POUGHKEEPSIE, New York -Â Redshirt senior captain
Alana Gilmer registered 23 points and nine rebounds to lead four Red Foxes in double figures as Marist Women's Basketball beat Niagara 82-57 on Saturday evening at McCann Arena.
Marist boosts its MAAC record to 8-2 on the season, and is now 15-4 overall. Niagara drops to 5-6 in conference play and 7-13 overall.
The Purple Eagles jumped out to a 17-13 edge at the end of the first quarter as Marist shot just 37.5 percent in the first 10 minutes. Marist was able to take a 35-27 lead in the second quarter thanks to a 13-0 run, but Niagara tied it at 35 with 40 seconds until halftime. Redshirt senior captain
Grace Vander Weide then nailed a straightaway triple before the buzzer, giving Marist a three-point advantage into the break.
The Red Foxes proceeded to knock down 11 of their 16 shots in the third quarter, with senior guard
Hannah Hand adding seven points, to outscore the visitors 27-7. The Marist advantage went as high as 27 by the midpoint of the fourth quarter.
Senior captain
Rebekah Hand notched her fourth double-double of the season, recording 16 points and 12 rebounds. Vander Weide and junior forward
Willow Duffell each tallied 13 points.
Jai Moore paced Niagara with 23 points, while Emerald Ekpiteta scored 10.
- Vander Weide and Gilmer connected on a screen-and-roll, the latter converting to give Marist an early 6-5 lead 3:50 into the game.
- Marist went up 11-10 after a layup from redshirt junior forward Molly Smith, but the Purple Eagles went on a 7-0 burst at the end of the frame.
- The Red Fox run in the second quarter started with a Duffell layup after she collected an offensive rebound. Vander Weide then hit a reverse layup, then Gilmer put the Red Foxes ahead 28-27 with 4:50 to play in the second quarter.
- To open the third quarter, Marist went on a 16-2 run, highlighted by an old-fashioned three-point play from Hannah Hand four minutes into the frame.
- Marist's lead stretched to 23, 65-42, after Rebekah Hand connected on a jumper outside the paint near the end of the third quarter.
- On a fast break attempt at the 5:47 mark of the fourth quarter, Vander Weide fed Duffell on a bounce pass from the foul line for a left-block layup, putting the Red and White up 74-47.
- Sophomore guard Kendall Krick picked off Valentina Pepic, then dished to freshman forward Samantha Bailey for her first points of the game.
- In the final 10 seconds of the game, freshman guard Camille Loussedes drove to the basket and eurostepped around a Purple Eagle to score her first collegiate points, capping the scoring.
- Vander Weide's eight assists led the team, while Duffell chipped in seven boards and seven assists.
- Junior guard Allie Best and Vander Weide each had three steals.
- The Red Foxes tied a season-high with 43 rebounds and 11 steals, and also recorded 26 assists.
- As a team, Marist outscored Niagara in points off turnovers (30-19), points in the paint (50-18), and second-chance points (15-7).
- In the second and third quarters, the Red and White shot 68.8 percent (11-16).
- Ten Red Foxes were positive in the plus-minus department, led by Vander Weide's +28.
- Gilmer moved past Diesa Seidel for seventh place all-time in career field goals, and now has 527.
- Rebekah Hand leaped over Stephanie Del Preore and Tori Jarosz in career rebounds, sitting in sixth place with 715 boards.
- Vander Weide is now top five in career Marist assists, giving her 373 and moving over Erica Allenspach.
- In two games against Niagara this season, Duffell combined for 14 assists.Â
- In the 50th all-time meeting between the teams, Marist now leads Niagara 35-15.
- As part of National Girls and Women In Sports Day, the team honored the legacies of Gianna Bryant, Alyssa Altobelli, and Payton Chester, three victims in the Calabasas helicopter crash on January 26, with pregame shootaround t-shirts depicting their jersey numbers.
- At halftime, Marist Athletics distributed championship rings to the 2019 Marist Women's Rowing program after winning their 11th MAAC title last May.
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- Having reached the midway point of the MAAC season, Marist hits the road to play Iona on Tuesday, February 4 at 11 a.m.
