IMMACULATA, Pa. – The Immaculata University women’s basketball team will make the program’s second appearance at Madison Square Garden when the Mighty Macs meet Cabrini College in “The World’s Most Famous Arena” on Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 5 p.m.
The game at Madison Square Garden marks a historic return for the Mighty Macs, who were a part of the first women’s basketball game ever played there. Immaculata and Queen’s College met on February 22, 1975 with the Mighty Macs defeating the Knights, 65-61, in front of a crowd of 11, 969 fans.
"We are excited and grateful for the opportunity to play at Madison Square Garden, not only because of its rich basketball history, but because of the significance of Immaculata's return there and the impact the school made on women's basketball,” said Immaculata head women’s basketball coach and director of athletics Patty Canterino.
Being part of the first women’s basketball game ever played at Madison Square Garden was one of many firsts for Immaculata during the school’s “hey day” in the early 1970’s. Just a month prior to its appearance on the sports and entertainment world’s grandest stage, Immaculata defeated the University of Maryland, 80-48, in what was the first women’s basketball game ever to appear before a national television audience as the independent Mizlou Television Network sold broadcast rights to more than 100 stations.
These two events were just a few of the many strides that Immaculata made as pioneers for college women’s basketball after winning the first three national championships consecutively in 1972, 1973 and 1974.
The contest will mark the third consecutive season Cabrini’s women’s basketball team has played a regular season game at the Garden. The Cavaliers are 2-0 in those contests. Cabrini claimed a 71-37 victory against the College of Notre Dame on January 23, 2008 and knocked off Neumann University, 47-40, on January 24, 2009.
Immaculata’s game against Cabrini will be the final game of a triple-header scheduled for January 23 at Madison Square Garden. The day will begin with the Villanova men’s basketball team taking on St. John’s at 12 p.m., followed by the Red Storm women’s basketball team against the University of South Florida at 2:30 p.m.
Immaculata enters the season looking to make a return to the Colonial States Athletic Conference postseason tournament after finishing with an 8-8 league mark during 2008-09. Immaculata returns three starters in Chelsea McTigue, Bridget Welz and Kelly Brown. McTigue averaged 12.4 points per game, second-highest on the team, and 4.5 rebounds per contest. The junior forward shot a club-best 60 percent from the field (69-of-115).
Welz, a sophomore guard, started all 25 contests last season for the Mighty Macs, averaging 8.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per contest. Brown was Immaculata’s third-leading scorer and rebounder last season, averaging 11.9 points and 5.4 boards per game.
Madison Square Garden is located in Manhattan on Seventh Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets. It is home to the New York Knicks of the NBA and the New York Liberty of the WNBA, as well as the NHL's New York Rangers. It has also played host to some of the most historic boxing matches in history, including Muhammed Ali vs. Joe Frazier in the “Fight of the Century” in 1971.