The MAAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll was released just over five months ago. In those 154 days, top-ranked teams like Fairfield, Quinnipiac and Siena met projections and will represent the top three teams in the MAAC tournament. However, the middle of the pack provided quite the divide in initial predictions, resulting in the bracket as we see it today.
Niagara, a team picked by the MAAC coaches to finish third, pulled just two conference victories to put them at the dead-last in the standings this season. Meanwhile, Merrimack jumped from a twelfth-place projection to a sixth-place reality to give themselves a first-round bye.
Year after year, teams in the MAAC constantly defy expectations to make the season and tournament more enticing. Head coach Erin Doughty and the Marist Red Foxes have done the same.
The Jump Marist Made
Marist finished the 2023-24 season 6-25 (4-16 MAAC) and lost in the first round to Mount St. Mary’s. That record left them in 11th place in the conference, a seed that does not exist in the tournament this year due to the new format.
Marist entered this season picked 11th in the coaches poll with no players named to any of the Preseason All-MAAC Teams. Fast forward to March 10, 2025 and the Red Foxes are sitting as the No. 5 seed in the tournament featuring players on the All-MAAC Second and Third Teams, in addition to one on the MAAC All-Rookie Team.
It all began in game one with Doughty inserting freshman guard Danielle Williamsen–an eventual MAAC All-Rookie Team selection–into the starting lineup against Drexel. Marist lost this game 64-53, but Williamsen earning the start sent a clear message that she is a part of the Red Foxes’ plans this season.
Marist ripped off two victories at home against Cornell and Lafayette after the defeat to Drexel. Junior center Morgan Lee, selected to the All-MAAC second team, and redshirt junior Lexie Tarul, who was named to the All-MAAC third team, each added double-digit points in all three opening games—a preview of the contributions they made throughout the season.
The Red Foxes wrapped up non-conference play at a 5-5 record, with a road victory against Bryant highlighting the rest of the stretch. The five victories were intriguing, but MAAC play proved whether this somewhat unforeseen start would continue—and it did.
Marist opened conference play with a 61-50 overtime victory on the road versus Mount St. Mary’s. This was the breakout game for Williamsen, as she tallied 22 points on a 7-for-11 effort from the field.
The Red Foxes followed that up with a 58-51 win at home over Manhattan, showing how strong defense would be prevalent throughout the year. Marist is currently the third-best defensive scoring team in the MAAC.
They slid in their next three games to Fairfield, Quinnipiac and Iona, with the Stags delivering the worst of it in a 70-31 rout. Marist responded the very next game, however, in a 50-30 victory over Saint Peter’s, tying for the second fewest points allowed since the 2002-03 season.
The victory sparked a four-game winning streak with wins over Rider, Niagara and Canisius. Marist held those opponents to 46.3 points per game over the four victories.
Inconsistency started to become slightly apparent as the Red Foxes dropped four of their next five. Part of it stemmed from competition, with two losses against Siena and one against Fairfield, but a home loss against Merrimack is one they should have taken.
Another four-game winning streak followed as Marist secured the round-one bye in a thrilling 63-61 victory against Saint Peter’s. The Red Foxes were 16-12 following the win, marking a double-digit increase from last year’s 6-25 record.
A pair of losses against Merrimack and Mount St. Mary’s left Marist two games above .500. Nevertheless, moving six spots above where the October prediction originally had them leaves some eyebrows raised ahead of Atlantic City.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Each MAAC Tournament Team
- Fairfield (25-4, 19-1 MAAC)
Strength(s): It’s difficult to pick out a specific strength for the Stags, reason being that they have so many. They rank top-three in the MAAC in practically every major team statistic, notably first in offensive and defensive scoring, field goal percentage and opponent 3-point percentage.
Fairfield’s ability to come at you in multiple ways on the offensive end stands out above all. Sophomore road runner Meghan Andersen, sophomore guard Kaety L’Amoreaux and senior road runner Emina Selimovic each average double-digit points per game.
Andersen leads the team at 15 points, earning back-to-back selections to the All-MAAC first team. Fairfield attempts the most 3-pointers in the MAAC and shoots it at the third-highest percentage.
In Fairfield’s 19 MAAC victories this season, 11 of them have been by 20 or more points and just two have been by single-digits, making an upset before the championship seem almost irrational.
Weakness: The only true prominent flaw is their free-throw shooting. The Stags shoot a ninth-best in conference 70.5% from the charity stripe. A near 20-point margin of victory hides the misses well, but if they find themselves in a close game, knocking down free-throws is something they could be forced to do. Fairfield shot 9-for-13 from the line in their lone MAAC loss, falling 72-65 on Saturday, March 8.
Quinnipiac could be a team they may see down the road, and they may have to be on point from that category to do what they want to accomplish in Atlantic City.
- Quinnipiac (26-3, 18-2 MAAC)
Strength(s): What differentiates Quinnipiac from the rest of the MAAC is first-year guard Gal Raviv. The guard from Kadima, Israel just capped off her first collegiate regular season by winning MAAC Player of the Year. Raviv averaged18.0 points on 45.5% from the field, 5.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
Raviv has done it all for the Bobcats and is certainly the player to keep an eye on throughout the tournament. Quinnipiac features other scorers that certainly should not go unmentioned: senior guard Jackie Grisdale, sophomore forward/center Anna Foley and sophomore guard Karson Martin are all double-digit scorers this season.
Weakness: Again, an 18-2 team makes it difficult to point out a weakness, but the Bobcats’ inability to create turnovers can certainly become a factor. While Quinnipiac averages the least amount of turnovers at 12.1, they are ninth in the MAAC in causing turnovers at 15.9.
Taking care of the ball is a luxury that not all teams possess, but if they run into a team that is hot on the offensive end, the limitation of forcing turnovers could be problematic.
- Siena (17-12, 14-6 MAAC)
Strength(s): Graduate student guard Ahniysha Jackson, junior guard Teresa Seppala and senior guard Anajah Brown are the MAAC’s version of a big three. Jackson can score whenever and wherever she wants on the floor, averaging 15.3 points while also being the Saints’ main ball-handler.
Seppala is one-of-a-kind, averaging 16.5 points on 43.6% from the field, 40.3% from beyond the arc (second in the MAAC) and a staggering 95.3% from the free throw line. Brown rounds out the trio, averaging 10.4 points on 52.1% from the field while grabbing 7.2 rebounds per game. This trifecta can take the Saints as far as they please.
Weaknesses: What Siena produces on offense, they lack on defense. Teams are shooting 42.1% from the field and 34.0% from beyond the arc against the Saints. They hold the third-worst conference scoring defense at 65.1 points per game.
They average 64.4 points per game, which allows them to defeat the seeds a couple slots below them, but four of their six losses have come to Fairfield, Mount St. Mary’s and Quinnipiac (twice). The Saints allowed 75.0 points per game in those four losses, which raises questions of whether their offense is sustainable.
- Mount St. Mary’s (14-15, 12-8 MAAC)
Strength(s): The Mountaineers’ ability to shoot the 3-pointer gives them a chance to pull off a couple of wins in Atlantic City. Mount St. Mary’s shoots it at a MAAC-best 35.0% from beyond the arc, averaging 8.3 makes per game. Graduate student guard Anna LeMaster delivered as the most accurate 3-point shooter in the conference, finishing at 40.4% in the regular season. Her teammates, senior guard Jo Raflo (37.0%) and redshirt freshman guard Gabrielle Kennerly (35.5%) also ranked in the top ten.
The Mountaineers show no fear shooting the long ball with the second-most attempts in the conference. They will continue to fire away despite starting some games a bit slow from beyond the arc, making their resilience important to team success.
Weaknesses: The Mountaineers utilize an extended zone defense and force the second-most turnovers in the conference at 18.8 per game. They are still allowing 63.3 points per game though, caused by opponents shooting 31.1% from 3-point range which is the fifth worst in the MAAC.
Mount St. Mary’s thrives on offense in shooting from beyond the arc frequently, but is allowing teams to shoot from deep as well. Opponents are taking 21.2 shots from long range per game against the Mountaineers, making teams like Quinnipiac, Fairfield and Siena, who are at the top of the MAAC in 3-point percentage, that much more dangerous against the Mountaineers.
- Marist (16-14, 11-9 MAAC)
Strength(s): The strength for Marist all season long is on the defensive end. The Red Foxes own the third-best scoring defense in the MAAC, allowing just 58.7 points per game. They hold teams to 37.8% from the field and 29.8% from beyond the arc, which rank second and fourth in the conference, respectively.
In the Red Foxes’ 11 MAAC victories, they held opponents to 51.7 points per game. Morgan Lee delivered 72 blocks for an average of 2.4 per game, first in the MAAC. Marist boasts a 74.5% clip from the free-throw line, good for second in the MAAC. A strong defensive presence with the ability to knock down free-throws are two key aspects to closing out games in the tournament.
Weaknesses: The Red Foxes struggle to find a balance at times. Marist has had first halves where they turn the ball over too much but make enough shots to keep them in it, then limit the giveaways in the second half but cannot get back into an offensive groove, most recently against Mount St. Mary’s.
They average the fifth fewest turnovers in the conference but are only creating 14.3 giveaways per game, which could be higher given their defensive capabilities.
The Red Foxes are a streaky team at times and are entering the tournament on a two-game losing streak. However, just before that they won four in a row. Entering as a team that’s capable of winning multiple games in a row is compelling, but going in on a two-game skid even after already having a bye locked up is not ideal.
- Merrimack (13-16, 9-11 MAAC)
Strength(s): Merrimack is good at forcing turnovers. The Warriors generate 17.7 giveaways per game, fifth highest in the MAAC. They caused 19.7 turnovers per game in the nine conference victories they had this season, making turnovers a key aspect of how they win. Merrimack is also holding opponents to 28.9% from beyond the arc, ranking second in the MAAC in that category.
Weaknesses: The Warriors struggle to take hold of the basketball themselves, averaging 19.2 turnovers a game. The ability to force turnovers is great, but giving it away at such a high rate can make those caused giveaways seem irrelevant.
Merrimack does not pose much of a 3-point threat either, shooting at a 28.4% clip. The Warriors face Siena in their first matchup of the MAAC tournament and allowed Jackson, Brown and Seppala to combine for 51 points in a 79-57 loss back in January.
- Saint Peter’s (11-18, 9-11 MAAC)
Strength(s): The strength of this team is evident and is sophomore forward Fatmata Janneh. She averages a double-double at 18.3 points (second in the MAAC) and 11.3 rebounds per game. Janneh is shooting 43.9% from the field and averages 1.7 steals per game.
The offense is centered around her game in, game out. The Peacocks as a team hold opponents to 59.3 points per game on 42.1% shooting from the field, both fourth in the MAAC. They also limit themselves to the third fewest turnovers in the conference at 14.3 per game.
Weaknesses: One player can only do so much for a team, as the Peacocks do not have any other double-digit scorers. Janneh being the major scoring threat allows teams to focus a lot of attention on her and force other players to have to score.
Saint Peter’s does not cause lots of turnovers, ranking just ahead of Marist at 14.4 per game. A 28.6% effort from long range does not provide the Peacocks with enough options outside of Janneh on the offensive end.
- Manhattan (15-14, 9-11 MAAC)
Strength(s): Manhattan’s assets are that they do just about everything solid. The Jaspers rank top-5 in offensive and defensive scoring, shoot 42.5% from the field and hold their opponents to a conference best 36.8% from the field. They shoot 30.2% from beyond the arc while limiting opponents to 29.9%. Manhattan also enters the tournament having won three of their last four games.
Weaknesses: The Jaspers do not have one true person to consistently depend on. Manhattan has six players averaging anywhere from 8.1 points to 10.5 points per game, which shows that they have a handful of players pitching in. But most teams in the MAAC have that one player that they can go to on a consistent basis and Manhattan lacks that luxury.
- Canisius (10-20, 9-11 MAAC)
Strength(s): The Golden Griffins enter Atlantic City on a three-game winning streak, which is exactly how you want to enter the tournament. Canisius is holding opponents to 29.0% from 3-point range, the third best in the MAAC. Graduate student guard Jaela Johnson leads the Golden Griffins with 11.6 points per game while taking 100 more shots than anyone else on the team, serving as the main catalyst for Canisius.
Weaknesses: Canisius exhibits the second-worst offensive and defensive scoring in the conference. They give opponents way too many extra possessions at 23.0 turnovers per game, with only 15.0 caused turnovers for what is by far the worst margin in the conference.
The team’s highest 3-point shooter is Johnson at 33.8%. The Golden Griffins are in the opening game of the tournament against Manhattan— a team they lost to 71-35 on Feb. 27.
- Iona (10-20, 8-12 MAAC)
Strength(s): The Gaels opened their season on a four-game win streak, taking down Saint Peter’s, Marist and Siena in the process. They boast the fifth-best percentage in the MAAC from beyond the arc at 30%. Iona shoots an efficient 73% from the free-throw line. They are matched up with Saint Peter’s in the first round of the tournament, a team they went 1-0 against during the season.
Weaknesses: The Gaels enter the tournament on a six-game losing streak, including an 81-36 loss to Merrimack. Their average offensive points checks out with their seeding, averaging just 56.2 per game. Zero Iona players are averaging double-figures this season, with senior guard Ella Fajardo leading the way at 9.6 points per game. They allow opponents to shoot 32.8% from beyond the arc, which is the third-worst in the MAAC.
Canisius and Manhattan start the Atlantic City action on Tuesday, March 11 at noon.
Edited by Marley Pope
Graphic Quinn DiFiore; Photos from Marist Athletics
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