In the championship game, the Red Foxes had several surges, but the Golden Griffins didn’t let them out of their sight. A 12-point first-half Marist lead was countered with a 10-0 Canisius run. The Red Foxes lead was back at 10 after 20 minutes, and reached a game high of 13 early in the second half. Canisius dug in, and it was clear this one was going down to the wire as the final minutes approached. The Golden Griffins got within one on a Stevens basket with 55 seconds left. On Marist’s next possession, Maureen Magarity tied up Lonnie Brown going for a rebound, and the possession arrow gave the ball to the Red Foxes. Stephanie Del Preore’s 29th and 30th points of the contest came on two free throws with 18 seconds left, but Brown had a putback on Canisius’ next possession. With six seconds left, Nina Vecchio went 1-for-2 from the line to put Marist up two. On Canisius’ final possession, a mid-range runner from Becky Zak came up short. Marist 76, Canisius 74. The Red Foxes never trailed in the game, and they were going dancing for the first time in program history. Del Preore, who finished the championship game with 30 points and 16 rebounds, was Tournament MVP. Magarity, who had 18 points and five rebounds in the final, was named to the MAAC All-Tournament Team. EPILOGUE In its first NCAA Tournament, Marist earned a #14 seed and was rewarded with some warm weather. The Red Foxes flew to Tempe, Arizona to face third-seeded Oklahoma in what would be the first of several match-ups with the Sooners over the next decade. Oklahoma led by 20 midway through the second half, but Marist used a 15-0 run to close within five with four minutes to go. Ultimately, clutch free throw shooting by the Sooners propelled them to a 58-45 victory.
19
Thank You, Coach Giorgis
Made with FlippingBook Annual report maker