You probably can't blame Marist coach Brian Giorgis for bristling a little after being asked about his team's lacklustre early play in its quarterfinal-round game against Canisius.
"I guess people expect us to come out and score 100 points and shoot 50 percent from the field," said Giorgis.
Instead the Red Foxes began their quest for a fifth straight MAAC women's tournament title by only shooting 33.3 percent from the field and scoring just a little more than half of 100 points.
But, it was more than enough for Marist to earn a 57-38 victory over Canisius on Friday afternoon.
The low score wasn't that surprising against an opponent that also held Marist to its lowest point total of the season, a 54-45 Red Fox victory in regular-season play on Jan. 19.
And, in Friday's game Canisius was still within a point, 19-18, with slightly more than four minutes left in the first half.
For much o fthe second half, though, Marist got more than enough offense and a defensive effort that held Canisius without a point in the final 8:40 of the contest.
Guard Corielle Yard led the winners with 16 points and nine rebounds, while three-time Player of the Year Rachele Fitz added 12 and eight and point guard Kristine Best chipped in with 10 points.
Canisius also committed 14 turnovers, and Marist, among the national leaders in fewest turnovers per game, only gave it away seven times Friday.
Canisius got a game-high 17 points from senior point guard Brittane Russell to finish with a 12-19 overall mark.
Marist, now 24-7, faces off with Niagara in an 11:30 a.m. semifinal-round contest Saturday morning.
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