MAAC Women’s Basketball Conference Play Set to Begin

MAAC Women’s Basketball Conference Play Set to Begin

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EDISON, NJ – MAAC Women’s Basketball conference play is set to begin Thursday with six teams in action.
 
Manhattan College (2-9) will face Canisius College (2-9) as the first matchup of the day at 11 a.m. in Buffalo, NY. Later on, Marist College (8-4) will tip-off against Niagara University (4-8) and Fairfield University (3-8) will travel to Quinnipiac University (5-6) with both games scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Manhattan versus Canisius and Fairfield versus Quinnipiac will both be aired on ESPN3.
 
Action continues on Friday when Monmouth University (4-7) travels to take on Iona College (1-10) on ESPN3 and Siena College (4-7) heads to New Jersey to battle Saint Peter’s University (5-6), both games start at 7PM.
 
Marist began the 2018-19 season with an impressive streak by going 5-0 against Navy, Boston, Temple, Stetson and Hofstra. The team has yet to suffer back-to-back losses on the season, and currently posts the best scoring offense in the MAAC with 67.8 points-per-game. Additionally, the team posts the only positive scoring margin in the conference at +4.0. The Red Foxes are ranked No. 10 in the Women’s Mid-Major Top 25. Their December run was highlighted by a 90-84 win over previously unbeaten Northeastern.
 
Defending MAAC-Champion Quinnipiac enters league-play at 5-6 with wins over Drexel, Providence, Ball State, Harvard and Richmond. The Bobcats’ non-conference play was highlighted by a double-overtime win over Ivy-League foe Harvard, where Jen Fay played the hero by hitting a game-tying 3-pointer as time expired in the first overtime. Quinnipiac’s defense has proven to be the strength of the team, as they limit opponents to a conference-best 58.3 points-per-game. The team is currently ranked No. 25 in the Women’s Mid-Major Top 25, joining Marist as the only two MAAC schools on the list.
 
Saint Peter’s enters conference play tied with Quinnipiac for the second-best non-conference record in the MAAC at 5-6. The Peacocks started the season off strong by taking four of their first six games against NJIT, LIU Brooklyn, Lafayette and Wagner in November. A tough December schedule proved to test the Peacocks, but the team enters MAAC play on a high note after defeating Fairleigh Dickinson at home 75-58 in their final non-conference matchup of the season.
 
Rider University’s (4-7) Stella Johnson currently leads the MAAC in both points per game (18.8) and steals per game (3.5). The two-time MAAC Player of the Week has been a key component in the Broncs’ success this season. The team’s first conference game will be this Sunday, January 6, when they host Fairfield.
 
Sara Hinriksdottir of Canisius leads the league in rebounding, grabbing an average of 8.8 per game. The former MAAC Player of the Week has helped lead Canisius in wins over Albany and Vermont.
 
Marist’s Grace Vander Weide and Rider’s Johnson share the league lead in assists with 4.3 per game, while Monmouth’s Sierra Green has hit the most from beyond the arc with 43, averaging 3.9 per game. Green continues to be dangerous from three this season for the Hawks, as she averages more than ten three-point attempts per game.
 
Highlights from Iona’s season stem from rookie Shyan Mwai, who currently has two MAAC Rookie of the Week titles to her name. Her and teammate Morgan Rachu have led the Gales thus far. Rachu leads all MAAC players with 36.5 minutes played per game.
 
Niagara has been picking up steam entering conference play. The Purple Eagles have won three of their last five, finishing a strong December with a win over Colgate.  
 
Manhattan has been led by sophomore Courtney Warley. Warley leads the Jaspers in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, steals and blocked shots.
 
Siena came into the year ranked third in the preseason poll, and have remained competitive behind the production of junior Maddie Sims. Sims ranks in the top ten in scoring, the top five in field goal percentage and blocked shots, and the top three in rebounding.
 
The 2019 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships will return to the Times Union Center in Albany, NY for the fifth consecutive year March 7-11. Defending MAAC Champion Quinnipiac has made the championship game the previous five years, winning three titles in the process.
 
Tickets for the 2019 Championship can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by calling the Times Union Center Box Office at 800-745-3000. More information can be found at MAACSports.com/championships.
 
For the latest championship and ticket information, schedule updates, and all other MAAC Basketball news follow @MAACHoops, @MAACSports and visit MAACSports.com.
 
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 38th year of competition during the 2018-19 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.