Monmouth, Manhattan, and Niagara Advance to Quarterfinals
No. 9 Monmouth University - 61 | No. 8 Canisius College - 58
2018 Women’s Basketball Championship First Round
Times Union Center
Albany, NY
No. 9 Monmouth (10-20) came back to clip No. 8 Canisius (10-20) 61-58 to move onto the quarterfinals of the 2018 MAAC Women’s Basketball Championship. The Hawks led for only the final 1:57 to take down the Golden Griffins, behind 22 points from Rhaiah Spooner-Knight.
Monmouth Notes
• Monmouth will face No. 1 seed Quinnipiac in the quarterfinals on Friday at 1 p.m. on ESPN3.
• Spooner-Knight’s 22 points marks her second 20+ scoring output in last three games.
• Kayla Shaw was the second Hawk in double figures with 13 points; including the go-ahead three-pointer in the fourth.
• Monmouth wins opening game of the MAAC Championship for the fifth straight season.
• The Hawks shot 49-percent and 55-percent after the first quarter.
Canisius Notes
• Sara Hinriksdottir led the Golden Griffins with 18 points and added five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
• Freshman Danielle Sanderlin had 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
• Forced 26 Monmouth turnovers and scored 23 points off of those.
• Canisius is now 0-2 all-time against Monmouth in the MAAC Tournament.
No. 7 Manhattan College - 55 | No. 10 Iona College - 39
2018 Women’s Basketball Championship First Round
Times Union Center
Albany, NY
No. 7 Manhattan (13-17) pulled away from No. 10 Iona (2-28) in the second half and punched its ticket to the quarterfinals with a 55-39 win. The Jaspers will play No. 2 seed Marist on Friday at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN3. Kayla Grimme of Manhattan led all scorers with 16 points and pulled down eight rebounds.
Manhattan Notes
• The Jaspers are now 3-3 in their last three first games at the MAAC Championship
• Kayla Grimme led the Jaspers in scoring for the 14th time this season.
• The Jaspers outscored the Gaels by nine in the third and eighth in the fourth to create the winning margin.
• Manhattan has held four opponents under 40 points this season after Thursday’s win.
Iona Notes
• First time since the 2015 MAAC Championship that Iona did not win its first game
• Jayden Eggleston led the Gaels with 15 points. The freshman also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
• Alexis Lewis continued her scoring efforts off the bench with 12.
No. 6 Niagara University 60, No. 11 Saint Peter’s University 48
2018 Women’s Basketball Championship First Round
Times Union Center
Albany, NY
No. 6 Niagara (13-17) fended off No. 11 Saint Peter’s (4-25) to clinch the last spot in the Quarterfinals with a 60-48 win. A trio of Purple Eagles scored in double figures, led by Victoria Rampado’s 15. Niagara will play No. 3 seed Siena on Saturday at 12 p.m. on ESPN3.
Niagara Notes
• Rampado (15 points), Jai Moore (13), and Jamie Sherburne (11) paced the offense for the Purple Eagles.
• Third time in the last four years that the Purple Eagles have advanced to the quarterfinals.
• Defensively, the Purple Eagles forced 25 Saint Peter’s turnovers, 18 coming via steals.
• The win moves Niagara to 4-1 in its last five games.
Saint Peter’s Notes
• Zoe Pero led the Peacocks with 14 points and added seven rebounds, and two blocks.
• Defensively, Saint Peter’s forced 18 turnovers and rejected six Niagara shots.
• The Peacocks controlled the glass to a 45-34 advantage and were plus-six on the offensive end.
About the 2018 MAAC Basketball Championships:
For more information on the 2018 MAAC Basketball Championships, visit
maacsports.com/basketball. Be sure to follow the conversation on all social media platforms by using #MAACHoops18.
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.