ARLINGTON, Texas - Redshirt senior captain Alana Gilmer scored a game-high 21 points, senior twins Hannah and Rebekah Hand combined for 10 field goals in their return to their home state, and the Red Foxes closed out non-conference action and the 2010s with a 73-57 victory against UT Arlington on Thursday evening.

The Red Foxes head into 2020 and MAAC play at 7-2. The Lady Mavericks fall to 5-5 this season.

Gilmer set the tone with 11 points on 5-6 shooting in the first quarter, equaling UTA's output in the frame. She finished with a season-high in points as well as eight rebounds and three triples.

Holding a six-point edge at halftime, Marist held the Lady Mavs to just two field goals in a 16-5 stanza. Rebekah Hand and sophomore guard Sarah Barcello went back-and-forth on buckets, the latter draining two three-pointers, to give the Red Foxes a 17-point lead heading to the fourth.

Hannah Hand made her first start since March 4, 2017 and chipped in six points on two threes, four rebounds, and two assists.

FINAL | RED FOXES WIN!!! Successful homecoming for the Hand twins and an exclamation point to non-conference play and the decade! #GoRedFoxes pic.twitter.com/01fmBye2ds

— Marist WBB (@MaristWBB) December 20, 2019

HIGHLIGHTS

• After being held scoreless in the first three minutes, Gilmer broke the ice, then team with Rebekah Hand on a pair of threes to take an 8-6 lead that they wouldn't relinquish.
• UTA cut the deficit to three on two occasions early in the second quarter, but redshirt senior captain Grace Vander Weide and redshirt junior forward Molly Smith kept the Lady Mavs at bay with jumpers. 
• Two treys from Rebekah Hand and Gilmer gave Marist two separate eight-point advantages on three-pointers, the latter coming at the 1:24 mark of the second.
• Hannah Hand had the first field goal of the third quarter from either side with a second-chance triple from over 25 feet away at 7:56.
• Holding a 39-29 edge at the under-five media timeout in the stanza, Marist went on an 11-4 run. UTA didn't make their first shot from the field in the third until there was 1:32 remaining.
• Freshman forward Samantha Bailey provided an emphatic block, the first of her Marist career, on Terryn Milton just 1:08 later.
• The Lady Mavs notched six of the first eight points in the final frame, but a Rebekah Hand midrange jumper and a fastbreak three from sophomore guard Kendall Krick pushed the lead back to 17.
• Within a span of 1:39 midway through the fourth, Vander Weide and Rebekah Hand each capitalized on old-fashioned, three-point plays.
• Barcello beat the shot clock with under a minute to play for the Red Foxes' largest lead of the game, 19.

 

STATS

• As a team, Marist shot 45 percent from the field and 48 percent from downtown.
• Seven different Red Foxes combined for the squad's 11 three-pointers, led by three from Gilmer.
• Marist had 42 rebounds, compared to 33 for UTA. The team also assisted on 23 of their 27 baskets, a season-best.
• Though UT Arlington sported a 41 percent shooting clip, the team was just 21 percent from beyond the arc.
• Marist forced eight turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
• The Red Foxes outscored the Lady Mavs in points off turnovers (8-7), second-chance points (9-4), fast breaks (10-7), and bench points (11-9, including 11-2 in the second half).
• Rebekah Hand led the team with 11 boards, while Vander Weide had a team-best eight assists (six in the final 20 minutes).

 

NOTES

• This is the first time in Rebekah Hand's career that she posted consecutive double-doubles, and her 13th overall in that category. She now has 28 career 20-point games, 89 career efforts with 10+ points, and 15 double-digit rebound performances.
• Gilmer eclipsed the 20-point mark for the 24th time in her career. It was also her 58th game with 10 or more points.
• Vander Weide reached double figures for the 26th time in her career. She has six games this year with five or more assists.
• Marist has reached seven non-conference victories in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 2009-10 and 2010-11 campaigns.
• The Red Foxes capture the first win in the opening meeting between these two foes.
• In addition, it was also the program's first regular season win against a member of the Sun Belt.
• Marist now has back-to-back wins against top 25 mid-major programs, based on collegeinsider.com's rankings this week.
• This was Marist's first win in the state of Texas since the program topped Utah State on November 29, 2014.

 

UP NEXT

• Marist and Monmouth square off in the Red Foxes' MAAC opener on Thursday, January 2, 2020 at 7 p.m.
• The Hawks were victorious in overtime over Manhattan, 62-60, in their conference lidlifter.
• To purchase tickets to the game, please visit MaristTickets.com.