2018-19 MAAC Women’s Basketball Championship Preview

3/6/2019 5:00:00 PM

ALBANY, NY – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s (MAAC) Women’s Basketball Championship begins Thursday, March 7.

The first game of the long weekend will feature No. 8 seeded Niagara University (12-18, 8-8 MAAC) against No. 9 seeded Fairfield University (10-19, 7-11) at 9:30 a.m. The Purple Eagles enter the championship with All-MAAC First Team player Jai Moore. Moore, who is up for MAAC Player of the Year, leads Niagara in scoring and is second in the MAAC averaging 17.2 points a game. The Stags come to Albany with All-MAAC Third Team selection Khadidiatou Diouf and MAAC All-Rookie selection Lou Lopez-Senechal. Lopez-Senechal led all rookies in 2018-19 with four MAAC Rookie of the Week selections, three coming in the last four weeks of play.

The second game of the afternoon will feature the No. 7 seeded Saints of Siena College (12-17, 8-10) and the No. 10 Gaels of Iona College (4-25, 3-15) at 11:30 a.m. Siena came into the 2018-19 season selected No. 3 in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll and looks to make a run with a team that features seventh-year head coach Ali Jaques, All-MAAC Second Team selection Maddie Sims, and Third-Team All MAAC selection Aaliyah Jones. Iona travels to Albany looking for production from junior guard Morgan Rachu and MAAC All-Rookie selection Juana Camilion. Rachu leads the entire league in playing time averaging 36.6 minutes per game, while Camilion ranks third among rookies in scoring (9.1) and second in assists (2.6).

The final women’s game of the first day will see No. 6 seeded Manhattan College (11-18, 9-9) battle No. 11 seeded Saint Peter’s University at 1:30 p.m. Manhattan College is led by a young core of players that features sophomore Courtney Warley, a 2018-19 All-MAAC Third team selection, and freshman D’yona Davis, a 2018-19 MAAC All-Rookie selection. Warley led the conference in rebounding (9.0), was second in blocked shots (1.7), and third in steals (2.2). Saint Peter’s makes the trip up from Jersey City with first year head coach Marc Mitchell and MAAC All-Rookie selection Briyanah Richardson. Richardson recorded the highest scoring game in the MAAC this season when she put up 39 points against Fairfield on January 15.

Day two starts with No. 1 seeded Quinnipiac University (23-6, 18-0) taking on either Niagara or Fairfield. For the second-straight year, the Bobcats enter the MAAC Championship undefeated in MAAC play. Including the postseason, Quinnipiac has not lost to a MAAC opponent since the 2016-17 season, a streak that spans 49 games. The 2018-19 MAAC Regular Season Champions also enter the MAAC Championships winning their last 18 games, a streak that is second in the nation only to No. 1 Baylor University. The Bobcats will bring last year’s The Rock Women’s Coach of the Year Tricia Fabbri, as well as the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year and 2018-19 All-MAAC First Team selection Aryn McClure as the team looks to win their third-straight title.

The second game Friday begins at 3:30 p.m. and will feature the No. 2 seed Rider University Broncs (18-11, 14-4) and the winner of Thursday’s game between Siena and Iona. Rider’s Stella Johnson was named to the All-MAAC First Team and leads the league in scoring (18.6) and steals (2.7), as well as being second in assists (4.5). Johnson was named MAAC Player of the Week six times throughout the season, making her the only player to win the award more than twice. The Broncs’ lineup also includes All-MAAC Second Team selection Amari Johnson and All-MAAC Third Team selection Lexi Posset.

Saturday’s first game of the afternoon will see No. 3 Marist College (21-9, 13-5) face the winner of Thursday’s game between Manhattan and Saint Peter’s. Marist is coached by seven-time MAAC The Rock Coach of the Year Brian Giorgis. Giorgis has led the Red Foxes to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, five victories in the Tournament, and a Sweet Sixteen appearance. This year’s Marist team features two All-MAAC First Teamers in junior Rebekah Hand and redshirt-junior Alana Gilmer. The two were third (16.6) and fourth (15.3) in the MAAC respectively in terms of scoring. Hand also holds the best free throw percentage in the conference at .940.

The second women’s game on day three will be No. 4 seed Monmouth University (13-16, 9-9) playing against No. 5 seed Canisius College (11-18, 9-9) at 2:30 p.m. The two teams split their regular season matchups, their most recent meeting coming not long ago on February 27. The Hawks are led by All-MAAC Second Team selection Sierra Green, who led the league in points from beyond the arc (3.3) and was fifth overall in scoring (13.8). The team also features MAAC All-Rookie selection Lucy Thomas, who averaged 9.6 points and 5.8 rebounds and started all but three games for the Hawks. The Golden Griffins make the trip from Western New York with first year coach Scott Hemer. They also bring All-MAAC Second Team selection Sara Hinriksdottir and All-MAAC Third Team selection D’jhai Patterson-Ricks. Hinriksdottir was a two-time MAAC Player of the Week and led the team in both scoring (13.0) and rebounding (8.1).

The MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships will take place March 7-11 at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY. The women’s first round, quarterfinal, and semifinal games will all be aired on ESPN3. The championship game is set for Monday, March 11 at 2:30 p.m. and will be aired on ESPNU.

Tickets for the MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships are still on sale. Tickets can be purchased by visiting Ticketmaster.com or the Times Union Center Box Office.

For more information on the 2019 MAAC Basketball Championships, visit maacsports.com/basketball. Be sure to follow the conversation on all social media platforms by using #MAACHoops19.

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 38^th 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.