Emma O’Connor was ready for more, with Ockenden earning a spot in the opening night starting lineup. Kristina Danella had arrived from UMass and provided instant offense off the bench. As it turned out, Dulin’s role grew more than originally anticipated. Senior point guard Kristine Best suffered a season-ending knee injury in early December, and Dulin took over at the point. She ended up being the Red Foxes’ third-leading scorer behind Yarde and Gang. The first couple months of the Red Foxes’ season would follow a similar pattern over the next few seasons. There was a tough non-conference schedule in place that might include some growing pains, but there would also be plenty of highlights, and the team would be ready to go once conference played rolled around in January. Yarde left little suspense in her pursuit of 1,000 points, as she scored the Red Foxes’ first two of the season just 2:42 into the season opener against Villanova. The Red Foxes earned victories over Drake and South Dakota State in Cancun over Thanksgiving Weekend. They topped Auburn in a pre-Christmas Tournament hosted by Hofstra, which was their first win against an SEC team in program history. Marist had a 5-6 record on New Year’s Day, but was ready for another dominant run through the MAAC schedule. The Red Foxes zipped through MAAC play with a 17-1 record as they earned the #1 seed by two games over Fairfield. Although their streak of 34 straight wins against conference opponents came to an end, they went undefeated at home in MAAC play for the third straight season. Yarde was named Player of the Year, marking the fifth straight year a Red Fox had earned the honor. Brian Giorgis was named MAAC Coach of the Year for the sixth time. Gang was named Second Team All-MAAC, and Ockenden was a Third Team All-MAAC selection.
MAAC CHAMPIONSHIP RUN
The Red Foxes rolled to a 74-49 victory over Saint Peter’s in the MAAC Championship quarterfinal round the day prior to their showdown with Niagara. Just 13 days earlier, it took the Red Foxes double overtime to prevail on the road against the Purple Eagles. With a berth in the MAAC final at stake, it was clear Marist was facing another stiff challenge. As had been customary during this championship run, upperclassmen were ready to shine when the opportunity arose. Kelsey Beynnon picked a great time to have one of the signature games of her career. Marist’s 13-point deficit was whittled down to single digits for good with 8:29 to play on two free throws by Beynnon. With 4:47 to go, Beynnon’s jumper tied the game at 43. Niagara went back up by four, but a three-pointer by Yarde and jumper by Dulin
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MARIST ATHLETICS
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