Behind Erica Allenspach’s (Miamisburg, Ohio) career-high 18 points, the Marist women’s basketball team closed out 2007 with a 76-62 win at Akron on Dec. 30. She was a perfect 5-for-5 from behind the three-point line and pulled a down a career-high seven rebounds.
Senior center Meg Dahlman (Spencerport) had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds, pulling down her 500th career rebound in the process. Rachele Fitz (Seven Hills, Ohio) reached double figures for the 13th consecutive game, making 9-of-9 free throws on her way to 13 points. Overall, 10 Marist players scored in the game.
The Red Foxes opened the game on a 16-2 run, powered by three Allenspach triples and one from Dahlman. Akron quickly answered with an 8-1 run, capped off by a Rachel Green lay-up to make the score 17-10 with 10:14 to go in the first half. Marist took the momentum right back, going on an 8-2 run behind six straight free throw makes to take a 25-12 lead. The Red Foxes’ lead grew to 16 with 2:25 to go in the half when Julianne Viani (Poughkeepsie) set up Lynzee Johnson (Bellbrook, Ohio) for a lay-up to give Marist a 31-16 lead. Marist ended the half with a 33-19 lead.
Marist increased its lead to 21 in the second half on Allenspach’s fourth three-pointer, going ahead of the Zips 47-26 with 15:03 to go in the game. The Red Foxes’ lead fluctuated between 12 to 19 points, as a pair of Fitz free throws gave Marist a 60-41 lead with 8:05 to go. Akron made one last push, going on a 15-4 run over the next 3:55 to cut the deficit to nine, 64-55. As they did in the first half, the Red Foxes responded. Marist went on a 10-2 run, sparked by a Dahlman lay-up, to take a 74-57 lead with 1:39 to go. The Red Foxes got one last basket from Maria Laterza (Brooklyn) and won 76-62.
Marist shot 36.2 percent from the field and made 6 of 21 three point attempts. As they have done all season, the Red Foxes shot a high percentage from the free throw line. Marist shot 83.3 percent from the line, making 20 of 24 foul shots. The Red Foxes also held the rebounding edge, 43-39, and turned 16 offensive rebounds into 14 second-chance points. They also assisted on 19 of 25 baskets.
Marist returns to action on Jan. 5, as the Red Foxes (12-2 overall, 2-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) will host conference rival Fairfield (10-3, 0-2) at the McCann Center at 7:30 p.m. For ticket information, call the Marist Ticket Office at 575-3553.
Men beat Hofstra in consolation game
Paced by 18 points and eight rebounds from red-shirt senior guard Louie McCroskey (Bronx), the Marist men’s basketball team earned a 73-67 triumph over Hofstra on Dec. 29 in the consolation game of the Aeropostale Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden. McCroskey shot 4-for-5 from three-point range.
The Red Foxes committed just eight turnovers in the game, with only one coming in the second half. Freshman guard Jay Gavin (Seat Pleasant, Md.) had 16 points off the bench, and helped seal the victory by draining six of his seven free-throw attempts in the final 3:05.
After trailing by as much as seven in the first half, the Red Foxes went on a 23-6 run over a stretch of 8:09 as they expanded their lead to 10. Marist took a 37-28 lead into halftime, as McCroskey had a team-leading 12 points in the first 20 minutes.
In the second half, a 13-4 Hofstra run enabled the Pride to take a 48-47 lead with 12:03 remaining. However, McCroskey answered with a three-pointer with 11:01 to play, and the Red Foxes never surrendered the lead after that. Marist shot 7-for-8 from the free-throw line in the final 1:11.
Seniors Ben Farmer (Clinton, Conn.) and Spongy Benjamin (St. Francis Village Erin, Trinidad) finished with nine points apiece. Benjamin also added six rebounds. Red-shirt senior Ryan Stilphen (Bay Village, Ohio) added eight points on 4-for-5 shooting from the field while collecting five rebounds. Stilphen now has 995 points in his career.
Charles Jenkins finished with a team-high 21 points for Hofstra, which fell to 2-8 with the loss. Nathaniel Lester contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Pride were playing without Antoine Agudio, the nation’s second-leading scorer
The total of eight turnovers was the second-best for the Red Foxes in a game this season. Marist had just seven in its triumph over Wright State on Dec. 1.
The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the Red Foxes, who improved their record to 7-6 overall. Marist will return to action on Jan. 4 with a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference contest at Rider. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
McCroskey named to All-Tournament Team
Red-shirt senior guard McCroskey, of the Marist men’s basketball team, was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Aeropostale Holiday Festival, played at Madison Square Garden. McCroskey averaged 15 points and 7.5 rebounds as Marist fell to St. John’s on Dec. 28, but bounced back for a victory over Hofstra in the consolation game the next day.
McCroskey shot 50 percent (12-for-24) from the field and 4-for-7 from three-point range in the two games. On the season, McCroskey is averaging a team-best 13.8 points per game while ranking second on the squad with 6.3 rebounds per contest. He has scored in double figures in all of Marist’s last seven games, and he has grabbed at least six rebounds in all of the Red Foxes’ last six contests.
Ondrejik, Lane, Tillotson honored by Soccer Buzz magazine
The Marist women’s soccer team continued to receive post-season recognition with three players being honored by Soccer Buzz magazine last week. Senior captain Melanie Ondrejik (Manalapan, N.J.) was named to the All-Northeast Third Team, while Lauren Tillotson (Islip) and Allison Lane (Marlton, N.J.) were both named to the All-Northeast Freshman Team.
Ondrejik, one of only two seniors on the Red Foxes’ MAAC regular season championship team, was a fixture in the middle of the Marist defense all year. She played in 56 consecutive matches to end her career with Marist. Tillotson was also an essential part of a defense that set program records in shutouts (7) and goals against average (.98). She played in all 19 matches in her rookie season.
Lane was the Red Foxes’ starting goalkeeper for much of the season. The freshman went 8-4-3 and had four shutouts on the year. She was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week two times each.
Both Lane and Tillotson were named to the MAAC All-Rookie team in November.
Head coach Elizabeth Roper was named the runner-up Coach of the Year in the Northeast. The MAAC Coach of the Year led her team to an 11-5-3 record and the MAAC Championship Game. The Red Foxes had a combined 10 wins in ‘05 and ‘06.