2012 MAAC Women's Basketball Championship Bracket
Springfield, Mass. - Casey Dulin
(Milford, Conn.) scored a career-high 20 points, on 8-11 shooting and
3-4 from three-point range, as the top-seeded Marist women's basketball
team handled #9 Saint Peter's Friday afternoon in the Metro Atlantic
Athletic Conference (MAAC) quarterfinals at the MassMutual Center.
The eight field goals and three three-pointers were also career-highs
for Dulin and she added five rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two
steals. Corielle Yarde
(Reading, Pa.), who was named the MAAC Player of the Year on Thursday,
finished with her third double-double of the season with 12 points and
12 rebounds. Leanne Ockenden (Syracuse, N.Y.) had 15 points and five boards and Brandy Gang
(Hartville, Ohio) was also in double figures with 10 points. The Red
Foxes shot 49% (27-55) for the game and had seven blocks on the
defensive end.
Marist (23-7, 17-1 MAAC) opened the game on a 9-0 run, as the defense
held Saint Peter's (5-26, 4-14 MAAC) to 0-6 shooting, while Dulin and
Gang each had a block. Meanwhile, four of the Red Foxes' starters put
points on the board, let by three from Gang on a layup and free throw.
Ockenden, Kelsey Beynnon (Burlington, Vt.) and Yarde also all had buckets.
They maintained that lead throughout the rest of the half before
closing the opening period on a 13-2 run that left them doubling up the
Peahens at the break 36-18. Dulin and Yarde started the run, hitting
three shots from the free-throw line. Dulin then hit her second trey and
a layup, surrounding a Peahens' basket. Yarde followed that with a
layup of her own and Ockenden hit a long three-pointer at the buzzer to
close the scoring.
Dulin and Ockenden led all scorers at the break with 13 and eight points, respectively. Yarde had six points and eight boards. Emily Stallings (Newburgh, N.Y.) had four rebounds in nine minutes off the bench.
The two teams went shot for shot to begin the second half. Yarde hit a
three-pointer and Gang made a layup to match Peahens's baskets and
maintain a comfortable lead.
Saint Peter's cut the lead to 14 at 49-35 with 10:36 left, Marist
used a 12-4 run over a five minute span to break the game open again at
61-42. Beynnon and Ockenden hit consecutive baskets to start the streak.
After a pair of Peahen's free throws, Beynnon converted a three-point
play, off of a Dulin assist. Ockenden scored the final five points of
the run. She first made a nice cut for a lay-in, then hit her third
three-pointer of the game to give Marist a 19-point lead with 5:06 left.
Yarde assisted both of Ockenden's baskets.
The Red Foxes advance to the semifinals where they will play the
winner of the quarterfinal matchup between #4 Loyola and #5 Niagara. The semifinal game will tip-off at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 3 and will be broadcast live on ESPN3.