Marist-Middle Tennessee Preview

3/18/2007 11:17 AM

By JEFF MEZYDLO
STATS Writer

If Marist is to pull off a second consecutive upset in the NCAA tournament, it will have to do it against the nation's hottest team.

Coming off the biggest win in school history, the 13th-seeded Red Foxes will face fifth-seeded Middle Tennessee- holder of the longest current winning streak at 27 games - on Monday in a second-round game of the Dayton Regional at Stanford, Calif.

Marist (28-5) upset No. 4 seed Ohio State 67-63 in the first round Saturday for the school's first NCAA tournament victory. The Red Foxes lost first-round games by double digits in each of their two previous appearances in 2004 and 2006.

"It's the best win in our school's history,'' Marist coach Brian Giorgis said. "Just a tremendous job to beat a top-10 school. They believed. I looked in every single one of their eyes, and they believed. ... It's the true dream season thus far.''

Julianne Viani, who averages 10.1 points, scored 24 on 7-for-11 shooting and went 6-for-10 from 3-point range as the Red Foxes shot 62.0 percent from the field in the second half. Rachele Fitz, the team's leading scorer at 15.1 points per game, had 16 points on 8-for-16 shooting.

"The feeling, I can't describe it in words," Viani said. "I definitely felt it. We all just had such a peace and they were falling.''

Located about 90 miles north of New York City in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Marist has won seven straight games and 19 of 20. The Foxes won the MAAC regular-season and tournament titles.

"We just got sick and tired of people underestimating us,'' said junior Meg Dahlman.

Though Middle Tennessee (30-3) has not lost since Nov. 26 to then-No. 4 Tennessee, the Blue Raiders are trying to reach the round of 16 for the first time.

Leading scorer Chrissy Givens had 24 points and Amber Holt added 23 as Middle Tennessee crushed 12th-seeded Gonzaga 85-46 on Saturday.

"The biggest thing we were harping on is it doesn't matter what the other team does. If we execute the way we're capable, we're going to come out victorious,'' said Givens, who averages 22.8 points and was named Sun Belt Conference player of the year for the second straight season. "Defense plays a big part of us jumping into our offense.''

The Blue Raiders, who average 80.0 points per game, topped that mark for the first time in eight games thanks to 48.0 percent shooting from the field and scored 43 points off 37 turnovers.

Middle Tennessee, which is making its fourth straight NCAA tournament appearance, lost as a No. 12 seed to No. 5 Utah 76-71 in the first round last season.

"We came into this tournament with a goal that we take every game at a time and when we believe that goal we believe that every game is one step towards a national championship," Givens said.

Monday is the first meeting between the two schools.