EMMITSBURG, Md. (January 19, 2023) – Two sharpshooting guards were on the top of their game tonight at Knott Arena. Mount St. Mary's got seven triples and 29 points from
Michaela Harrison, but Marist's Kiara Fisher scored 44 points, pushing the Red Foxes to an 83-77 victory Thursday.
The Mount falls to 7-10 (3-5 MAAC this season).
Three more Mountaineers posted double figures in the contest.
Jessica Tomasetti had 15 points and came within a rebound of a double-double.
Natalie Villaflor added 11, as did
Aryna Taylor, repeating her season high effort for the second straight game.
Fisher's 44 point total for Marist is a program record for their side, and the most points for any game on the Knott Arena floor since Sam Prescott scored 44 in a men's game against Bryant on February 14, 2013. As for women's games only, it's the second most behind Kim Rhock's 50 point game in 1990. Marist also received 20 points from Zaria Shazer and 10 from Jackie Piddock.
No lead seemed safe or insurmountable during the game. The Red Foxes built the first charge, developing a 19-10 advantage. Villaflor's trey late in the first stemmed the tide but the Mountaineers found themselves down eight at period's end. A blistering run towards halftime reversed fortunes thanks to an and-one from
Isabella Hunt and back-to-back Taylor threes to post a 38-34 halftime lead for the home team.
Harrison hit her stride in the third quarter. Replicating Taylor's feat, the graduate student hit back-to-back from long range and
Jo Raflo added a third for good measure. At the 4:09 mark, Harrison sent the crowd into a frenzy with another triple to make it 55-43 Mount. Then in an instant, the offense went quiet, and Marist took full advantage.
Beginning inauspiciously with a pair of Fisher free throws, the Red Foxes took control for the rest of the quarter. Catching fire, Marist scored on four straight possessions to eliminate the deficit. Fisher's 29
th and 30
th points on possession number five transferred the lead to the visitors. They would go on to put together a 21-0 run before Hunt's free throw at 9:10 in the fourth broke the streak.
The duo of Taylor and Harrison did their best to produce on offense and lead the rest of the team, but the Mount never got closer than four points the rest of the way.
Mount St. Mary's battles Saint Peter's in Jersey City Saturday (Jan. 21).
