BRIDGEPORT, CONN. - Corielle Yarde (Reading, Pa.) scored a game-high 24 points and the Marist women's basketball team used a 10-2 run late in the first half to remain perfect in the league and hand Fairfield their first loss in conference play 59-47 in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) game Thursday night.
With the score tied at 19 at the 7:53 mark of the first half following a Fairfield jumper, the Red Foxes' (10-6, 5-0 MAAC) defense locked down and did not allow a Stags' (11-5, 4-1 MAAC) field goal for the rest of the half. Meanwhile, Natalie Gomez (Andover, Mass.) made one of two free throws, Brandy Gang (Hartville, Ohio) hit a three-pointer, Yarde converted a pair of layups and Leanne Ockenden (Syracuse, N.Y) hit a lay-in off of a Kelsey Beynnon (Burlington, Vt.) feed.
Ockenden finished with 13 points and Casey Dulin (Milford, Conn.) was also in double figures with 10 points. Beynnon tied career-highs with three assists and six rebounds which tied Yarde for team-high honors. The Red Foxes shot 44% (24-55) from the floor and only committed eight turnovers while the defense forced Fairfield into 14 turnovers and only 34% shooting.
After Dulin scored on the opening possession of the game, the Stags responded with a 10-0 run to take an eight point advantage just four minutes into the game.
The Red Foxes would answer with a run of their own, scoring 10 of the next 12 points to tie the score at 12. On three consecutive possessions, Ockenden made two layups, on assists from Beynnon and Yarde, which surrounded a three-pointer from Yarde. Another trey from Yarde ended the run with the score knotted with 13:29 remaining in the half.
Marist went into the half leading 29-21 and Yarde led all scorers with 14 points after the opening period and had a team-high with four rebounds. Gang had six points on a pair of three-pointers and Ockenden also added six points, all coming in the paint.
At the beginning of the second half, the Stags scored the first four points to cut the Red Foxes' lead to 29-25 before Yarde answered with her third three-pointer of the game to extend the lead back to seven.
With the lead at six at 38-32 with 10:26 left to play, Emma O'Connor (Lynbrook, N.Y.) came up with a steal on the defensive end and fed Yarde who blew past a couple of defenders for an easy bucket. O'Connor then found streaking teammates on consecutive possessions, hitting Dulin and Ockenden for easy baskets to give Marist a 10-point lead at 44-34.
Still leading by 10 at 50-40, Ockenden took a pass from Beynnon and hit a long three-pointer to give the Red Foxes their biggest lead of the game at 53-40 with just over four minutes left to play.
The Red Foxes return to McCann Arena for the next four games beginning with a 2 p.m. matchup with Niagara on Sunday. They then play Rider on Wednesday and Loyola on Friday. The Loyola game will be televised on ESPNU and is the first game of a doubleheader with the men's team.
Notes - Marist has now won 29 straight MAAC games... The Red Foxes are 21-15 all-time against Fairfield and Head Coach Brian Giorgis is 18-3 in his career against the Stags.
