ALBANY, New York – The second-seeded Marist women's basketball team defeated third-seeded Siena, 67-51, in the semifinal round of the 2018 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championship at the Times Union Center on Sunday afternoon.
 
The win secured a postseason berth for the Red Foxes, who will advance to their 11^th NCAA Tournament with a victory over top-seeded Quinnipiac in Monday's MAAC championship game. If the Red Foxes do not prevail, they have clinched an automatic berth to the Postseason WNIT.
 
Summary

• Marist scored the game's first four points. After Siena answered with three straight points, the Red Foxes countered with a 10-0 run.
• The Red Foxes led 25-14 after the first period, as Siena shot .125 (2-for-16) from the field in the first 10 minutes.
• A three-pointer by sophomore guard Rebekah Hand gave Marist a 40-24 advantage with 1:58 left in the second quarter. This gave the Red Foxes their largest lead of the first half.
• However, Siena forced turnovers on Marist's final four possessions of the first half. The Saints scored five straight points, and cut their deficit to 40-29 at the intermission.
• Over a span of 3:25 in the third quarter, Siena went on an 8-0 run to close its deficit to three – the closest the game had been since the first four minutes.
• With Marist leading 44-41, Hand hit a three-pointer and jumper on consecutive possessions. This began a 10-2 run to close the third quarter for the Red Foxes, who led 54-43 after 30 minutes.
• Marist held Siena off the scoreboard for a stretch of 5:18 in the fourth quarter.
• Marist outscored Siena 13-8 in the final period.
• The 16-point final margin tied Marist's largest of the game.

 
Key Stats

• Red-shirt sophomore forward Alana Gilmer led all scorers with 22 points.
• Freshman center Willow Duffell and Hand each had 11 rebounds to pace the Red Foxes. Hand also contributed 15 points and a team-high six assists.
• Junior guard Maura Fitzpatrick gave three double-digit scorers with 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting. She also grabbed seven boards.
• Marist held a +13 edge in rebounds (44-31).
• Marist shot .500 (26-for-52) from the field, while holding Siena to .262 (16-for-61).
• Kollyns Scarbrough led Siena in both points (16) and rebounds (nine).
• Siena forced 20 turnovers, while committing just 11.

 
Notes

• Gilmer has now scored 20 points in four straight games.
• Hand had her fourth double-double of the season, and set a career high with six assists.
• Duffell tied her career high in rebounds.
• In the tenure of head coach Brian Giorgis, Marist is 37-1 in the MAAC Championship as the better seed.
• Marist is now 4-1 against Siena in the MAAC championship. This was the first tournament meeting between the teams in Albany. The previous four took place in Trenton, Bridgeport (twice), and Springfield.
• Marist advanced to its 13^th MAAC championship in program history. The Red Foxes previously reached the conference final for 12 consecutive years from 2004-15.

 
Quote of the Day
"You always know you're going to be in for a battle against Siena, and you're going to get pressed as soon as you get out of the locker room," Giorgis said. "We got off to a good start and maintained it, and survived a couple of their runs."
 
Records
Marist is 20-12. Siena is 17-14.
 
Up Next
Marist faces Quinnipiac at 2:30 on Monday with an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament at stake. The game will be televised live on ESPNU. Visit Marist's Tournament Central for ticket and bus information.