ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (Mar. 7, 2023) – The opening round of the 2023 Hercules Tires Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Women’s Basketball Championship at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall tipped off on Tuesday morning with three games. No. 8 Mount St. Mary’s University advanced in its inaugural championship’s appearance, while No. 10 Rider University scored an upset win over No. 7 Marist College and No. 6 Manhattan College avoided an upset scare with a late go-ahead layup to steal a victory.
No. 8 Mount St. Mary’s – 54 | No. 9 Canisius – 41
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall | ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
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The women’s session got the championship underway with MAAC newcomer Mount St. Mary’s scoring a 54-41 triumph over Canisius. The Golden Griffins got out to an 11-9 lead following the opening quarter, but the Mount evened the contest at 22 all heading into the locker room. The difference in the game would be the second half where Mount St. Mary’s clamped down on the defensive side of the ball, holding Canisius to 19 total points – just seven in the fourth quarter – while holding the Griffs to 23 percent shooting from the floor and 18 percent shooting from long range. On the flipside, the Mount scored 32 points, connecting on 40 percent of their shot attempts. Michaela Harrison led all scorers with a game-high 18 points, while Aryna Taylor and Jessica Tomasetti contributed 14 points each, with Jessica Tomasetti adding a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Mount. Cheyenne Stubbs scored a team-high 15 points, while freshman Sisi Eleko recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Griffs. Mount St. Mary’s advances to the quarterfinals and will face Regular Season Champion and top overall seed Iona University at 1:00pm tomorrow afternoon.
No. 10 Rider – 63 | No. 7 Marist – 50
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall | ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
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Rider earned an upset win over Marist, taking the opening round game, 63-50. The Red Foxes led by three early, but the Broncs used a 6-0 run to take the lead, which the side would not relinquish the rest of the way. At the break, Rider’s lead was 10 (29-19), before holding an eight-point edge after three. The Broncs saved their best for last, pouring in 20 points in the fourth and final quarter while efficiently shooting over 53 percent from the field and 33 percent from three. Three Broncs scored in double-figures, with Amanda Mobley scoring a game-high 20 points, Makayla Firebaugh just behind Mobley with 19 points, and Victoria Toomey finishing with 10 points. The Red Foxes had two surpass double-digits with both Zaria Shazer and Catie Cunningham scoring 11 points apiece. Rider moves into the quarterfinals, having a date with No. 2 Niagara tomorrow at 3:30pm.
No. 6 Manhattan – 59 | No. 11 Saint Peter’s – 56
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall | ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
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In what could have been a major upset, Manhattan avoided its season coming to a halt by defeating Saint Peter’s, 59-56. The Jaspers stormed out to a 12-2 run behind a perfect 4-for-4 shotting display from beyond the arc by Brazil Harvey-Carr. Manhattan would lead by seven after the opening stanza. The second quarter was all Peacocks, with Saint Peter’s dominating the quarter, 19-9. In the 10 minutes, the Peacocks used a stingy defense that only allowed three total made field goals (3-14 FG, 0-4 3FG) and forced five turnovers leading to a three-point edge at the half. Saint Peter’s lead extended to five by the end of the third, leading 49-44. With 2:19 remaining, Saint Peter’s led by five, but Manhattan wouldn’t give up another point, closing the game on an 8-0 run, highlighted by a go-ahead layup from Petra Juric with 25.5 remaining in the game. Narrie Dodson scored a game-high 20 points for the Jaspers in the win, while Harvey-Carr ended up with 16 points and Juric tallied a 12 point, 10 rebound double-double. Saint Peter’s Jada Leonard was the lone Peacock in double-figures, scoring 17 points. Manhattan will have a day off before taking on third-seeded Quinnipiac University on Thursday, March 9 at 1:00pm in the quarters.
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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