Fairfield & Iona Advance to 2018 MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship Semifinals

3/4/2018 1:13:52 AM

No. 6 Fairfield University - 90 | No. 3 Niagara University - 77
2018 Men’s Basketball Quarterfinals
Times Union Center
Albany, NY

No. 6 Fairfield University (16-15) defeated No. 3 Niagara University (19-13), 90-77, to advance to the 2018 MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship semifinals. The Stags return to the semifinal round for the second time in the last three years. They are slated to go head-to-head with in-state rival No. 7 Quinnipiac University on Sunday, March 4, at 9:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

Fairfield Notes:

The Stags are the first No. 6 seed to advance to the MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship semifinals since Manhattan College did so in 2013. With Fairfield’s win, its marks the first time since 2002 that the No. 1, 2, and 3 seeds in the MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship were all eliminated in the quarterfinal round.
Senior guard Tyler Nelson posted a double-double with 27 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field, and 10 rebounds. The guard shot 4-of-7 from behind the arc and went a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. Nelson added a game-high seven assists in 40 minutes of play.
Sophomore guard Ferron Flavors Jr. posted 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field, four rebounds, and three assists. Freshman forward Wassef Methnani tallied 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and five rebounds in just 14 minutes of play off the bench.
The Stags shot 49.2-percent from the field, 50.0-percent from three-point range, and 88.9-percent from the free-throw line.

Niagara Notes:

Junior forward Dominic Robb notched a career-high 29 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field. Robb knocked down a career-high 10 free-throws on 12 attempts and blocked a game-high two shots.
Red-shirt senior guard Kahlil Dukes registered 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and dished out two assists.

No. 4 Iona College – 72 | No. 5 Manhattan College – 60
2018 Men’s Basketball Quarterfinals
Times Union Center
Albany, NY

No. 4 Iona College (18-13) knocked off No. 5 Manhattan College (14-17), 72-60, to advance to its eight-straight MAAC Men’s Basketball semifinal, which is tied for a conference record. The Gaels will take on No. 9 Saint Peter’s University on Sunday, March 4 at 9:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

Iona Notes:

Graduate guard Zach Lewis registered a season-high 23 points and a career-high nine rebounds en route to the quarterfinal victory. Lewis went 8-of-10 from the free-throw line, his eight made free-throws marked a new season-high.
Junior guard Schadrac Casimir scored in double-figures for the 15^th time this season, as he posted 18 points. The junior shot a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line in a game-high 36 minutes of action.
Sophomore guard E.J. Crawford scored 14 points, which marked his eight-straight game scoring in double figures.
The Gaels converted 27-of-34 free-throws as a team, while Manhattan made 15 of its 22 attempts.
They held Manhattan to 36.4-percent shooting from the field and 26.3-percent shooting from three. The Gaels forced 15 turnovers and swiped 10 steals as a team.

Manhattan Notes:

Sophomore forward Pauly Paulicap notched his fifth double-double of the season with a team-best 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Senior forward Zane Waterman tallied 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and six rebounds. Senior guard Rich Williams added 10 points, four rebounds, and three assists in 34 minutes.

About the MAAC Basketball Championships:
The 2018 MAAC Basketball Championships take place March 1-5, at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY. 16 of the 20 contests are set to air exclusively on ESPN3. The first Men’s Basketball Championship Semifinal game on Sunday, March 4, airs live on ESPN3 at 7 p.m. and will re-air at 11:30 p.m. on ESPNU, tape delayed. The second Men’s Basketball Semifinal airs at 9:30 p.m., live, on ESPNU.

For all information on the 2018 MAAC Basketball Championships, visit maacsports.com/basketball. The Men’s Basketball Championship game is set to air on ESPN's main network, ESPN on Monday, March 5 at 7 p.m. Jason Benetti and Jay Bilas will be on the call for the Men’s Championship final. Be sure to follow the conversation on all social media platforms by using #MAACHoops18.

About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 37^th year of competition during the 2017-18 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.