ALBANY, New York – The third-seeded Marist women's basketball team defeated second-seeded Rider, 62-52, in the semifinal round of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship on Sunday at the Times Union Center.
Â
The Red Foxes will face top-seeded Quinnipiac in the championship game on Monday at 2:30 p.m.
Â
- Marist held Rider scoreless first 3:38, and scored the game's first six points.
- The Red Foxes then held the Broncs scoreless for the next 6:05 until a three-point play by Lexi Posset. Marist led 12-5 after the first 10 minutes.
- A 7-0 run, punctuated by a three-pointer from senior Lovisa Henningsdottir, lengthened Marist's lead to 24-10 with 5:03 left in the second quarter, and forced a Rider timeout.
- Marist extended its lead to 15 in the second quarter, but the Broncs outscored the Red Foxes 7-2 over the final three minutes of the period. Marist's halftime lead stood at 29-19.
- Rider's Stella Johnson scored the first five points of the second half. Johnson scored 11 points in the third quarter alone as the Broncs cut the Red Foxes' lead to 39-36 after 30 minutes.
- Rider tied the game on four occasions in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, but did not take the lead at any point in this time.
- With 4:56 to play, a three-pointer by red-shirt junior Grace Vander Weide gave Marist a 48-45 lead, and started the Red Foxes on a 11-0 run as the Broncs were held scoreless for 3:49.
- Rider got closer than within five points in the final four minutes. Marist put the game away by going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final 32 seconds.
Â
- Marist had four double-digit scorers: Vander Weide (14), junior guard Rebekah Hand (14), Henningsdottir (12), and freshman Sarah Barcello (11).
- Sophomore Willow Duffell had a game-high 11 rebounds. Hand contributed nine boards.
- Vander Weide had a game-high seven assists.
- Johnson led Rider with a game-high 24 points, with 19 coming in the second half.
- Amari Johnson paced the Broncs with nine rebounds.
- Marist held Rider to .288 shooting (19-for-66) from the field.
- The Red Foxes outrebounded the Broncs, 47-33.
Â
- Red-shirt junior Alana Gilmer dressed, but not play (illness).
- Red-shirt sophomore Molly Smith grabbed a career-high seven rebounds and added five points in a season-high 20 minutes off the bench.
- Duffell's 11 rebounds tied a career high.
- Henningsdottir became the sixth player in program history to record 100 blocked shots.
- Marist is now 6-1 this season when at least four Red Foxes score in double figures. Marist has had four double-digit scorers in both games of this year's MAAC Championship.
- This marked the first time in program history that the Red Foxes won a game in the MAAC Championship as a lower seed.
Â
"This was one of the top-five wins I've had in my 17 years," head coach
Brian Giorgis said. "When I heard this morning that Alana [Gilmer] had been sick all night … I was hoping that maybe she could come around for the game still. As the day went on and she didn't get better, we knew we weren't going to have her. We told the kids in the locker room that it wasn't about Rebekah [Hand] or Grace [Vander Weide] stepping up, it was everyone.
Sarah Barcello hit some tremendous threes, and
Molly Smith … it couldn't have happened to a nicer person. … That's why this team is really a special team."
Â
- Marist is in the MAAC Championship final for the 14th time in Giorgis' 17 years as head coach. The Red Foxes are seeking their 11th title in program history.
- Marist will face Quinnipiac on Monday at 2:30 p.m. at the Times Union Center. For bus and ticket information, please visit Marist's MAAC Championship Central page.
- Monday's game will be televised on ESPNU, with Paul Sunderland (play-by-play) and 2009 Marist graduate Julianne Viani (color) on the call. Radio coverage on the Red Fox Network will begin at 2:15, with Geoff Brault (play-by-play) and Steve Eggink (color) on the call.
