East Carolina Puts Away Marist, 70-68, In Savannah Invitational Opener

Tuesday, November 22

Savannah, Ga

2 PM

East Carolina University

4-1

Marist

0-5

Marist

East Carolina

East Carolina Puts Away Marist, 70-68, In Savannah Invitational Opener

November 22, 2016 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Redshirt senior guard Antoinette Bannister knocked down three free throws with 10 seconds remaining on the clock to lift East Carolina to a 70-68 non-conference victory over Metro Atlantic Conference powerhouse Marist in the opening game of the Savannah Invitational at MLK Arena.

Graduate forward Kristen Gaffney paced all scorers with 23 points on 11-for-15 shooting from the field while redshirt senior forward Bre McDonald posted a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds (six offensive). Senior guard Fanni Csutoras also reached double figures, scoring 10 points with a pair of three-point field goals.

Rebekah Hand led the Red Foxes with 21 points and six rebounds while adding three assists. Her sister, Hannah Hand, recorded eight assists and grabbed two steals.

East Carolina shot the ball at 46.8 percent (29-for-62) as a team, including 69.2 percent in the fourth quarter, while Marist fired at a 41.4 percent clip. The Pirates dominated the glass, pulling down 44 rebounds to the Red Foxes' 27 and racking up 19 offensive boards that turned into 14 second-chance points. ECU's bench chipped in with 28 points while Marist received just four points from its two reserves. The Red Foxes kept themselves in the game thanks to nine made three-point field goals.

Team Records: East Carolina (4-1) | Marist (0-5)

HEAD COACH HEATHER MACY QUOTE
"We gutted this one out for 40 minutes but our cardiac kids kept going. All 11 on our team can really play basketball. I love that because this is a team sport. Any of our players can come in and give us big minutes and you saw that at different stretches of the game. This was a big win because Marist is a traditionally excellent, well-coached basketball team with a rich history. They will be very good in their league.

"I want to especially thank our players' families because they are sacrificing a lot for us to be here. It is important for them to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with their kids and we sure have a lot to be thankful for."

FIRST QUARTER
Gaffney started quickly, scoring four points in the first minute of the contest thanks to some nice work in the post. A jumper by sophomore Alex Frazier at the 5:32 mark gave East Carolina a 6-1 edge but the Red Foxes evened the score by netting the next five points. A triple by Hand afforded Marist its first lead of the day at 9-8 with 3:50 on the clock, but a McDonald layup with four ticks left in the quarter capped an 8-4 ECU run that left the Pirates with a 16-13 advantage heading to the second.

SECOND QUARTER
McDonald picked up right where she left off as the second stanza commenced, knocking home a layup to increase the East Carolina cushion to five. Following a layup by Morgan Bartner and a Claire Oberdorf three-pointer, the score settled at an 18-18 deadlock. The Pirates attempted to establish some breathing room as the period wore on, taking a four-point lead after a Gaffney jumper at the 4:14 mark. However, the Red Foxes jumped in front 29-28 thanks to a Lovi Henningsdottir layup with 55 seconds to play. Csutoras returned the lead to ECU with a mid-range jumper before Hannah Hand drained a free throw to knot the score at 30 with 19 seconds remaining. East Carolina would have the last word of the half as redshirt junior guard Gabrielle Holston grabbed a loose ball in the paint and stuck it back at the buzzer to send the Pirates to the locker room ahead by a pair.

Gaffney ended the first half with 10 points while R. Hand poured in 12 for Marist while McDonald grabbed a half-high eight rebounds. ECU enjoyed a 28-12 advantage on the glass and the teams combined for just 12 turnovers. The Pirates shot 14-for-33 (42.4 percent) from the field in the first 20 minutes while the Red Foxes were 10-for-27 (37.0 percent).

THIRD QUARTER
East Carolina began to assert itself a bit as the second half commenced, taking a four-point lead on a jumper by Gaffney. Henningsdottir gave her team a quick 35-34 lead with a three-pointer, but a quick 11-4 burst sparked by a McDonald jumper, pushed the Pirates ahead 45-39 at the 4:16 mark. Marist began to find its range from beyond the arc, nailing three triples in the remainder of the frame to carry a 50-47 edge into the final quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER
Maura Fitzpatrick notched the first four points to stretch the Red Foxes' lead to 54-47, but Frazier hit a jumper and Bannister drained a deep three to cut the ECU deficit to just two with 7:59 left to play. Marist pulled in front by eight following a Fitzpatrick layup at the 5:12 mark, but the Pirates began to chip away. Freshman guard Dominique Claytor hit a tough jumper to draw East Carolina within 63-61 with 3:02 on the clock, but H. Hand nailed a three to push the Red Foxes' advantage back to five.

ECU began to clamp down on defense and held Marist without a point over the next two minutes. Meanwhile, McDonald hit a jumper and Gaffney scored a pair of buckets – the last with 44 seconds remaining – to forge the Pirates into the lead at 67-66. Oberdorf took advantage of two free throw opportunities with 22 ticks on the clock, leaving the Red Foxes clinging to a one-point lead.

Bannister hoisted up a three-point try that missed on East Carolina's ensuing possession, but she was fouled by Fitzpatrick and was awarded with a trip to the charity stripe. She calmly hit all three free throw attempts and Marist's last-ditch effort from the wing missed short to seal the victory for the Purple and Gold.

UP NEXT
East Carolina returns to action at the Savannah Classic Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., taking on No. 19 West Virginia.