MAAC won’t sell tourney tickets
Conference will allow family and friends to attend event in N.J.
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, which includes Siena, won’t sell tickets to the public for the men’s and women’s basketball tournament in Atlantic City, N.J., from March 8-13, the league said Friday.
However, the MAAC will allow a limited amount of family and friends of the basketball programs into Boardwalk Hall for the tournament, which determines the conference’s representatives for the NCAA Tournament.
The MAAC said the decision to allow family and friends was made possible by the recent revision to the capacity limit that was lifted to 10 percent of the arena’s overall capacity. The changed policy still requires physical distancing and other COVID -19 restrictions.
“It is great that the recent executive order lifting attendance limits in athletic venues will allow us to accommodate a limited number of ‘Friend and Families’ of the teams, particularly the parents, siblings and children of the student-athletes and the coaching staffs,” MAAC commissioner Rich Ensor said in the release. “This is a significant first step in the return to athletic competition in New Jersey and the MAAC membership is pleased to be the first event in Boardwalk Hall since last March when the pandemic abruptly shut down March Madness.”
The MAAC men’s title game will be televised on ESPNU at 4 p.m. Saturday, March 13, following the women’s final on ESPNEWS at 11 a.m. The two MAAC men’s semifinals on Friday, March 12 will be aired on ESPNEWS. The rest of the tournament will be livestreamed on ESPN+.
Cooper top rookie
Ualbany freshman Kayla Cooper was selected to the America East all-rookie team, the conference said Friday.
Teammate Helene Haegerstrand was chosen to the all-conference third team.
Maine received the conference’s two major awards, as Blanca Millan won her second Player of the Year, and Amy Vachon earned Coach of the Year for the third time in her four seasons. Millan also captured Defensive Player of the Year. Vermont forward Anna Olson was Rookie of the Year, and Stony Brook senior forward Mckenzie Bushee was Sixth Person of the Year.
MAAC women
St. Peter’s 66, Siena 58: Taiah Thornton scored 19 points and Ajia
James added 10 points and 10 rebounds to lead Saint Peter’s to a win Friday in Jersey City, N.J. Siena played catchup most of the second half and pulled within a point when Isis Young buried a 3-pointer with 2:32 left, but the rally faltered when Thornton and James hit back-toback baskets to extend the lead for the Peahens (9-13, 8-8 MAAC). Young led all scorers with 26 points. Siena is 3-7 and 3-7.
Quinnipiac 71, Niagara 57: Quinnipiac picked up its 13th victory of the season with a win at Niagara. Mackenzie Dewees scored 21 points and Mikala Morris added 10 points and 23 rebounds for the Bobcats (13-6, 11-4). Ally Haar and Olivia Mason each had 16 points to lead Niagara (3-6, 3-6).
Top 25 women
UCLA 93, USC 51: Charisma Osborne recorded the ninth tripledouble in UCLA history, Michaela Onyenwere scored 30 points and the
10th-ranked Bruins made a seasonhigh 16 3-pointers in their victory over Southern California.
South Dakota St., Kansas City: Paiton Burckhard and Tylee Irwin each scored 19 points and No. 22 South Dakota State beat UMKC to clinch the Summit League regularseason title.
MAAC men
St. Peter’s 66, Rider 52: KC Ndefo had a career-high 22 points as St. Peter’s topped Rider. Matthew Lee had 14 points for St. Peter’s (12-8, 9-6). Hassan Drame added 12 rebounds. Dwight Murray Jr. had 13 points and six assists for the Broncs (4-14, 4-11), whose losing streak reached four games.
Top 25 men
Loyola Chicago 60, Southern Illinois 52: Marquise Kennedy scored 16 points to lead No. 21 Loyola Chicago to a victory.
As with all of General Motors’ vehicle divisions, Cadillac offers multiple types and sizes of utility vehicles along with a wide range of powertrains. The XT6 is the newest and also one of the larger members of the group.
Slotted between the five-passenger XT5 and the eight-passenger Escalade, the XT6 has room for up to seven souls spread across three rows of seats (or six people with the optional second-row bucket seats).
The XT6 is built on the XT5’S platform and comes from the same Tennessee plant, along with the GMC Acadia. Although the distance between the front and rear wheels is identical for both Caddys, the XT6 is about nine inches longer, 2.3 inches wider and three inches taller.
The XT6 even looks like the XT5, with an understated front-end design. The XT6’S roofline slopes to a lesser degree than the XT5’S, and the liftgate is more vertical, which helps provide thirdrow riders a reasonable amount of headroom and anti-claustrophobia side glass. Similar to the third rows of competing models, in the XT6 adult-sized occupants sit close to the floor with their knees pointing upward.
2021 Cadillac XT6
MPG (city/hwy): 21/27 (2.0, FWD) Base price: (incl. destination) $49,000
The squared-off shape means 25-percent-greater cargo capacity than the XT5 has, with the rear rows folded forward. With the third-row bench in use, there’s not a great deal of stowage space to be had in the XT6.
Similarities between the two models carry through to the interior where the two dashboards differ only slightly. The XT6’S unconventional gear changer takes some getting used to since you toggle, rather than shift, your selections. Beside it, a rotary dial controls the various functions (i.e. infotainment, navigation, etc.) displayed on the eight-inch touch
screen.
The XT6 scores points for its supportive, yet cushy seats and a whisper-quiet interior that contributes to an enjoyable first-class ride.
For 2021, the XT6 adds a turbocharged 2.0-liter base engine that delivers 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The formerly standard 3.6-liter
V-6 with 310 horsepower and 271 pound-feet is now optional.
Base fuel economy is pegged at 21 mpg city, 27 on the highway and 23 combined.
According to Cadillac, the V-6-equipped XT6 hits 60 mph from rest in 6.9 seconds (Cadillac has not provided times for the four-cylinder). That’s reasonably rapid for a vehicle weighing in the 4,400-4,600-pound range. The power is plentiful and comes on seamlessly.
The nine-speed automatic transmission — common to both engines — also reacts quickly and always seems to be in the right gear, no matter the speed or the throttle position.
Although front-wheel-drive is standard with the $49,000 (including destination charges) base Luxury trim level, most buyers will likely opt for the $2,000 all-wheel-drive that’s offered with either engine. The Luxury comes with tri-zone climate control, leather upholstery, power liftgate, power-folding thirdrow seat, panoramic sunroof and an eight-speaker Bose-brand audio system, to name just some of the standard goodies.
The XT6 has room for up to seven souls spread across three rows of seats.
The XT6 Sport adds all-wheel-drive plus blacked-out grille and trim, carbonfiber interior bits, heavy-duty cooling system and a dynamic (constantly adjusting) suspension. This feature allows all available torque to be directed to either outside wheel when turning (torque vectoring).
Options for the Luxury and Sport include automatic parking assist, trailer hitch guidance (the XT6 has a 4,000-pound towing capacity), reverse automatic braking, head-up information display and an infrared night-vision camera that can detect and track otherwise unseen people or animals beyond headlight range.
For families with kids and/or for people requiring more cargo room, selecting the XT6 over the XT5 might be the smart play, especially when considering the extra cost of stepping up to the Escalade.