EDISON, N.J. - The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) has released the conference portion of the women's basketball schedule for the 2012-13 season. The 18-game slate will follow arguably one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, where the Red Foxes will play 11 games, nine of which will come against opponents who played in either the NCAA Tournament or National Invitational Tournament last season.
For the second straight season, Marist will play its first MAAC game on the road, this time traveling to Rider on Friday, Jan. 4. Last season the Red Foxes swept Rider in both of their matchups, including a dominating 26-point win at the Broncs' home gym.
Marist will look to continue its 30-game winning streak in MAAC home games when the Red Foxes host Fairfield on Sunday, Jan. 6 in the first of three straight home contests. The game will be a rematch of last season's MAAC Championship game in which the Red Foxes gave up the fewest points ever in a MAAC title game, en route to a 61-35 victory. The Stags finished second in the regular season last year with a 15-3 conference record.
The home-stand continues the following weekend with matchups against Loyola on Friday, Jan. 11 and Iona on Sunday, Jan. 13.
The Red Foxes head back on the road for three straight games, starting with the annual trip to the Buffalo area for games against Canisius (Friday, Jan. 18) and Niagara (Sunday, Jan. 20). Last season, the Purple Eagles gave Marist a couple of scares, taking the Red Foxes to double overtime at Niagara before the Red Foxes escaped with a 79-77 win. Then, in the MAAC semifinals, the Red Foxes had to overcome a 13-point second half deficit before outscoring the fifth-seeded Purple Eagles 41-14 over the final 14 minutes of regulation and five-minute overtime period for a 68-54 victory.
The road trip continues the following Friday, Jan. 25 at Manhattan in a 4 p.m. game that will be broadcast on ESPN3. Last season at Draddy Gymnasium, in a game which was also nationally televised, the Jaspers defeated the Red Foxes 48-44 to end Marist's 34-game conference winning streak.
The team returns home for a brief two-game stretch, starting with Monday evening contest versus Siena on Jan. 28. The Saints will be playing under first-year head coach Ali Jaques. Canisius visits McCann Arena on Friday, Feb. 1 to close out the home-stand.
Another three-game road stretch kicks off with a Super Bowl Sunday game at Saint Peter's on Feb. 3. The Red Foxes opened last year's MAAC schedule in Jersey City, escaping with a two-point, 56-54 victory over the Peacocks. Trips to Iona (Thursday, Feb. 7) and Siena (Sunday, Feb. 10) close out the road trip.
Niagara visits Poughkeepsie on Friday, Feb. 15 for a 5 p.m. contest that is part of an ESPN doubleheader that night at McCann Arena. After the women's game, which will be broadcast on ESPNU, Marist's men's basketball team will take on the Purple Eagles in an 8 p.m. showdown on ESPN3.
Two days later, the Red Foxes host Manhattan on Sunday, Feb. 17. The following Friday, Feb. 22, Rider makes its annual visit to McCann. Marist closes out the month of February with a trip down to Baltimore on Sunday, Feb. 24 to take on Loyola.
The Red Foxes will host Saint Peter's on Friday, March 1 in the final home game of the season. Marist will hold their annual Senior Day ceremony prior to the game. The regular season concludes two days later, March 3, with a road contest at Fairfield.
The MAAC Basketball Championships return to the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass. for the second straight year March 7-11. The first round games in the women's bracket will be played on Thursday with the quarterfinals taking place on Friday. The two semifinal games, to be aired on ESPN3, will be played on Saturday. Following a day off, the championship game will take place on 12 p.m. on Monday, March 11 on ESPNU.
The times for all of Marist's non-televised games, as well as the promotional schedule for the Red Foxes' 13 home games, will be announced at a later date.
Visit GoRedFoxes.com to purchase season tickets for the 2012-13 basketball season. The Marist Ticket Office can be reached at (845) 575-3553.
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Complete 2012-13 Marist Women's Basketball Schedule
DATE OPPONENT TIME
Nov. 9 VERMONT (ESPN3) 6:00 PM
Nov. 13 at Hartford TBA
Nov. 17 PRINCETON TBA
Nov. 22 vs. Purdue ! 8:15 PM
Nov. 23 vs. Connecticut ! 8:15 PM
Nov. 24 vs. Wake Forest ! 6:00 PM
Nov. 28 HOFSTRA TBA
Dec. 2 at Oklahoma TBA
Dec. 8 BOSTON U. TBA
Dec. 20 at Yale TBA
Dec. 30 at Kentucky TBA
Jan. 4 at Rider * TBA
Jan. 6 FAIRFIELD * TBA
Jan. 11 LOYOLA (MD) * TBA
Jan. 13 IONA * TBA
Jan. 18 at Canisius * TBA
Jan. 20 at Niagara * TBA
Jan. 25 at Manhattan * (ESPN3) 4:00 PM
Jan. 28 SIENA * TBA
Feb. 1 CANISIUS * TBA
Feb. 3 at Saint Peter's * TBA
Feb. 7 at Iona * TBA
Feb. 10 at Siena * TBA
Feb. 15 NIAGARA * (ESPNU) 5:00 PM
Feb. 17 MANHATTAN * TBA
Feb. 22 RIDER * TBA
Feb. 24 at Loyola (Md.) * TBA
Mar. 1 SAINT PETER'S * TBA
Mar. 3 at Fairfield * TBA
Mar. 7 MAAC First Round # TBA
Mar. 8 MAAC Quarterfinals # TBA
Mar. 9 MAAC Semifinals # (ESPN3) TBA
Mar. 11 MAAC Championship # (ESPNU) 12:00 PM
HOME GAMES in CAPS
! - Paradise Jam Tournament (St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands)
* - MAAC game
# - MAAC Tournament (Played at MassMutual Center, Springfield, Mass.)
