Quinnipiac & Marist to Play for MAAC Women's Basketball Championship
No. 1 Quinnipiac University – 82 | No. 5 Rider University - 62
2018 Women’s Basketball Championship Semifinals
Times Union Center
Albany, NY
No. 1 seed Quinnipiac (25-5) fell behind 9-0 to No. 5 Rider (14-16) before the Bobcats went on a 21-3 run over the next 18:24 to take a 23-12 lead and keep the Broncs at bay from there to win 82-62. Quinnipiac advanced to the program’s fifth straight MAAC Championship Game and is a win away from back-to-back titles. Quinnipiac will play Marist on Monday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
Quinnipiac Notes:
• Junior forward Aryn McClure had 24 points (11-of-15) and added six rebounds and three assists.
• The Bobcats have reached the MAAC Championship Game all four years that the championship has returned to Albany in 2015.
• The win is Quinnipiac’s 21st in a row, which is the sixth longest in the nation.
• The Bobcats extend their streak of wins against MAAC foes to 30, which is fourth in the nation against conference foes.
• Junior forward Jen Fay had 17 points, four assists, and three rebounds. Junior forward Paula Strautmane added 12 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks.
Rider Notes:
• The Broncs reached at least the semifinals for the second straight season—first time ever.
• Sophomore guard Stella Johnson had 24 points to lead the way on 9-of-22 shooting. Two other Broncs were in double figures.
• Rider led for the first 6:37 of the game before Quinnipiac responded with their run that spanned the first and second quarters.
• The Broncs lost the rebounding battle 41-33 and scoring on the inside, 48-18.
No. 2 Marist College 67 | No. 3 Siena College 51
2018 Women’s Basketball Championship Semifinals
Times Union Center
Albany, NY
No. 2 Marist College (20-12) advanced to its 13th MAAC Championship Game in program history with a 67-51 over No. 3 Siena College (17-14). The Red Foxes’ 13th appearance is a new conference record.
Marist Notes:
• The Red Foxes will face Quinnipiac for the third time since the 2014 title game. Marist is 1-1 in the previous two encounters.
• Marist is 10-2 in its previous appearances in the championship game.
• Red-shirt sophomore forward Alana Gilmer scored 22 points—fourth straight 20-point game—to lead the way.
• Sophomore guard Rebekah Hand filled the stat sheet with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds and added six assists.
• Junior guard Maura Fitzpatrick went 6-of-8 from the field for 13 points and pulled down seven rebounds.
Siena Notes:
• Senior guard Kollyns Scarbrough was the lone Saint in double figures with 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
• The Saints had 15 steals for the second straight game in the MAAC Championship. Siena scored 14 points off the 15 steals against Marist.
• Siena went 16-of-20 (80%) from the free throw line, but went 16-of-61 (26%) from the field.
Championship Game Notes
• Fourth straight year that the top two seeds will meet for the title.
• Either Quinnipiac or Marist will be the conference champion for the 13th time in the last 15 years. Marist has 10 titles, Quinnipiac two.
• A win by Quinnipiac would give them three MAAC crowns. They would become the fifth program to that.
• This will be the 21st time that the top two seeds will meet in the championship game. It is split 10-10 in those previous 20 enounters.
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.