ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (Mar. 8, 2023) – The second day of the 2023 Hercules Tires Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Women’s Basketball Championship featured both top seeds earning wins in their respective quarterfinal round games at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall on Wednesday. In the first game, No. 1 Iona University survived a near upset, edging No. 8 Mount St. Mary’s University by two points, while No. 2 Niagara never trailed in a victory over No. 10 Rider University to both move into the semifinal round.
 
No. 1 Iona – 39 | No. 8 Mount St. Mary’s – 37
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall | ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
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Top overall seed Iona, escaped its quarterfinal round meeting against Mount St. Mary’s, edging the Mountaineers, 39-37 on Wednesday. The defensive, low scoring affair seen the Gaels lead 10-9 after the opening 10 minutes, before the Mount flipped the script and took a lead of 18-16 into the half. The highest scoring quarter of the day occurred in the third, when the two sides combined to score 23 points. In that frame, Iona outscored the Mount 13-10 using an 11-4 run in the middle of the quarter to regain the lead. Late in the game, Mount St. Mary’s Natalie Villaflor hit a pair of freebies at the line to give the Mount a one-point advantage with 1:58 to play. The score remained static over the next minute and a half until MAAC Player of the Year, Juana Camilion drove baseline and knocked down a reverse layup to give Iona a 38-37 lead with 24 seconds left. After the Gaels missed the backend of a pair of free throws, the Mountaineers still had a chance to tie or win at the buzzer but failed to get off a shot attempt. The two teams struggled offensively, combining to shoot 31-of-105 from the floor and 7-for-38 from three. The Iona trio of Kate Mager (14), Camilion (10), and Ketsia Athias (10), combined to score 34 of the Gaels 39 points in the win. For the Mountaineers, Villaflor was the lone player in double-figures, scoring 13 points, while Isabella Hunt added eight points and 12 rebounds. Iona gets a day off before returning to action on Friday, March 10 at 11:00am. The Gaels await the winner of No. 4 Siena and No. 5 Fairfield.
 
No. 2 Niagara – 67 | No. 10 Rider – 64
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall | ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
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Second-seeded Niagara topped Rider, 67-64 in a wire-to-wire quarterfinal win on Wednesday. Unlike game one, game two feature a ton of offensive right out of the locker room with the Purple Eagles taking a 22-19 lead after one. In that first quarter, Niagara shot over 40 percent from both the field and from three, while Rider went 5-for-7 from beyond the arc. The Purple Eagles would extend their lead to seven at the half (38-31) and eight after three quarters (50-42). The Broncs would make it interesting in the final quarter, leaving it all on the court. Down by 11 with eight minutes to play, Rider outscored Niagara 20-10 to cut its deficit to one-point with 45 seconds to go, trailing 65-64. Despite pulling to within one point, on what was the Broncs final offensive possession, Angel Parker drew a charge on a layup attempt at the rim, forcing the turnover and ultimately sealing the win. Aaliyah Parker recorded a triple double of 18 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 steals to lead Niagara, while her older sister Angel finished with 17 points and seven assists. Parker’s triple double was also the first in program history at Niagara. Rider was led by a game-high 27 points from Makayla Firebaugh. Niagara advances to the semifinal round and will play on Friday, March 11 at 1:30pm against the winner of No. 3 Quinnipiac and No. 6 Manhattan.
 
For all information regarding the 2023 Hercules Tires MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, please visit MAACSports.com/basketball and by following @MAACHoops and #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 42nd year of competition during the 2022-23 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
 
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