2020-21 MAAC Women’s Basketball Season Preview
2020-21 MAAC Women’s Basketball Season Preview

2020-21 MAAC Women’s Basketball Season Preview

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EDISON, N.J. (Nov. 24, 2020) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) women’s basketball season tips off on Wednesday, Nov. 25. The 2020-21 campaign is set to look different from any other season in history as teams look to navigate not only through fierce competition, but also the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Conference action kicks off on Dec. 11 and 12 as the league shifts to a new schedule format.  The new schedules feature a Friday/Saturday playing arrangement at the same venue for both games, with 24 hours of spacing between the two contests. The season concludes in Atlantic City, New Jersey as the Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championships return to historic Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall Mar. 9-13.  
 
This year, the MAAC asked each institution’s athletic department to provide input and insights on their teams for 2020-21. 
 
Manhattan Jaspers
Preseason Poll Rank: 1st (Five First-Place Votes)  
Head Coach: Heather Vulin (Fifth Season)
Preseason All-MAAC Selections: Courtney Warley (First Team), Emily LaPointe (First Team), Gabby Cajou (Third Team)
Marked as the favorites going into the 2020-21 season, the Jaspers are looking to improve on last year's third-place conference finish, their best since 2011. Manhattan returns 2019-20 All-MAAC First Team selection Courtney Warley and unanimous Rookie of the Year Emily LaPointe, along with a very experienced senior class. – Manhattan Athletics
 
Fairfield Stags
Preseason Poll Rank: Tied 2nd (Four First-Place Votes)
Head Coach: Joe Frager (14th Season)
Preseason All-MAAC Selections: Lou Lopez-Senechal (preseason Player of the Year, First Team), Katie Armstrong (First Team)
The Fairfield University Women’s Basketball team will enter their 14th season under head coach Joe Frager and are looking for another successful season. Picked to finish second in the MAAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the Stags return four of their five starters and 85 percent of their scoring from last season. Included in the mix is junior Lou Lopez-Senechal, who was voted the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year. Lopez-Senechal has led the Stags in scoring in each of her first two seasons. – Fairfield Athletics
 
Quinnipiac Bobcats
Preseason Poll Rank: Tied 2nd (Two First-Place Votes)
Head Coach: Tricia Fabbri (26th Season)
Preseason All-MAAC Selections: Shaq Edwards (Second Team), Mikala Morris (Second Team)
The Bobcats finished with a 15-14 (12-8 MAAC) mark in 2019-20 – the program's ninth-straight winning season under Head Coach Tricia Fabbri. Quinnipiac finished the regular season tied for the third-most MAAC wins (12). Senior guard Shaquana Edwards and sophomore forward Mikala Morris were both named to the Preseason All-MAAC Second Team, while the team was selected for the second spot in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, earning 108 total votes. – Quinnipiac Athletics
 
Marist Red Foxes
Preseason Poll Rank: 4th  
Head Coach: Brian Giorgis (19th Season)
Preseason All-MAAC Selections: Willow Duffell (Third Team)
After winning a share of its 12th MAAC regular season championship with a 26-4 record (18-2 in MAAC play), Marist was selected to finish fourth in the 2020-21 MAAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll. After graduating 5,497 career points, the Red Foxes return two starters for the upcoming year. Senior forward Willow Duffell, a Preseason All-MAAC Third Team selection, led the conference with a .562 field goal percentage last season. Junior guard Sarah Barcello improved her shooting by 50 percentage points and averaged a career-best in points per game in 2019-20. Head Coach Brian Giorgis enters his 19th season at the helm. – Marist Athletics
 
Iona Gaels
Preseason Poll Rank: 5th  
Head Coach: Billi Chambers (Eighth Season)
Preseason All-MAAC Selections: Juana Camilion (First Team), Paulla Weekes (Third Team)
Iona women's basketball, selected fifth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, returns three of its five starters from a year prior. Iona's returners are headlined by junior Juana Camilion, a Preseason All-MAAC First Teamer, and redshirt sophomore Paulla Weekes, a Preseason All-MAAC Third Team selection. The Maroon & Gold will look for contributions from their nine newcomers, consisting of five freshmen and four transfers. The Gaels finished the regular season with an 8-12 mark in league play, tied for sixth in the MAAC. Iona ranked towards the top of the conference in both three-point field percentage (fourth) and three-point field goal defense (second) last season. Head coach Billi Chambers enters her eighth season at the helm of the program, needing just two victories to reach the century mark for her career. – Iona Athletics
 
Siena Saints
Preseason Poll Rank: 6th  
Head Coach: Ali Jaques (Ninth Season)
Preseason All-MAAC Selections: Amari Anthony (Third Team), Rayshel Brown (Third Team)
Picked sixth in this year’s MAAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the Saints are coming off an 11-20 season with an 8-12 mark in the MAAC. The Green and Gold return four of their five starters from last season, including Preseason All-MAAC Third Teamers in junior Amari Anthony and senior Rayshel Brown. Siena also returns roughly 75 percent of their scoring from last season, with Anthony and Brown leading the way in that category. Junior Tobulayefa Watts returns as the MAAC's top shot blocker, averaging 2.2 blocks per game and setting the second-most blocked shots in a single season in program history with 69. As a group, the Green and Gold were strong at home in Loudonville last season, snagging a winning percentage (.538) while in the Alumni Recreation Center. Head Coach Ali Jaques enters her ninth season as head coach of the Saints. – Siena Athletics
 
Rider Broncs
Preseason Poll Rank: 7th  
Head Coach: Lynn Milligan (14th Season)
Preseason All-MAAC Selections: Amanda Mobley (Second Team)
The defending MAAC Champion Broncs have the daunting task of replacing six seniors from last year’s title team, including 2020 NCAA Division I Scoring Champion Stella Johnson. Leading Rider will be Preseason All-MAAC pick Amanda Mobley, whose 5.0 assists per game ranked second in the league last year. The Broncs were picked seventh in this year’s preseason poll. – Rider Athletics
 
Monmouth Hawks
Preseason Poll Rank: 8th  
Head Coach: Jody Craig (Fourth Season)
Preseason All-MAAC Selections: Lucy Thomas (Second Team)
After an up-and-down season, the Monmouth University women's basketball team will look for more consistency in 2020-21. With the departure of six key seniors, all eyes are on junior Lucy Thomas, who was named to the Preseason All-MAAC Second Team. During her first two seasons in West Long Branch, Thomas compiled 534 points and 351 rebounds. Other returners include junior Alexa Wallace, junior Allure Simmons, redshirt junior Jen Louro, sophomore Saule Kaupyte, sophomore Destiny Jackson, and senior Fatou Ndao. Head coach Jody Craig will place a strong emphasis on defense once again. The program held opponents to just 57.5 points per game a year ago, which led the conference. The Hawks have advanced to the MAAC Quarterfinals in seven consecutive seasons, and will call on contributions from a bevy of freshmen to make it further in Atlantic City. – Monmouth Athletics
 
Saint Peter’s Peacocks
Preseason Poll Rank: 9th    
Head Coach: Marc Mitchell (Third Season)
Preseason All-MAAC Selections: Taiah Thornton (Second Team)
Following their most successful campaign in the last 10 years, and finishing 2019-20 with nine overall wins and six conference victories, the Peacocks are looking to carry their momentum from last season into 2020. Led by Preseason All-MAAC Second Team selection Taiah Thornton, along with classmate and perennial deep-threat Kendrea Williams, Saint Peter's is setting its sights high heading into this season. With the addition of 10 new faces and some much-welcomed depth in the roster, the Peacocks will be in prime position to make a strong impression to kick off the upcoming season. – Saint Peter’s Athletics
 
Niagara Purple Eagles
Preseason Poll Rank: 10th 
Head Coach: Jada Pierce (Sixth Season)
Head coach Jada Pierce enters her sixth season at the helm for the Purple Eagles. Niagara returns seven from last year's squad; Sydney Faulcon, Kyra Grimshaw, Ally Haar, Olivia Mason, Angel Parker, Valentina Pepic and Maddy Yelle. Parker led that group in scoring during the 2019-20 season, averaging 3.8 points per game, and Pepic led the group in rebounding, averaging 1.9 rebounds per game. The Purple Eagles welcome four newcomers; guards Brooklyn Jones and Lore Porter and forwards Saige Glover and Aubrey Halloran, a transfer from Niagara County Community College who helped the Thunderwolves to back-to-back regional titles for the first time in program history. – Niagara Athletics
 
Canisius Golden Griffins
Preseason Poll Rank: 11th  
Head Coach: Scott Hemer (Third Season)
Despite losing two All-MAAC honorees, including last season’s top scorer in D’jhai Patterson-Ricks, the 2020-21 edition of the Golden Griffins return eight upperclassmen from the 2019-20 campaign. In addition, the Griffs add two transfers in Ella Vaatanen (LIU) and Kayla Jackson (UMBC), as well as freshman guard Dani Haskell. Haskell joins the Canisius program after scoring a New York state high school girl’s record 3,227 career points, making her just one of three female high school players in state history to eclipse the 3,000-career point milestone.  In the previous two seasons under head coach Scott Hemer, the Blue and Gold have been very good from 3-point land, with the team hitting on 34.2 percent of its shots from behind the arc last year. That ranked second in the MAAC and 60th in the nation. – Canisius Athletics
 
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) celebrates its 40th year of competition during the 2020-21 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.