Will Play In Dixon Basketball Classic
Nearly 40 years after the first-ever women’s basketball game at Madison Square Garden (MSG), the two teams involved, Queens College and Immaculata, will face off again at the “World’s Most Famous Arena.”
The rematch will take place on Sunday Jan. 4, 2015 at 10:30 a.m. at MSG in the opening round of the annual Maggie Dixon Classic.
Queens College’s 1974-75 team featured legends such as Gail Marquis and Donna Orender, and was coached by Lucille Kyvallos. Marquis won a silver medal at the 1976 Olympics as a member of the U.S. team, Orender went on to become the commissioner of the WNBA, and Kyvallos was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. All three were named to the inaugural class of the Queens College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.
These three legends of women’s basketball will be in attendance for the game in January.
The Dixon Classic, a doubleheader that honors Maggie Dixon who died of a heart condition following her first season as head coach at the United States Military Academy at West Point, is the nation’s premier regular-season tournament in women’s basketball. The event will include a health and heart expo as well.
The QC Knights and Immaculata Mighty Macs will renew a rivalry that provided a seminal moment in sports. On Feb. 22, 1975 the two teams faced each other at MSG in front of 11,969 fans, the first time women’s basketball was played at the world’s most famous arena. Immaculata won the original matchup, 65-61.
QC comes off a 20-win 2013- 14 season where they advanced to the ECC semi-final and had two players reach All-Met status. The team also posted the 15th best turnaround in Division II from the previous season.
The second game in the doubleheader pits St. John’s against the defending national champions UConn.
Tickets are available on the website www.queensknights.com/msg and are good for both games.
