MAAC Men's Championship Moves Into Quarterfinal Round
MAAC Sports
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The 2014 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championships will move into the quarterfinal round on Saturday, March 8 for a full day of action at the Mass Mutual Center. All four quarterfinal round games will be broadcast by ESPN3.
In the first quarterfinal game of the day, top-seeded Iona will face 8th-seeded Rider at noon. The Gaels, who won the MAAC regular season championship with a 17-3 record, swept the season series with Rider. Iona, now 20-9 overall, won the first game on the road, 80-77, staving off a late Rider rally. The Gaels took the second matchup, 97-81 in the final game of the regular season.
Rider advanced to the quarterfinal round by dispatching Monmouth, 71-60, in the first round behind 25 points from senior forward Danny Stewart.
The second quarterfinal contest pits 4th-seeded Canisius against 5th-seeded Siena. Canisius swept the regular season, winning the first meeting 93-78 at home in December. The Golden Griffs also took the second matchup, 92-88 in triple overtime. The Saints won eight of their last 12 regular season games to surge into fifth place and earn a first round bye. Canisius enters the contest with a 20-11 mark.
Second-seeded Manhattan will face seventh-seeded Saint Peter’s in the third quarterfinal round game of the day, at 6:30 p.m. Manhattan earned the second seed with a 15-5 record in league play, and is one of three MAAC teams to have won 20 or more games during the 2013-14 season, with a 22-7 record. The Jaspers won both games of the season series with the Peacocks, winning on the road, 74-62, and at home, 64-49.
The Peacocks, now 14-16, advanced to the quarterfinals with a thrilling 65-62 overtime victory over Fairfield in the first round. Desi Washington’s three-point bucket with 1.4 seconds left propelled the Peacocks to victory.
Third-seeded Quinnipiac will take on 11th-seeded Niagara in the fourth quarterfinal round game at 9:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Bobcats took the season series with the Purple Eagles, winning 85-71 at home, and 90-88 on the road. Quinnipiac, which finished the regular season 19-10, is bidding to become the fourth MAAC team to reach the 20 win plateau this season.
Niagara advanced to the quarterfinal round with an exciting 78-76 victory over Marist. The Purple Eagles (7-25) led by 24 points in the second half, only to see their lead dwindle to two points in the final minute and a half. Niagara held on for the victory behind a superlative performance by guard Antoine Mason, who poured in 38 points.