2019-20 MAAC Women’s Basketball Season Begins
2019-20 MAAC Women’s Basketball Season Begins

2019-20 MAAC Women’s Basketball Season Begins

Bookmark and Share

EDISON, N.J. (Nov. 5, 2019) – The 2019-20 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) women’s basketball season tips off on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The regular season concludes with the 2020 MAAC Basketball Championships at Atlantic City’s historic Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.
 
Marist College was voted the preseason favorite by the league’s 11 head coaches. The Red Foxes return every starter and all three captains from last year’s campaign, in which the team made the MAAC Championship Game before falling to Quinnipiac University. Marist’s Alana Gilmer was a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-MAAC Team, joining teammate Rebekah Hand. Point guard Grace Vander Weide was named to the Preseason All-MAAC Second team. The Red Foxes start their season off on Friday, when they travel to Massachusetts to take on Boston University at 6:00 p.m.
 
Quinnipiac has gone over 50 games without losing to a MAAC opponent, also claiming the last three MAAC titles. The Bobcats were picked second in this year’s Preseason Poll, after losing their entire starting lineup from last season. Senior Taylor Herd was named to the Preseason All-MAAC Second team, while teammates Shaq Edwards and Paige Warfel were named to the Third Team. The Bobcats open their season at home tonight, taking on Drexel University at 6:00 p.m.
 
Rider University was picked third in the Preseason Coaches poll, but return the defending MAAC Player of the Year in senior guard Stella Johnson. Last season, Johnson led the league in points (18.8) and steals (2.5), and ranked second in assists (4.9). Johnson was named the 2019-20 Preseason player of the Year and was placed on the Preseason All-MAAC First Team. Teammates Amari Johnson and Lea Favre were named to the Preseason All-MAAC Second and Third Teams, respectively. Rider begins the 2019-20 season with a local matchup, traveling to take on rival Princeton tonight at 7:00 p.m.
 
Later this month, Marist and Rider head south to represent the MAAC in the first edition of the MAAC/ASUN Challenge at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort. The Red Foxes and the Broncs will take on ASUN foes North Florida and Lipscomb. The two-day tournament is set for Friday, Nov. 22 and Saturday, Nov. 23.
 
The poll continued with No. 4 Manhattan, No. 5 Monmouth, No. 6 Fairfield, No. 7 Niagara, No. 8 Canisius, No. 9 Iona, No. 10 Siena, and No. 11 Saint Peter’s.
 
Monmouth and Manhattan face off early in the season on Dec. 17 in West Long Branch for the first conference game of the season. The rest of the MAAC regular season begins on Jan. 2, with 10 of the 11 conference teams in action.
 
The regular season culminates with the 2020 MAAC Basketball Championships in the event’s inaugural year at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey from March 10-14.  The Garden State will be home to the MAAC Basketball Championships for the first time since 2003.
 
For the full 2019-20 schedule, click here. See below for the full slate of season-openers:
  • Canisius at Youngstown State - Tuesday, Nov. 5 / 5:15 p.m.
  • Fairfield at Temple - Tuesday, Nov. 5 / 6:00 p.m.
  • Iona at Winthrop - Saturday, Nov. 9 / 7:00 p.m.
  • Manhattan at Stony Brook - Friday, Nov. 8 / 6:31 p.m.
  • Marist at Boston University - Friday, Nov. 8 / 6:00 p.m.
  • Monmouth at Bucknell - Saturday, Nov. 9 / 6:00 p.m.
  • Niagara at St. Bonaventure - Wednesday, Nov. 7 / 7:00 p.m.
  • Quinnipiac vs. Drexel - Tuesday, Nov. 5 / 6:00 p.m.
  • Rider at Princeton - Tuesday, Nov. 5 / 7:00 p.m.
  • Saint Peter’s at LIU - Tuesday, Nov. 5 / 7:00 p.m.
  • Siena vs. Binghamton - Tuesday, Nov. 5 / 5:00 p.m.
About the 2020 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships:
The MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships return to New Jersey on March 10-14, 2020 at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. To stay up to date on MAAC basketball, visit http://maacsports.com/basketball and follow @MAACHoops on Twitter.
 
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 39th year of competition during the 2019-20 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.