Iona College Wins Second-Straight MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship
MAAC Sports
#3 Iona College 87 - #4 Siena College 86 -- OT
2017 MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship Game
Times Union Center
Albany, NY
In an instant classic on ESPN2, the Iona Gaels defeated the Siena Saints, 87-86, in overtime to claim its second straight MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship.
Unanimous All-Rookie Team Selection E.J. Crawford hit a layup with 28 seconds left to give Iona an 85-83 lead. Nico Clareth, who was the hero for the Saints in the semifinals, shot a three with six seconds left that hit the rim. Championship MVP Jordan Washington grabbed the rebound, was fouled, and would hit two free-throws to make it 87-83. Marquis Wright drove down the court and hit a long three-pointer as time expired, making the final score 87-86. Wright had a game-high 29 points for Siena to go along with seven rebounds and four assists. Brett Bisping and Javion Ogunyemi each scored 16 points for the Saints.
With 13 seconds left in regulation, Brett Bisping hit two free throws to tie the game at 73. Rickey McGill’s shot at the buzzer was no good and this game needed five more minutes to be decided. The entire starting five for Iona scored in double-digits with Washington leading the way with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
The Gaels went on a 17-1 run with 5:15 left in the first half to take a ten-point lead over Siena. The Saints responded with an 11-0 run to take a 35-32 lead. Going into halftime, Siena led Iona 37-35.
This game was tied 16 times and featured five lead changes. These two teams kept trading baskets until the final buzzer.
Iona will represent the MAAC at the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship for the second-straight season. This was the fifth time in MAAC history the championship game has gone into overtime.
All-Championship Team:
Justin Robinson, Monmouth
Brett Bisping, Siena
Nico Clareth, Siena
Javion Ogunyemi, Siena
Marquis Wright, Siena
Championship MVP:
Jordan Washington, Iona
About the 2017 MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship:
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