MAAC Women's Hoops Set to Tip-Off Conference Play Tonight
MAAC Sports
EDISON, NJ – The 2016-17 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Women’s Basketball conference schedule is set to tip-off tonight when Manhattan College hosts Marist College at 7:00 p.m. from Draddy Gymnasium.
The Jaspers and Red Foxes will be the only teams in action this evening. Manhattan College is off to a (3-2) start through their first five games, earning victories over Holy Cross, Yale, and Brown. The Jaspers are allowing 59.6 points per game and have limited opponents to 36.5% shooting from the field, which both rank as the third-lowest marks in the MAAC respectively. Manhattan leads the conference as a team in both total blocks (27) and blocks per game (5.4).
Manhattan has been led by juniors Amani Tatum and Kayla Grimme, who are tied for the team-lead in scoring, averaging 9.2 points per contest. Tatum leads the MAAC with 5.0 assists per game and ranks third in the league with 3.2 steals per game. Grimme leads the league in blocks (19) and blocks per game (3.8). Grimme’s 3.8 blocks per game is tied for the sixth-most in the nation. The junior is averaging 7.8 rebounds per game, the third-most per game in the conference.
Marist is (1-6) through their first seven games of the season. The Red Foxes earned their first win of the season in their last outing on November 24. Marist defeated North Carolina A&T, 69-64 in the Savannah Invitational. The Red Foxes were led by freshman guard Rebekah Hand, who scored a career-high 28 points and recorded 12 rebounds for her second-career double-double. Marist received a pair of 13-point performances from freshman guard Hannah Hand and sophomore guard Claire Oberdorf en route to victory.
Rebekah Hand has been named the MAAC Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Week twice this season (November 21 & November 28). Hand is averaging 14.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game through her first seven colligate contests. Hand ranks sixth in the MAAC in scoring and second in rebounding.
Conference play will continue on Thursday, December 1 with two games on the schedule. Siena College will take on Fairfield University at 7:00 p.m. from Loudonville, NY. Saint Peter’s University will host Quinnipiac University at 7:00 p.m. from Jersey City, NJ.
Three games will follow on Friday, December 2. Niagara University will take on Monmouth University at 7:00 p.m. from Niagara University, NY. Iona College will host Manhattan College at 7:00 p.m. from New Rochelle, NY and Canisius College will take on Rider University at 7:00 p.m. from Buffalo, NY. On Saturday, December 3, Quinnipiac will host Siena at 7:00 p.m. from Hamden, CT in the only game of the day.
Teams will return to the court on Sunday, December 4 for a full slate of conference action with four contests on the schedule. All four games will tip-off at 2:00 p.m. Canisius will host Monmouth from Buffalo, NY, Niagara will face Rider from Niagara University, NY, Marist will take on Saint Peter’s from Poughkeepsie, NY, and Fairfield goes head-to-head with Iona from Fairfield, CT. Conference play will resume on Friday, December 30.
The 2016-17 MAAC season culminates at the 2017 MAAC Basketball Championships, March 2-6 at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY. The 2017 MAAC Women’s Basketball Championship Game will take place on Monday, March 6 at 5:00 p.m. and will air live on ESPNU with the winner earning the leagues automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
For all up-to-date information on the 2017 MAAC Basketball Championship, visit maacsports.com/basketball.