Marist women keep rolling in MAAC

It just doesn't seem to matter who the Marist women's basketball team is playing these days, the wins keep on coming.  Two conference wins just this past week over Rider and Loyola move the Red Foxes to 8-0 in MAAC play, and the women are showing no signs of stopping. 

Last Wednesday featured a blowout win over Rider, by a score of 76-54, in a game that really wasn't even as close as the 22 point margin.  Kelsey Beynnon had a career high 18 points to go along with a career high 17 points from Leanne Ockenden to lead Marist in the rout.

"We played in spurts, but when we played well, I thought we played extremely well," Marist head coach Brian Giorgis said.  "We obviously shot the basketball very well today."

The Red Foxes followed up the victory over the Broncs with a hard fought game over Loyola, in which they were never quite able to pull away.  Although it was a little bit closer than many wins in recent memory, Marist was able to take a tough test from a gritty Loyola squad, and handle it with flying colors.

"It was kind of funny, I went into the locker room and said ‘kids this is a tremendous win', and they all looked at me like they thought they we're going to get screamed at, but it really was, because it's the first time anyone's really gone after them since Hofstra and Auburn," Marist head coach Brian Giorgis said.

Even though they went through a tough start, going just 5-6 in non-conference play, the Red Foxes are exactly where they need to be as they approach the halfway point of conference play.  In a traditionally one-bid school like the MAAC, conference play really what matters most, and Marist is hitting its stride at the most important time of the season. 

One of the main reasons for the rise in play is the consistency throughout the lineup, particularly in the starting five.  Marist has gotten great play from its starters recently, and the ability to have five legitimate scoring options has been probably the biggest key to the team's success. 

"On any given night we have about eight to ten people who can score in double digits," Giorgis said.  "We want people to know that they can't sag off somebody, because that person's going to hurt them.  If we have everyone involved in the offense it just makes us that much tougher to deal with."

One player in particular who has played especially well recently is sophomore guard Leanne Ockenden, who has stood out at both ends of the floor.  Always known for her sharp shooting at the offensive end, she has developed a confidence which has allowed her to hit shots she might not have last year.

"Sometimes I miss a few threes, but I just have to keep on shooting and I knocked a couple down which helped us," Ockenden said after the Rider game.

In addition to her offensive game, it is her defensive game which has come to light recently, and she has established herself as one of the top shutdown guards in the MAAC.  Ockenden typically draws the top guard on the opposing team as an assignment, something which she has excelled at all season.

"She's been our defensive stalwart all year, and she's done the best job in the conference," Giorgis said.  "Again, we saw someone having a poor shooting percentage with [Leanne] on her.  She's long, and the one thing I think she does best is that she contests shots."

Another player who has stood out in a positive way is junior forward Kelsey Beynnon, who set a career high with 18 points against Rider, followed up with a solid 12 against Loyola.  Beynnon's ability to get to the rim has been outstanding recently and has allowed her to excel as an offensive player. 

"I'm just trying to get in there and not really think and just kind of let things go," Beynnon said.  "I wouldn't really call myself a selfish player, so I don't think [I look for my own shot].  I take the shot when it's open, but I'm not always looking for my own shot."

The rest of the starting five , consisting of senior guard Corielle Yarde, sophomore guard Casey Dulin and senior forward Brandy Gang has been solid as well.  Dulin was handed the task of filling in for the injured Kristine Best at the point and has done an admirable job of doing so. 

Yarde and Gang have been the backbone of the team all season and are currently the only two Red Foxes in double digits in scoring with 15.2 and 11.6 points per game respectively.  Yarde is also the teams leading rebounder, averaging 6.8 per game, and the leader in assists with 85 on the season.