POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Marist women's basketball team had another strong defensive effort, claiming a 69-55 victory over visiting Iona Sunday afternoon in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) game at McCann Arena. The game was a matchup of the final two unbeaten teams in the conference.
Emma O'Connor (Lynbrook, N.Y.) led the offensive attack with 16 points, leading four players in double figures. Casey Dulin (Milford, Conn.) had 13 points and a game-high seven rebounds while Elizabeth Beynnon (Burlington, Vt.) and Kristine Best (Commack, N.Y.) each added 12 points, a season-high for best. Leanne Ockenden (Syracuse, N.Y.) led the defense with five steals, tying her personal best in that category, while also adding a block. In all, the Red Foxes had a season-high 15 steals while forcing 25 Iona turnovers.
Marist (9-6, 4-0 MAAC) started the game on a 9-0 run over the first 6:27, forcing seven Iona (8-7, 3-1 MAAC) turnovers in that stretch, including three on the first three Gaels' possessions. O'Connor scored the first five points for the Red Foxes, hitting layups on their first two possessions, the latter being a three-point play. Layups by Beynnon and Best completed the run.
Iona eventually closed to within four points at 15-11 with 9:44 left, but Marist answered with a quick 6-0 run, in just 58 seconds. Best started the streak with a pull-up jumper and Sydney Coffey (New Hope, Minn.) hit a layup in traffic. Kristina Danella (Manalapan, N.J.) finished the run with a pair of free throws.
Marist took a 30-18 lead into the locker rooms at halftime, holding Iona without a field goal for the final 3:41 of the period. At the midway point, Ockenden already had four of her steals and the Red Foxes had forced 16 Gaels' turnovers.
The Red Foxes extended their lead to 17 with a 7-2 run over the first 1:39 of the second half. O'Connor hit a three-pointer right out of the gates on the first possession. Dulin then followed with two driving layups, sandwiched around an Iona bucket.
The lead eventually stretched to 23 at 49-26 with 14:22 left on the back of another run, this one seeing Marist scored 10 out of 12 points and eight in a row. Beynnon started the run with a layup, the first of her 10 points in the second half. Following an Iona basket, Best hit a three-pointer and Dulin converted a three-point play. O'Connor sealed with run with a pair of free throws.
The Gaels cut the lead to 11 at 52-41 with 9:55 left to play, but Beynnon and O'Connor combined for a 6-1 run to extend the lead back to 16 at 58-42 with 6:32 remaining.
Marist hits the road for three straight games away from McCann Arena. The team makes the annual trip to Buffalo next weekend to take on Canisius and Niagara. Tip-off with the Golden Griffins is set for 7 p.m. on Friday night and the matchup with the Purple Eagles will be Sunday at 2 p.m.
Notes - Marist has now won 27 straight games over Iona and Head Coach Brian Giorgis is a perfect 25-0 against the Gaels... The Red Foxes also extended their home winning streak in the MAAC to 32 consecutive games.
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