Iona & Fairfield Advance to 2018 MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship Game
No. 4 Iona College – 65 | No. 9 Saint Peter’s University – 62
2018 Men’s Basketball Semifinals
Times Union Center
Albany, NY
No. 4 Iona College (18-13) defeated No. 9 Saint Peter’s University (14-17), 65-62, to advance to its sixth-straight MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship game and seventh in the last eight years. The Gaels extend their record of MAAC Championship game appearances to 17.
Iona takes on No. 6 Fairfield University in the 2018 MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship game on Monday, March 6, at 7 p.m. on ESPN. The matchup between No. 4 Iona and No. 6 Fairfield marks the second time in MAAC history that the No. 4 and No. 6 seeds will meet in the Championship final.
Iona Notes:
- Junior guard Schadrac Casimir scored a game-high 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field. The guard knocked down four three-pointers and swiped a pair of steals.
- Graduate guard Zach Lewis recorded 12 points, three assists, and three steals in 35 minutes of play.
- Sophomore E.J. Crawford registered 10 points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes. Graduate forward TK Edogi recorded eight points, on 3-of-4 shooting from the field, eight rebounds, and three steals.
- The Gaels shot 43.1-percent from the field and 39.1-percent from behind the arc. In the second half Iona shot 63.6-percent from the floor and 66.7-percent from three.
- Iona forced 15 turnovers and only turned the ball over five times.
Saint Peter’s Notes:
- Sophomore guard/forward Quinn Taylor scored a team-high 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting and pulled down 11 rebounds.
- Junior forward Samuel Idowu scored nine points, recorded a game-high 11 rebounds, and four blocks.
No. 6 Fairfield University – 74 | No. 7 Quinnipiac University – 64
2018 Men’s Basketball Semifinals
Times Union Center
Albany, NY
No. 6 Fairfield University (17-15) knocked off No. 7 Quinnipiac University (12-21), 74-64, to advance to the MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship game for the first time since 2012. The Stags will play in their 11
th Championship final, which is the second-most among all MAAC teams.
Fairfield Notes:
- Sophomore guard Ferron Flavors Jr. scored a team-high 21 points, recorded four rebounds, and three assists in 38 minutes of play.
- Senior guard Tyler Nelson tallied 19 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Nelson converted three threes, and shot a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.
- Freshman Jesus Cruz scored 11 points and pulled down six rebounds in 40 minutes of action.
- The Stags shot 43.1-percent from the field and 36.0-percent from behind the arc. They shot 95.5-percent (21-of-22) from the free-throw line.
- Fairfield held Quinnipiac to 39.0-percent shooting from the field and 33.3-percent shooting from three-point range.
Quinnipiac Notes:
- Senior guard Cameron Young notched a game-high 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the floor and pulled down seven rebounds.
- Freshman forward Jacob Rigoni tallied 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting in 29 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.