BOSTON, Mass. ( Jan. 13, 2023) – Florida National University’s Aaliyah Abdala caught the inbound pass with just seconds left, dribbling out the clock to usher the Conquistadors’ first Continental Athletic Conference (CAC) win of the season. FNU’s (7-7) 66-45 victory over Fisher College (1-13) was due in large part to stellar performances from Janelisse Marty Marrero and Natalie Larranaga, and their combined 36 points in a dominant win for the visiting Conquistadors.
The first period saw FNU take a commanding 22-8 lead. Larranaga had a massive impact all over the floor, as she scored 12 points in the period. She also picked up two steals and a block on the other side of the court. FNU’s full-court pressure approach on defense helped force seven Falcon turnovers in the quarter.
The Conquistadors went 50% (11-22) from the floor and held Fisher to 21.4% (3-14) shooting heading into the second. Marty Marrero got it going early as well with four quick points.
Before halftime FNU was in complete control of the contest, owning a 32-16 point lead at the break. The Conquistadors had some great production from Catalina Valenzuela with four points on 1-3 shooting from the floor and 1-2 shooting from the charity stripe for the Santiago, Chile, native. Despite trailing by 16 points, the Falcons held FNU to just ten points in the second and used this momentum to produce a solid third quarter.
The Falcons outscored FNU 14-13 in the third period and cut FNU’s lead to just eight. But with the score sitting at 49-41 with 7:20 left on the clock FNU went on to outscore the Falcons 21-15 in the final quarter. Kathyann Fresse-Castillo continued her sharpshooting display from long distance going 2-5 on three point shots for six point in the third. Marty Marrero put up four points in the third on 2-4 shooting from inside.
Natalie Larranaga racked up nine points in the fourth to ice out the Falcons on the road. The Conquistadors shot 50% in the fourth and forced 33 Fisher turnovers in the contest.
Larranaga ended the night with 24 points, five rebounds and seven assists while Marty Marrero tallied 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Up Next: Women’s basketball hits the hardwood Jan. 14 against Washington Adventist at 6:00 p.m.
