MAAC Women’s Basketball Conference Play Tips-Off on Thursday

12/27/2017 9:52:03 AM

EDISON, NJ – The conference portion of the 2017-18 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) women’s basketball schedule is set to tip-off on Thursday, December 28. Each institution plays an unbalanced 18-game league schedule, with nine home games and nine away games.

MAAC Conference Schedule (through games played on December 31, 2017):

Thursday, December 28:

Siena vs. Quinnipiac | 5 p.m. | Hamden, CT | ESPN3 | Stats
Marist vs. Rider | 7 p.m. | Lawrenceville, NJ | Video | Stats
Saint Peter’s vs. Manhattan | 7 p.m. | Riverdale, NY | Video | Stats

Friday, December 29:

Fairfield vs. Canisius | 2 p.m. | Buffalo, NY | ESPN3 | Stats

Saturday, December 30:

Siena vs. Rider | 2 p.m. | Lawrenceville, NJ | Video | Stats
Iona vs. Niagara | 3 p.m. | Niagara University, NY | Video | Stats
Monmouth vs. Marist | 7 p.m. | Poughkeepsie, NY | ESPN3 | Stats

Sunday, December 31:

Quinnipiac vs. Manhattan | 2 p.m. | Riverdale, NY | Video | Stats

League Notes:

As of December 23, 2017, the MAAC ranks fourth in the nation in strength of schedule as a conference. The MAAC only trails the Big East, Pacific 12, and Southeastern in conference strength of schedule.
Quinnipiac ranks fifth in the nation in strength of schedule as of December 23. The Bobcats trail Connecticut, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and St. John’s in strength of schedule. The Bobcats are currently 17^th in the CollegeInsider.com Women’s Basketball Mid-Major Top 25 Poll.
A total of 71 MAAC Women’s Basketball games will air on the ESPN family of networks in 2017-18.
Quinnipiac hosts Marist on Thursday, January 11, at 10 a.m. on ESPNU.
Three MAAC women’s basketball student-athletes have tallied 30-point performances during non-conference play. Manhattan’s senior center Kayla Grimme recorded 32 points against Sacred Heart on November 15. Rider’s senior guard Kamila Hoskova matched Grimme’s league-high scoring output with 32 points on December 9, versus Mount St. Mary’s. Siena’s senior guard Kollyns Scarbrough scored 30 points against Harvard on November 15.
Niagara’s red-shirt senior forward Victoria Rampado leads the league in scoring with 19.7 points per game and ranks second in rebounds per game with 9.2. The forward leads the conference with five double-doubles and has been named MAAC Player of the Week twice this season (conference-high).
Iona’s freshman guard Toyosi Abiola has been named MAAC Rookie of the Week a league-high four times through the week of December 26.
The Bobcats were voted the unanimous favorite in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Quinnipiac’s junior guard/forward Aryn McClure was selected as the Preseason Player of the Year.
Marist placed second in the MAAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll with 109 points overall.

The 2018 MAAC Basketball Championships returns to the Times Union Center in Albany, NY from March 1-5, for the fourth year in a row and continues to be the host site for the Championships through 2019. This year’s Basketball Championships marks the 19^th time that Albany will host the event, more than any other location.

The Women’s Basketball Championship game takes place on Monday, March 5 at 2:30 p.m. and airs live on ESPNU, with the winner earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.

For all information on the 2018 MAAC Basketball Championships, visit maacsports.com/basketball. Be sure to follow the conversation on all social media platforms by using #MAACHoops.

About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 37^th year of competition during the 2017-18 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena College.