KISSIMMEE, Florida – Marist women's basketball defeated North Florida by a score of 69-54 on the first day of the MAAC/ASUN Challenge at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.
The Ospreys kept the game close through three quarters, but the Red Foxes outscored them 23-14 in the fourth to clinch the victory in the first game of the weekend.
Three Red Foxes reached double-digit scoring, as
Rebekah Hand moved to fifth in all-time three-point makes at Marist with 187. She also matched Lori Keys at seventh in all-time free throws with 320.
Marist has started 4-0 for just the second time in Division I history, with the previous occurrence being the 2018-19 season when they won five, a program record.
- The Red Foxes took a very early lead, hitting two 3-pointers and causing five turnovers to take a 12-6 lead midway through the first quarter.
- The Ospreys crashed the boards proceeded to claw their way back into the game, trailing only 14-13 by the end of the first quarter.
- North Florida rode their momentum into the second, and led by as many as five before the Red Foxes scored.
- Rebekah Hand and Alana Gilmer both hit from deep to cut the deficit to 21-20 at the media timeout.
- North Florida once again began to pull away towards the end of the half, but Sarah Barcello scored on two consecutive possessions to keep the game within one point.
- Grace Vander Weide proceeded to go a personal 5-0 run to give Marist the 30-27 lead at the half. The Red Foxes forced 13 turnovers while shooting 40.0 percent from deep, though the Ospreys had the edge in rebounding 21-9 through 20 minutes.
- North Florida fought to stay in the mix in the third, but they turned the ball over six times in five minutes while the Red Foxes capitalized to jump ahead 39-34.
- Marist closed out a the third quarter with a strong defensive possession to enter the break with a 46-40 lead.
- The Ospreys got the game within one possession with a quick three pointer from Adrienne Jackson, but with just seven minutes left in regulation, the Red Foxes went on a 21-8 run sparked by Grace Vander Weide's third consecutive three-point make.
- North Florida went nearly three minutes without scoring during this time-span, and they did not record a field goal for the final 2:50 while the Red Foxes added seven points in crunch time.
- Rebekah Hand tallied 17 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals in her 100th-career game.
- Alana Gilmer recorded 16 points, four rebounds and an assist, while Grace Vander Weide had an efficient performance at 15 points, six rebounds and five assists on 5-of-6 shooting overall and 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc.
- The Ospreys were held to 25.0 percent shooting from deep and 38.2 percent shooting from the floor, while the Red Foxes went 42.9 percent from three and 45.3 percent overall.
- North Florida held the edge in rebounding 36-29, and Janesha Green led the team with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists.
- With one more win, Marist will match its program record of five wins to start the season. The current record was achieved in 2018.
- Rebekah Hand is one free throw away from sixth all-time in free throws, and six makes from sixth in all-time field goals.
- This was the third consecutive game that Marist's opponents were held below 30 percent shooting from three, and fourth where they were held below 40 percent shooting overall.
Marist plays in the second day of the MAAC/ASUN Challenge against Lipscomb on Saturday. Tip-off is set for noon on ESPN3.
