ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey – The Marist women's basketball team won its 11
th Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship in program history on Saturday. The top-seeded Red Foxes led wire-to-wire in their 69-30 triumph over third-seeded Saint Peter's.
- Caitlin Weimar blocked a shot on the game's opening possession, and converted a jumper on the Red Foxes' first offensive possession.
- Marist jumped out to a 12-0 lead, as the Peacocks were held scoreless for the first five minutes.
- Marist held Saint Peter's to 1-for-10 shooting from the field in the first quarter, and the Red Foxes led 20-5 after 10 minutes.
- Saint Peter's scored the first 10 points of the second quarter before the run was broken by a layup from Weimar.
- Marist closed the first half an 8-0 run, which included four points from Willow Duffell. The Red Foxes took a 32-19 lead to the locker room.
- A 14-0 run in the third quarter, which featured five points from Sarah Barcello and four from Duffell, boosted Marist's lead to 25.
- Marist held Saint Peter's to 1-for-8 shooting from the field in the third quarter. The Red Foxes led 51-24 after three quarters.
- Marist went on a 9-0 run early in the fourth quarter, and scored the game's final seven points.
- Duffell was named Most Valuable Player. She averaged 17.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in Marist's three victories.
- Weimar and Allie Best were named to the All-Championship Team. Weimar averaged 10.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 3.5 blocked shots in her two games. Best, the NCAA leader in assist-to-turnover ratio, had 19 assists against just three turnovers in three games.
- Duffell had game highs with 20 points and 13 rebounds. She added four assists and two steals, and shot 9-for-14 from the field.
- Weimar finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, and six blocked shots.
- Best had a game-high eight assists.
- Marist shot .491 (28-for-57) from the field, while holding Saint Peter's to .208 (11-for-53).
- Ajia James and Binta Salawu led Saint Peter's with six points apiece. Sky Castro led the Peacocks with seven rebounds.
- Marist's 11th championship is the most in MAAC women's basketball history. Saint Peter's is next with nine.
- Marist's championship is its first since 2014. The Red Foxes won their first title in 2004, followed by nine straight from 2006-14.
- This was Marist's 15th appearance in the MAAC championship game, all of which have come under the leadership of head coach Brian Giorgis.
- Marist's 39-point margin of victory and 30 points allowed both set MAAC championship game records.
- Weimar set a career high with six blocked shots. Her previous high of four was set on two occasions.
- Duffell's double-double was her seventh of the season, and fourth in her last six games. Her 20-point performance was her second of the season.
- Marist has held 10 straight opponents under 60 points.
- Marist's 30 points allowed were its fewest since Jan. 31, 2011 in a 60-30 win over Siena.
"This group got everything out of itself," Giorgis said to the ESPN crew of Tiffany Greene and Steffi Sorensen in a postgame interview. "They sacrificed a lot to get to where they are now, and I'm proud of them as a group."
In the postgame press conference, Giorgis praised
Trinasia Kennedy for her defensive work throughout the entire championship.
"This is just crazy, I can't even explain how happy and excited I am for our team," Weimar said in her ESPN postgame interview. "It makes it all worth it."
"I 100% knew it was possible," Duffell said in the postgame press conference. "This year it ends on the perfect note, and I couldn't be happier."
One of the biggest reasons I came here is because it gave me the best opportunity to go to the NCAA Tournament," Best said in the postgame press conference. "It's a dream come true."
"We got beat by a better team today," Saint Peter's head coach Marc Mitchell said. "Congratulations to Coach Brian and the Marist Red Foxes. The young ladies are really good players, and good luck to them in the NCAA Tournament."
- The NCAA Women's Basketball Selection Show will be held on Monday at 7 p.m.
- The first round of the NCAA Tournament will take place on Sunday, March 21 and Monday, March 22.
