POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – Catie Cunningham scored the game-winning basket, while
Morgan Lee scored a career-high 20 points to lead the Marist women's basketball team past Manhattan at home, 49-48, Thursday evening inside McCann Arena.
Lee led the way with 20 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks, while Cunningham added 11 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double.
Ciara Croker contributed 10 points and eight rebounds from iff the bench.
With the win, Marist improved to 6-23 on the campaign and 4-15 in the MAAC, while Manhattan dropped to 17-11 overall and 10-9 in conference play on the 2023-24 season.
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The Red Foxes held the Jaspers to just five points over the first 6:13 of action, jumping out to a 9-5 lead. However, Manhattan outscored Marist 6-2 in the final 3:46 of the frame to trim the Marist lead to 11-10 entering the second quarter.
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Marist used the opening 3:11 of the quarter to outscore Manhattan 9-5, powered by four points from
Ciara Croker and a
Lexie Tarul three-pointer to extend the Red Foxes' lead to 20-15 at the media timeout with 4:46 left in the half.
The Red Foxes held the Jaspers to just two points the remainder of the half, taking a 27-17 advantage into the break.
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Manhattan opened the second half with an 11-4 run before a Tarul three-pointer snapped the Marist skid and gave the Red Foxes a 34-28 advantage at the media timeout with 3:35 left in the third quarter.
However, the Jaspers outpaced the Red Foxes 9-4 to trim Marist's lead to 38-37 entering the fourth quarter.
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The Jaspers held the Red Foxes scoreless over the first 2:56 of the frame, taking a 40-38 lead during that span, leading to a Marist timeout. After falling behind 43-40,
Morgan Lee scored on a basket and drew the foul for the three-point play, knotting the game at 43-43 with 4:51 left in regulation.
The Red Foxes took the lead with 3:10 left in the fourth after
Catie Cunningham scored on a layup after a steal to put Marist ahead 45-43. After Manhattan knotted the game at 45-45, Cunningham put the Red Foxes ahead with a steal and layup with 26.2 seconds remaining in regulation.
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The basket proved to be enough, as the Red Foxes held on for the 49-48 victory.
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- The win snapped a 12-game losing streak for the Red Foxes
- Morgan Lee led the Red Foxes with 20 points and added nine rebounds to go along with three blocks as well
- The 20 points set a new career-high for the sophomore
- Ciara Croker added 10 points and eight rebounds from off the bench
- Croker has reached double-figure scoring in two of the last four games
- Croker's eight rebounds set a new career-high for the sophomore
- Catie Cunningham added 11 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double of her own
- Cunningham has totaled six double-doubles on the season and six for her career
- She's recorded a double-double in back-to-back contests
- The Red Foxes will be back in action on Saturday, March 9, when Marist takes on Quinnipiac in the regular season finale.
- Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. inside M&T Bank Arena on ESPN+.
To stay updated with all Marist women's basketball news, follow the program on Twitter/Instagram @MaristWBB or visit goredfoxes.com/sports/womens-basketball.
