EDISON, NJ (Jan. 20, 2026) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) today announced, that the Thursday, January 29 women’s basketball game between Fairfield University and Quinnipiac University, has been flexed to ESPNU as part of the MAAC Wildcard Game package. The primetime contest will take place at Leo D. Mahoney Arena in Fairfield, CT, with tipoff set for 7 p.m.
The MAAC Wildcard Game format allows ESPN to pick any game scheduled for that specific date to air on ESPNU and allows the MAAC and ESPN the flexibility to showcase the best matchups as the season progresses.
The January 29 women’s basketball wildcard game will matchup Connecticut rivals, Fairfield and Quinnipiac, the two most dominant MAAC women’s programs in recent history. The two teams have combined to win seven out of the last 12 MAAC Championships, with the Stags winning three out the last four dating back to 2022 and the Bobcats winning four over a five year span from 2015 through 2019.
Two-time defending MAAC Champions and Regular Season Champions, the Fairfield Stags (15-3, 9-0 MAAC) are off to a perfect 9-0 conference start for the third straight year, sitting in a first place tie in the league standings. The Stags have been the winningest team in the MAAC over the past five seasons, having compiled a MAAC regular season record of 78-11 dating back to the 2021-22 campaign, which includes being 48-1 over the past three seasons. Fairfield’s only setback during the three-year reign came against Quinnipiac on March 8, 2025, which snapped the Stag’s 42-game winning streak against MAAC opponents – the second-longest streak in conference history behind Quinnipiac’s 52 win streak from 2014 through 2016. The Stags are also a perfect 8-0 at home inside of Leo D. Mahoney Arena this season.
Entering this week, Fairfield led the MAAC in nine NCAA statistical categories, most notably ranking first in the nation in three pointers made per game, connecting on 12.4 triples each contest and being one of just five teams in the country making double digit threes a night. The Stags also lead the MAAC in scoring offense (79.0), assists per game (18.4), field goal percentage (46.9%), scoring margin (17.2), three point attempts per game (31.3), three point percentage (39.5 %), turnover margin (5.29), and winning percentage (82.4%). In addition to leading the NCAA in three pointers made, Fairfield ranks third nationally in both three point attempts per game and three point percentage. Ahead of the January 29 meeting, Fairfield will travel to Western New York for contests against Niagara on January 22 and Canisius on January 24.
The Quinnipiac Bobcats (14-4, 9-0 MAAC) also sit atop of the MAAC standings, with a perfect 9-0 conference record, their best start to conference play since the 2018-19 season when that Bobcat unit went a perfect 18-0 in the MAAC. This marks the second consecutive season Quinnipiac has started the league stanza 7-0 or better, having won its first seven MAAC games a season ago as well. Currently riding a nine game winning streak, Quinnipiac has dominated in its 14 wins this season, defeating 13 of those teams by 10+ points, eight by 20+ points, and two by 30+ points.
The Bobcats entered the week as the best scoring defensive unit in the MAAC, allowing just 52.1 points per game, a mark that ranks second in the nation only behind No. 1 UConn (51.7). Quinnipiac is also the MAAC leader in assist to turnover ratio (1.52), field goal percentage defense (35.3%), free throw percentage (78%), rebound margin (+3.6), and turnovers per game (10.9). The Bobcats 10.9 turnovers per game ranks third in the NCAA, while their three point percentage (38%) ranks eighth and their assist to turnover ratio ranks ninth. Quinnipiac has a pair of contests before the nationally televised game, starting with a home date against Mount St. Mary’s on January 22, followed by a road trip to Manhattan on January 24.
The 2025-26 MAAC basketball season culminates with the 2026 Air Force Reserve MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships from March 5-10 at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. 2026 will be the seventh consecutive year Boardwalk Hall will host the annual championship dating back to 2020. For the second straight season, the championship field will feature the conference's top 10 teams. Additionally, with the shift of the basketball championship schedule to a week earlier, the women’s championship game will be a standalone contest on Monday, March 9, while the men’s championship game will air live nationally on ESPN or ESPN2 on Tuesday, March 10.
For all information regarding the 2026 Air Force Reserve MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, please visit
MAACSports.com/basketball and by following @MAACHoops and #MAACHoops on X.
Air Force Reserve
The mission of the Air Force Reserve is to provide combat-ready forces to fly, fight, and win in air, space, and cyberspace, whenever and wherever needed. As a critical component of the United States Air Force, the Air Force Reserve supports global operations while remaining ready to respond to domestic emergencies and humanitarian efforts. It is responsible for organizing, training, and equipping Reserve Citizen Airmen to execute a wide range of missions that contribute to national defense and global security.
The Air Force Reserve offers part-time and full-time service options, enabling individuals to serve while maintaining civilian careers or pursuing higher education. Each year, the Reserve recruits thousands of enlisted and officer personnel across core specialties including Aviation, Maintenance, Intelligence, Cyber, Medical, Security Forces, and Logistics. This flexibility allows members to develop valuable skills, gain leadership experience, and serve their country with pride.
More information about Air Force Reserve careers and opportunities is available at:
https://www.airforce.com/ways-to-serve/air-force-reserve.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 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 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena University.
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