LAWRENCEVILLE, New Jersey – Zaria Shazer tallied 17 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists to lead the way for Marist women's basketball, but the Red Foxes came up short in overtime at Rider, 62-61, Saturday afternoon inside Alumni Gymnasium.

Ciara Croker scored a career-high 14 points off the bench to aid the Red Foxes in the loss.

With the loss, Marist fell to 5-21 on the campaign and 3-13 in the MAAC, while Rider improved to 9-16 overall and 6-10 in conference play on the 2023-24 season.
 

FIRST QUARTER

The Red Foxes held the Broncs to just three points over the 5:21 of action, as Marist carried a 5-3 lead into the first media timeout with 4:19 left on the clock in the opening frame. Both teams picked up the offensive pace out of the timeout as Rider outscored Marist 11-7 the rest of the quarter to carry a narrow 14-12 lead into the second quarter.
 

SECOND QUARTER

The Red Foxes opened the frame with a 6-0 run behind three straight baskets from three different players to give Marist an 18-14 lead.
 
However, Rider countered with a swift 5-0 run to carry a 19-18 advantage into the media timeout with 4:32 left in the first half. The Red Foxes shored up the defense, holding Rider scoreless for the remainder of the frame as Marist put up seven points in that span, backed by a Lexie Tarul three-pointer and a Jackie Piddock layup at the buzzer.
 

THIRD QUARTER

The Broncs came out firing to open the second half, using the opening 1:46 of the half to go on a swift 6-0 run, forcing a Marist timeout tied at 25-25. Out of the break, Rider's run was extended to 16-3 to push the deficit to 34-28 entering the media timeout with 4:21 left in the third quarter. Marist outscored Rider 8-5 the remainder of the frame to trim the deficit to 39-36 entering the fourth.
 

FOURTH QUARTER

The two sides traded baskets through the first five minutes of action in the fourth, with Rider outpacing Marist 10-8, despite six of the eight points from the Red Foxes coming via Zaria Shazer.
After falling behind 52-46, Marist scored back-to-back buckets from Shazer and Croker to cut the deficit to two.
Trailing by one, Tarul drew a shooting foul with 20.8 seconds on the clock and drained both free throws to put Marist in front, 54-53, with 20.8 seconds left in regulation. On the following Rider possession, the Broncs drew a shooting foul and made one of two to knot the contest with 11.4 seconds remaining, forcing overtime.
 

OVERTIME

The Red Foxes took their first lead in overtime with 2:01 left in the frame after Shazer got a block on the defensive end, leading to a Tarul three-pointer on the other end to give Marist a 59-58 advantage.
Trailing by three with one second remaining, Tarul was fouled on a half-court heave, leading to three free throws with a chance to force double overtime. However, Tarul went 2-for-3 from the line, as Rider held on for the 62-61 win over Marist.
 

STATS

• Zaria Shazer led the Red Foxes with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists
• The double-double was her 10th double-double of the season and 19th of her career
• Shazer scored 10 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter
• Ciara Croker scored a career-high 14 points off the bench
• Lexie Tarul added 10 points and five rebounds in the loss
• Catie Cunningham totaled four points, 12 rebounds, and four assists

 

NEXT TIME OUT

• The Red Foxes will be back in action on Thursday, Feb. 29, when Marist continues MAAC play on the road against Siena.
• Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside the UHY Center on ESPN+.

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  To stay updated with all Marist women's basketball news, follow the program on Twitter/Instagram @MaristWBB or visit goredfoxes.com/sports/womens-basketball.

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