MAAC Women's Basketball Gets Started This Weekend
MAAC Sports
Edison, NJ - The 2009-10 MAAC Women's Basketball season gets underway this weekend, beginning with seven non-conference matchups on Friday, November 13.
Marist, the four-time defending conference champions, begin the quest for another title at home against North Carolina A&T in a Preseason WNIT first round contest. Rider, picked fourth in the MAAC Preseason Poll, opens its season for the second straight year against Seton Hall, with the Pirates making the short trip to Lawrenceville. Manhattan begins its season at Draddy Gymnasium as they host St. Francis (N.Y.), while Niagara will welcome local rival Buffalo to the Gallagher Center. Loyola and Saint Peter's start the new campaign on the road in Pennsylvania, as the Greyhounds travel to Philadelphia to take on La Salle and the Peahens meet Lafayette in Easton.
Three more MAAC schools open their season on Saturday. Fairfield will visit Rhode Island at The Ryan Center, while Canisius, coming off a 20-win season and its first WNIT berth, heads down to Maryland to take on Mount St. Mary's. Iona opens the new year with a Tip-Off Tournament at the Hynes Athletic Center. The Gaels will face Pac-10 member Arizona on Saturday night followed by either Bucknell or Miami (Ohio) on Sunday afternoon.
Siena is the last MAAC school to begin its season, opening the new campaign against the Fighting Illini of Illinois in Champaign on Sunday evening. Other games on Sunday include Marist in a to-be-announced WNIT contest, Loyola hosting Army, Manhattan travelling to Virginia to face the Cavaliers, and Niagara at home versus Duquesne.