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For the first time in the regular season, the Marist women’s basketball team is ranked in the Top 25. The Red Foxes are ranked 25th in the most recent ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Women’s Coaches’ Poll released on Feb. 12. Marist was last ranked on April 4, 2007 when the Red Foxes were ranked 22nd at the end of the season.
Marist received 56 votes in this week’s poll, 15 more than last week. The Red Foxes garnered five more votes than Vanderbilt for the 25th spot in the poll. Marist is currently riding a 13-game winning streak, the fifth-longest in the nation. They are also second in the nation in free throw percentage at 82.6 percent, fourth in turnovers per game at 13.3, and seventh in assist-turnover ratio at 1.19. Marist currently is 23-2 on the season and a perfect 13-0 in the MAAC. A win on Feb. 15 will give Marist its fifth consecutive MAAC regular season championship.
Marist hosts Niagara this Friday at the McCann Center for the “Think Pink” Breast Cancer Awareness Game. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Fans attending the game are encouraged to wear pink. All proceeds from raffles and auctions throughout the night will benefit the Miles of Hope Breast Cancer Foundation.
Viani leads Foxes past Canisius
The Marist women’s basketball team remained unbeaten in MAAC play on Jan.10, defeating Canisius 91-46 to move to 13-0 in conference. The 45-point win is Marist’s largest margin of victory since Dec. 10, 2006 when they defeated Manhattan 70-30.
Junior guard Julianne Viani (Poughkeepsie) led all scorers with a career-high 25 points. Viani went 8-of-15 from the field and tied a career-high with six made three-pointers.
Rachele Fitz (Seven Hills, Ohio) scored 19 points, making 9-of-10 free throws, and added seven rebounds. Lynzee Johnson (Bellbrook, Ohio) and Sarah Smrdel (Mentor, Ohio) each scored 13 points off the bench and hit three triples apiece. Marist made a team-record 16 three-pointers in the win.
The game was close at the start, as Viani and Fitz combined to score Marist’s first 12 points to take a five-point lead. Canisius closed to within one on a Mere Mullins jumper and Brittane Russell lay-up to make the score 12-11 with 14:05 left in the first half. Viani would answer with her second three of the game to start a 29-4 run over the next 7:09 to take a 40-15 lead. Marist made six three-pointers in the run, with Johnson making three triples in the stretch.
The Red Foxes put the lead over 30 for the first time with 2:31 to go in the first half, as a Viani jumper put Marist ahead 55-24. The Golden Griffins went on a 9-0 run to end the half and make the score 55-33. Marist’s 55 points was a season high for points in a half. The Red Foxes shot 60 percent from the field in the first half and made 10-of-19 three-pointers.
Marist ratcheted up the defensive effort in the second half, holding the Golden Griffins to 13 points, a team record. With the score 69-41 with 9:36 to go, the Red Foxes went on a 14-2 run over the next 3:14 to make it 83-43. Viani, Meg Dahlman (Spencerport), and Nikki Flores (Montvale, N.J.) each connected from beyond the arc during the run. Marist held Canisius scoreless for the final 5:24, as Maria Laterza (Brooklyn) led the defense with three blocks.
The Red Foxes shot 49.1 percent from the field and made 16-of-34 three-pointers. Marist once again shot the ball well from the charity stripe, shooting 91.5 percent on Sunday. Canisius shot 30.9 percent from the field and 15.4 percent in the second half. Marist held a considerable rebounding edge, 40-30. They also forced 21 turnovers, scoring 18 points off those Canisius miscues. Amanda Cavo led the Golden Griffins with 18 points.
Marist returns home to take on Niagara on Feb. 15.
Marist softball women picked third
The Marist softball team has been picked to finish third in the MAAC for 2008, according to the preseason coaches’ poll released last week. Senior Megan Rigos (Pittsburgh, Pa.) was named the Preseason Pitcher of the Year and was named to the MAAC preseason team with teammate Melissa Giordano (Stamford, Conn.).
The Red Foxes finished with 59 points in the poll, five behind second-place Niagara and 17 behind top choice Canisius. Fairfield was picked fourth, followed by Saint Peter’s, Siena, Iona and Rider. Rigos was selected to the MAAC Preseason Team after leading Marist in wins, saves, innings pitched, strikeouts and shutouts last season. Giordano earned a spot on the MAAC preseason team’s infield after leading Marist with a .349 batting average with 61 hits.
2008 MAAC Softball Preseason Poll
1. Canisius, 76
2. Niagara, 64
3. Marist, 59
4. Fairfield, 53
5. Saint Peter’s, 51
6. Siena, 33
7. Iona, 30
8. Manhattan, 20
9. Rider, 19
2008 MAAC Preseason Team
• Erin Frank, catcher, Fairfield
• Katie Miranto, infielder, Canisius (POY)
• Melissa Giordano, infielder, Marist
• Tory Healy, infielder, Niagara
• Chrissy Gannon, infielder, Saint Peter’s
• Jennifer Granato, infielder, Siena
• Jenny Maheu, outfield, Canisius
• Julia Jacoby, outfield, Fairfield
• Kristin Kill, outfield, Niagara
• Tiffany Day-Neutill, outfield, Rider
• Danielle Just, designated player, Manhattan
• Cameron Norton, utility player, Canisius
• Megan Rigos, pitcher, Marist
Marist men end three-game skid
The Marist men’s basketball team snapped its three-game losing streak on Feb. 10, earning a 69-61 triumph over St. Peter’s at the Yanitelli Center.
The Red Foxes received a season-high 17 points from red-shirt junior forward Ryan Schneider (Yorktown Heights) and held the Peacocks without a field goal in the final 6:48.
The Red Foxes (15-10 overall, 9-5 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) had five double-digit scorers, led by Schneider, who drained four three-pointers. Senior swingman Ben Farmer (Clinton, Conn.) had 13 and did not miss in the contest, going 4-for-4 from the field, 3-for-3 from three-point range and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. Red-shirt sophomore point guard David Devezin (Houston, Texas) scored 11 – with eight coming in the second half – to go along with eight assists. Devezin played the entire game for the third game in a row. Benjamin, who had a team-high eight rebounds, and red-shirt senior forward Ryan Stilphen (Bay Village, Ohio) scored 10 apiece.
Marist trailed by nine at the half, but the Red Foxes outscored the Peacocks 44-27 after the intermission. Marist began the second half on a 12-2 run, and took the lead for good on two free throws by senior center Spongy Benjamin (St. Francis Village Erin, Trinidad) with 16:35 to play. St. Peter’s trailed by two with 3:47 to play, but the Red Foxes outscored the Peacocks 12-6 the rest of the way to seal the victory.
The Red Foxes trailed throughout the first half, as the Peacocks scored the game’s first five points. St. Peter’s jumped out to a 14-4 lead, but Marist answered with consecutive three-pointers by Schneider and freshman guard Jay Gavin (Seat Pleasant, Md.) to cut the lead to 14-10. However, that was as close as the Red Foxes would come in the first half, as the Peacocks led by as much as 12 before taking a 34-25 halftime lead.
Marist shot .667 (16-for-24) in the second half and .471 (24-for-51) for the game. The Red Foxes also shot 8-for-18 (.444) from three-point range. St. Peter’s shot .455 (20-for-44) for the game and just .286 (4-for-14) on three-pointers. Marist out-rebounded St. Peter’s by a 30-28 margin and committed just 14 turnovers while forcing 19 from Saint Peter’s.
Marist completed a season sweep over St. Peter’s for the second straight year with the victory.
he Red Foxes defeated the Peacocks 86-71 on Jan. 11.
The Red Foxes will return to action on Feb. 15 at Manhattan. The game will air on ESPNU and start at 8 p.m. at Draddy Gymnasium. Marist defeated Manhattan 76-66 at the McCann Center on Jan. 7.
