LOUDONVILLE, NY – The America East Conference and Metro Conference today announced the participating schools and complete schedule for the inaugural America East–Metro Basketball Challenge, set to tip off at the start of the 2026-27 men's and women's basketball seasons. Siena Women's Basketball will travel to face Maine on Thursday, Nov. 5 before hosting Binghamton on Sunday, Nov. 8.
The America East–Metro Basketball Challenge will feature nine men's and nine women's teams from each conference competing from Nov. 5-8, 2026, with the exception of the Iona at UMBC men's matchup, which is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 16. Each participating program will play two games—one home and one away—against opponents from the opposing conference. Game times will be announced by the host institutions at a later date.
Siena and Maine will meet for the eighth time in program history and for the first time since the 2012-13 season, when the Saints earned a 53-50 victory at the UHY Center. Siena is slated to make its first trip to Orono since a 60-53 win over the Black Bears on Dec. 29, 2011. Maine, which advanced to the America East Championship Game last season, holds a narrow 4-3 advantage in the all-time series.
Separated by just 139 miles, Siena and Binghamton will renew a regional rivalry that has produced 11 previous meetings since the 2009-10 season. The programs met annually from 2009-14 and again from 2019-24, excluding the COVID-19-shortened 2020-21 campaign. The Bearcats, who advanced to the America East Semifinals last season, hold a slim 6-5 edge in the all-time series.
Entering his third season at the helm, head coach
Terry Primm returns four of five starters from the 2025-26 campaign, including ECAC and MAAC Rookie of the Year
Francesca Schiro and MAAC All-Rookie Team selection
Kaiya Rain Tucker. The Saints capped off the season with a 13-17 overall record and, with an 11-9 mark in the conference, secured a top-five seed in the MAAC Tournament for the fifth consecutive season.
Full Women's Schedule
Thursday, Nov. 5
- Marist at Bryant
- Siena at Maine
- Canisius at New Hampshire
- Merrimack at NJIT
- Manhattan at UAlbany
- Niagara at UMass Lowell
- Mount St. Mary's at UMBC
- Quinnipiac at Vermont
Friday, Nov. 6
Sunday, Nov. 8
- UMass Lowell at Canisius
- Vermont at Fairfield
- Bryant at Manhattan
- NJIT at Marist
- Maine at Merrimack
- UAlbany at Mount St. Mary's
- New Hampshire at Niagara
- UMBC at Quinnipiac
- Binghamton at Siena
The two conferences first announced the creation of the basketball challenge in July 2025 as part of a two-year agreement spanning the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons. The event marks the first basketball challenge between two Division I conferences based entirely in the Northeast. With shared regional footprints, a mutual broadcast partner in ESPN, a common sponsorship rights holder in Van Wagner, and the same men's basketball officiating coordinator, the Challenge represents a natural and strategic collaboration between the leagues.
About the America East:
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit
www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
About the Metro Conference:
With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, The Metro Conference is in its 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary's University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena University.
