Marist Women Fall in Non-Conference Final

By Kendrick Mooney

POUGHKEEPSIE – Marist women’s basketball team dropped its final game of the non-conference schedule. With the loss, the Red Foxes sit at 8-4 overall.

Both teams struggled to score early, with Alana Gilmer scoring the first points almost three minutes into the quarter. UMass played good interior defense, forcing the Red Foxes to take several shots from beyond the arch. The Minute Women took a slim 16-15 lead into the next frame.

Marist would struggle again in the second quarter to find the basket, with UMass building as much as a 19 point lead against the Red Foxes. In the final 1:23 minutes of the quarter, Marist found a spark and went on a 7-0 run. Rebekah Hand capped off the run with a buzzer beater tip-in to close out the deficit at 38-26.

The Red Foxes started to find their groove, shooting .500 percent from inside the arch. They maintained the difference in the score, going into the fourth quarter down 51-39.

Marist would come out hot in the fourth, starting the quarter shooting 4-4 from the field. A jumper from Hand with 4:12 left in the game brought the deficit down to 59-55. But the Red Foxes were unable to find the basket the rest of the game and UMass used an 11-0 run to close out the game.

“They played a great game and unfortunately we didn’t play very well. We didn’t shoot the way we could. We make a nice comeback down the stretch but this team is going to need to learn if we don’t play defense we’re going to be in a lot of trouble,” said Head Coach Brian Giorgis.

Marist will open Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play at Niagara on Jan. 3. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.