MAAC Women’s Hoops Quarterfinals Recap

The MAAC tournament dwindled down to four teams after an intense quarterfinal round with No. 1 Quinnipiac, No. 2 Rider, No. 3 Marist and No. 4 Monmouth each claiming victory in their respective games. Each game was played at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York, home of the Siena Saints.

No. 1 Quinnipiac Bobcats vs. No. 9 Fairfield Stags

All-MAAC First Team honoree Aryn McClure along with All-MAAC Second Team honoree Jen Fay each finished in double-figures to lead Quinnipiac to a 63-48 win over Fairfield. 2018-19 MAAC Rookie of the Year Lou Lopez-Senechal had 11 points in 39 minutes of action. She also added six rebounds, a pair of steals and a block to her stat line.  Quinnipiac shot no less than 42 percent from the field in any quarter. The Bobcats outscored Fairfield in points off turnovers 19-7 and outscored the Stags in the paint 20-10. Sixth Player of the Year Taylor Herd contributed six points and five boards to the Bobcat cause. The victory gives Quinnipiac a date with No. 4 Monmouth on March 10 at 11:00 am on ESPN3.

No. 2 Rider Broncs vs. No. 10 Iona Gaels

2018-19 MAAC Player of the Year Stella Johnson put on a performance that lived up to her award. The junior guard scored 20 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out seven assists as Rider came back from a 16-point hole to advance to the semifinals with a 54-46 win. Poor shooting from behind the arc in the first half allowed Iona to retain momentum throughout the majority of the game. The Gaels made 7-of-12 three-pointers while Rider shot a woeful 0-for-8 in the opening half. Iona went into intermission with a 31-16 lead after they limited the Broncs to six points in the second quarter. Up 48-44 with a minute left in regulation, senior guard Lexi Posset and junior forward Lea Favre both made clutch shots to give Rider the extra push. For Iona, Shyan Mwai and Morgan Rachu combined to go 8-for-14 from deep and scored a combined 30 points. Both played the entire 40 minutes. The win sets up a meeting with No. 3 Marist  on March 10 at 1:30 pm on ESPN3.

No. 3 Marist Red Foxes vs. No. 6 Manhattan Jaspers (March 9)

MAAC Defensive Player of the Year Courtney Warley recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in a losing effort to No. 3 Marist 65-51. Alana Gilmer led all scorers with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field. She went 2-for-3 from behind the arc. The Red Foxes saw success from the charity stripe, making 10-of-14. Grace Vander Weide had 13 points and grabbed six rebounds to go along with her two steals. The Marist defense limited the Jaspers to just 2-of-13 from behind the arc with their only three-pointers coming in the final quarter. They limited Manhattan to eight points in the second quarter to head into halftime with a 32-22 advantage. The Red Foxes will dance with No. 2 Rider in the semifinals on March 10 at 1:30 pm on ESPN3.

No. 4 Monmouth Hawks vs. No. 5 Canisius Golden Griffins (March 9)

Monmouth closed out the second quarterfinal game on an 8-0 run to defeat Canisius 64-53. Lucy Thomas led all scorers with 18 points in 24 minutes of action for the Hawks. Canisius connected on 14-of-14 free throws Saturday which is something the team can be proud of despite the loss. The Hawks dominated the boards, snagging 19 offensive rebounds and outscoring the Golden Griffins 28-2 in second chance points. They also doubled Canisius’ scoring in the paint 32-16. D’Jhai Patterson-Ricks was Canisius’ only double-digit scorer. She finished with 13 points on 3-of-13 shooting and was 3-for-7 from long range. Monmouth outscored Canisius 40-27 in the second half. The win puts the Hawks against top-seeded Quinnipiac in the semifinals on March 10. Tipoff is set for 11:00 am on ESPN3.