Editor's Note: As a tribute to head coach Brian Giorgis' 21 years at Marist, we will highlight one milestone win of his career each week over a 21-week span. Giorgis' final home game as the Red Foxes' head coach will be Feb. 25, 2023 against Niagara. The game is set for a 2 p.m. tip, with a ceremony to follow afterward.
 
Week One: Giorgis' First Win | Week Two: First Regular-Season Title | Week Three: '04 MAAC Championship |Week Four: '06 MAAC Championship | Week Five: '07 MAAC Championship | Week Six: First NCAA Tournament Win | Week Seven: Red Foxes Reach Sweet Sixteen | Week Eight: '08 MAAC Championship | Week Nine: '08 NCAA Tournament Win Over DePaul
 
POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – By the time Brian Giorgis' seventh season at Marist ensued in the fall of 2008, the Red Foxes were constantly on an upward trajectory.
 
In each of his first six seasons, Giorgis had improved the team's win total from the previous year. The number stood at 11 in 2001-02, the year prior to his arrival. It then grew to 13, 20, 22, 23, 29, and then 32 in the 2007-08 season. While it would be next to impossible for this number to increase every single season, Giorgis kept the job of making annual NCAA Tournament appearances in a predominantly one-bid conference looking routine. The 2008-09 season marked the Red Foxes' fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, and fifth in his tenure.
 
Marist kept winning even though a chunk of the core from previous championship teams had graduated. Meg Dahlman and Sarah Smrdel both won MAAC Tournament MVPs. Dahlman and Nikki Flores were both All-MAAC honorees. Alexis Waters played in 69 career games.
 
The Red Foxes' primary starting lineup consisted of three sophomores. Elise Caron took over for Flores at point guard, and Maria Laterza stepped in at center for Dahlman. Reigning MAAC Rookie of the Year Erica Allenspach was entrenched at the three. The two upperclassmen were reigning MAAC Player of the Year Rachele Fitz and All-MAAC selection Julianne Viani.
 
Viani and Courtney Kolesar, who sat out the previous year due to a knee injury, were the program's only seniors, and both were in their fifth seasons. Once again, the staff of Giorgis, Megan Gebbia, Keila Whittington, and Erin Leger put together an outstanding recruiting class. As a freshman, Corielle Yarde showed glimpses of her vast potential, which she fulfilled in the following years. Brandy Gang was an instant contributor up front. Kristine Best took Nikki Flores' number 22, and shared point guard duties with Caron in the years to come. Local product Emily Stallings contributed in the post.
 
Marist rolled through non-conference play with a 10-1 record, with the lone loss coming to fourth-ranked Oklahoma. The Red Foxes had victories against two teams that reached the WNIT in Hartford and St. Bonaventure, which reached the tournament's Elite Eight.
 
A season that featured impressive team and individual performances included the following:
 

• Nov. 21 – Giorgis becomes the program's all-time leader in wins, as his 151^st comes in a 93-65 triumph over Northeastern.
• Nov. 23 – The following game, Viani joined the 1,000-point club in a 76-63 win at Harvard.
• Jan. 5 – Marist once again joined the national rankings, checking in at #25 in The Associated Press poll. The Red Foxes remained ranked for the next three weeks and peaked at #20.
• Jan. 30 – Fitz surpassed Ursula Winter's program record of 1,587 career points in a win over Manhattan.
• The Red Foxes extended their road winning streak against MAAC opponents to 19, as they went undefeated in conference play away from home for the second straight year. Marist's home winning streak against MAAC foes reached 37 before it was snapped by Fairfield on Jan. 23, but the Red Foxes started a new streak that would last for quite some time …
• Speaking of streaks, Marist recorded a 78-73 overtime win in an ESPNU game at Hartford on Feb. 15, which snapped the Hawks' home winning streak at 34.
• Fitz had the best statistical season of her storied career. She averaged 20.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting .598 from the field and .828 from the free-throw line. Fitz was named Honorable Mention All-America by The Associated Press, earned MAAC Player of the Year for the second straight year, and won Met Basketball Writers Association Player of the Year.
• Giorgis was named Met Basketball Writers Association Coach of the Year.
• Viani, who averaged 15.0 points per game and led the Red Foxes in assists, three-pointers made, free-throw percentage, and minutes played, was named First Team All-MAAC and First Team All-Met Basketball Writers Association.
• Allenspach was named Third Team All-MAAC.
• Gang was named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team.

 

MAAC Championship Run

Marist earned the #1 seed in the MAAC Championship for the fifth straight year, as the Red Foxes won the regular-season title by two games over Canisius with a 16-2 record. To say Marist made a statement to open its tournament run would actually be an understatement.
 
In the quarterfinal round, Marist defeated Loyola by a score of 81-27. The Red Foxes set conference tournament records for largest margin of victory and fewest points allowed. Marist had five double-digit scorers, led by Fitz with 15, despite no one playing more than 22 minutes.
 
The Red Foxes cruised to a 76-69 semifinal win over Iona. Fitz had a monster game with 29 points and 18 rebounds. Lynzee Johnson helped break open a close game midway through the first half by scoring eight points in 95 seconds. She finished with 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
 
Marist was in its sixth straight MAAC final, and its third championship game against Canisius. The Red Foxes led wire-to-wire in their 78-63 victory as they won their fourth straight conference championship. Viani, who had 22 points and six assists in the final, was named Tournament MVP. Fitz and Allenspach, who had a career-high 22 against Canisius, were named to the All-Tournament Team.
 

NCAA Tournament

Marist drew a #12 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a trip to Los Angeles for a first-round match-up with #5 Virginia, which had a 23-9 overall record and an 8-6 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Cavaliers' Monica Wright and Lyndra Littles both averaged over 20 points per game.
 
The Marist game plan included a zone defense, and there were some good signs for the Red Foxes. Wright and Littles were held to 13 points apiece and combined to shoot 10-for-35. Marist shut Virginia out over the final four-and-a-half minutes of the first half and took a 26-21 halftime lead.
 
Unfortunately for the Red Foxes, the Cavaliers heated up in the second half. Marist was held without a field goal for the first five minutes after the intermission. Virginia shot 5-for-7 from three in the final 20 minutes after going 0-for-6 in the first 20. All of Wright's 13 points came in the second half.
 
The Cavaliers led by 17 with 3:28 to play before Marist mounted a furious rally. Allenspach scored 11 points in a span of 2:32. The final three points of Viani's career brought Marist to within five with 15 seconds left, but Virginia held on for a 68-61 victory.
 
With a final record of 29-4, Marist had won 90 games over its previous three seasons.
 

Fun Facts

• In 2009, Julianne Viani became the first female student-athlete in school history to play in four NCAA Tournaments. Following graduation, she played professionally in Armenia before starting her broadcasting career as a color commentator alongside Geoff Brault on Red Fox Network broadcasts.
• Through 2009, Marist had a different MAAC Tournament MVP in each of its five championships – Stephanie Del Preore (2004), Meg Dahlman (2006), Rachele Fitz (2007), Sarah Smrdel (2008), and Julianne Viani (2009).
• Keila Whittington completed her second season on staff in 2008-09. She departed following the season to work at Oregon, and later was on staff at Memphis. She returned to Marist as an assistant coach from 2016-19, and is now in her fourth season as head coach at St. Francis University.

 

Coming Up Next

Another championship and a program first for Rachele Fitz in her senior year.