Marist Red Foxes
MAAC (25-7, 17-1)
Coach Brian Giorgis wanted to defend the MAAC title that Marist won in 2011. He accomplished that goal. Despite losing point guard Kristine Best just six games into the season, the Red Foxes offense continued to be efficient and productive. This is a team that will pass the ball around and take their time finding the right shot for the right person from the right spot.
Big Wins: 11/25 vs South Dakota State (57-49), 12/1 Hartford (57-51), 1/12 at Fairfield (59-47)
Bad Losses: 12/10 at Boston U (36-49), 12/22 at Hofstra (69-71), 2/4 at Manhattan (44-48)
Coach: Brian Giorgis (10 seasons at Marist)
Why They Can Surprise:
Guard Corielle Yarde is the team’s best scorer, but she also had to take over some of the ball handling duties for Marist. She has managed to do everything without much of a problem. She is a decent outside shooter, but she can score in bunches inside the arc. Yarde even led the team in rebounds and turned into a very effective passer. Yarde will lead this group, but the backcourt has plenty of other scoring options. Leanne Ockenden and Casey Dulin both have good size for wings. Ockenden will do most of her scoring from beyond the arc, while Dulin is more apt to attack the basket and finish around the rim. Kelsey Beynnon and Kristina Danella are both listed as wings, but at 6-2 and 6-1, respectively, they spend most of their time at the four and five spots. Wherever they play, both can stretch out the opposing defense with their shooting ability and score in the paint. Natalie Gomez has been forced into a larger role with Best out of the picture. Gomez is just a freshman and leaves the scoring to the more experienced players, but she will work hard during her 15 or so minutes of playing time per game.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Despite having decent size overall, Marist lacks a dominating presence in the paint. Brandy Gang, a 6-2 senior, is a good scorer who can make some opposing bigs very uncomfortable when she roams out on the perimeter, but those bigs will get the best of her on the other end of the floor. Gang is not a shot blocker or a rebounder and Marist really struggles on the glass for that reason. Everybody on the team will hit the glass and their offensive versatility is a big plus, but the Red Foxes cannot afford to get outrebounded against quality competition if they hope to pull off an upset or two. And this is a team that usually gets outrebounded by everybody, so when they go up against a big, strong post player in the tournament, they better make their shots on the other end because they will not have much luck getting any second chance opportunities or stopping good post players from scoring pretty easily.
Probable Starters:
Corielle Yarde, Senior, Guard, 14.1 ppg, 4.2 apg, 6.6 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Leanne Ockenden, Sophomore, Guard, 8.9 ppg, 1.7 apg
Casey Dulin, Sophomore, Guard, 9.4 ppg, 3.1 apg, 4.3 rpg
Kelsey Beynnon, Junior, Forward, 8.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg
Brandy Gang, Senior, Forward, 12.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Kristina Danella, Junior, Forward, 6.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg
Natalie Gomez, Freshman, Guard, 1.8 ppg, 1.9 apg
Emily Stallings, Senior, Forward, 1.5 ppg, 1.9 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 64.4 (124th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 55.9 (51, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 41.4 (69, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 35.6 (37, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.1 (20, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 31.7 (106, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.4 (33, 2)
Rebound Margin: -4.7 (293, 9)
Assists Per Game: 15.2 (36, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.7 (13, 1)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
Marist 2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Iowa State
Marist 2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Duke
Marist 2010 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Georgetown
Marist 2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Virginia
Marist 2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over DePaul
Marist 2008 NCAA Round of 32 loss to LSU
Marist 2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Ohio State
Marist 2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Middle Tennessee
Marist 2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Tennessee
*all team stats through 3/1
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
