hit a field goal from distance and Yarde netted a layup to open the stretch.
Dulin grew the lead to as large as 32, 61-29 with 2:40 to play after she completed a three-point play.
The Red Foxes shot 41.4 percent (24-for-58) from the field and 50 percent (14-for-28) in the second half. Marist scored 34 of its 61 points in the paint and 25 tallies came from reserves. The Red Foxes led from start to finish in the game.
Marist returns to the road for its next two games beginning on Sunday, Feb. 6. The Red Foxes will travel to Bridgeport, Conn. for a MAAC battle with Fairfield. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard.
Notes: Marist is the only school in the country to sell out all four of its Pack The House Challenge games... The Red Foxes have held the opposition under 60 points for each of the last 10 games, all conference contests... Marist is 159-13 when it holds the opposition under 60 points under Brian Giorgis... The 16-game winning streak remains the second longest in the country... It also equals the second longest winning streak in program history, set in the 2004-05 season... The Red Foxes have held their opponents under 45 points in each of the last three games... Marist is 17-11 all-time against Niagara and 11-3 all-time in Poughkeepsie ... Giorgis is 17-4 all-time against Niagara.
