Iona Men & Women Claim Top Seeds for MAAC Championships
MAAC Sports
Edison, N.J. - Iona College claimed the top seed in both of the MAAC Men’s and Women’s basketball Championships Thursday night. The championships take place March 6-10 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass. The Gaels became just the sixth program in MAAC history and first since 2007 to have both its men’s and women’s enter the tournament as the top seed.
The Iona women’s program continued its record-breaking season by posting an 80-72 win over Quinnipiac Thursday night in Hamden, Conn. Damika Martinez poured in 20 points while sophomore forward Joy Adams notched her nation leading 24th double double with 14 points and 18 rebounds. Iona improved to 25-3 on the season and 18-1 in the MAAC.
The win clinched at least a share of Iona’s first ever MAAC Women’s Basketball Regular Season Championship in the 33-year history of the league. The Gaels also snapped Marist’s string of nine consecutive years as the MAAC Championship number one seed. Iona completes the 2013-2014 regular season on Sunday, March 2 at 12:00pm against defending MAAC Champion Marist. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. They open up in MAAC Championship play on Friday, March 7 at 12:00pm against the winner of the Thursday, March 6 number eight vs. number nine seed game.
The Iona men’s squad, currently 19-8 overall and 16-2 in the MAAC, claimed the top seed for the second time in three years and the eighth time overall. The Gaels secured the first spot when Siena edged Quinnipiac 72-70 guaranteeing Iona will finish with the league’s best record. The Gaels enter the 2014 MAAC Men’s Championship as the defending champion and have won a league high eight MAAC Championships overall.
On Saturday, March 8 at 12:00pm the Iona men’s team faces the winner of the Thursday, March 6 number eight vs. number nine seed game at the MassMutual Center. Prior to that, Iona closes out the regular season with games on Friday, February 28 at Manhattan (7:00 p.m. EST, ESPN2) and Sunday, March 2 at home vs. Rider (3:00 p.m. EST, ESPN3).
Prior to this year, there were five other occasions when the same school entered the MAAC Basketball Championships as the top seed on both the men’s and women’s side: 2007 (Marist College), 2003 (Manhattan College), 1989 (La Salle), 1988 (LaSalle) and 1982 (Saint Peter's). There have been only two instances when the same school won both the MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball postseason championships in the same year: Manhattan in 2003 and Loyola in 1994.
The 2014 MAAC Basketball Championships return to the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass. from March 6-10. For ticket information to the 2014 MAAC Basketball Championship visit www.ticketmaster.com, www.maacachusetts.com or visit the MassMutual Center Box Office.