Iona and Monmouth to Meet in Men’s Basketball Championship Game Monday
No. 1 Iona College – 73 | No. 5 Siena College – 57
2019 MAAC Men’s Basketball Semifinals
Times Union Center
Albany, NY
E.J. Crawford hit a 3-pointer 14 seconds into the game, and top seed Iona (16-15) would lead for the next 39-plus minutes en route to the Gaels seventh straight MAAC Championship Game appearance and a shot at a fourth consecutive title. The Gaels topped Siena (!7-16) 73-57
.
Iona Notes
• The Gaels will face No. 6 Monmouth in Monday’s championship game at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.
• Iona is seeking a fourth straight title, which would be the first time in MAAC Men’s Basketball history.
• Asante Gist led the Gaels with a game-high 22 points (7-of-13) and added three assists.
• Rickey McGill and Crawford finished in double figures with 18 and 16 points respectively.
• Iona improves to 10-0 all-time against Siena in MAAC Championship play and 8-0 all-time at the Times Union Center.
• During the run of seven title game appearances, the Gaels are 18-2 in MAAC Championship with the only losses coming in 2014 and 2015 in the title game.
Siena Notes
• Freshman Jalen Pickett, the unanimous Rookie of the Year, scored 15 points with eight assists and seven rebounds.
• Redshirt-Senior Kevin Degnan recorded a team-high eight rebounds.
• MAAC All-Rookie Team selection, Sloan Seymour, scored nine points, shooting 33-percent from beyond the arc.
• The Saints shot 37.3-percent from the field.
No. 6 Monmouth University – 73 | No. 2 Canisius College – 59
2019 MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship Semifinals
Times Union Center
Albany, NY
Monmouth (14-20) led by nine at the half, and saw Canisius (15-17) to within three at various points in the second half before pulling away with five minutes to play.
Monmouth Notes
• Monmouth will face No. 1 Iona in Monday’s championship game at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.
• The Hawks advance to their second title game since joining the league—2016 versus Iona.
• Senior Diago Quinn recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Quinn also tied the Monmouth record for most games played in a career with 135.
• The three wins this week all came against teams they did not beat in the regular season; Niagara, Quinnipiac, and Canisius.
• The Hawks replicate the feat achieved by Fairfield University last season—reach the final as a six seed.
• The Hawks are seeking to become the first team since the 2002 Siena Saints to win four games to win a MAAC title.
Canisius Notes
• Takal Molson led the Golden Griffins with 17 points (6-of-18). Molson added seven rebounds.
• Jalanni White and Amir Johnson were also in double figures with 11 and 10 points respectively.
• Johnson started his 98th consecutive game. The junior also moved into fourth all-time on the Griffs’ career steals list with three thefts.
• The Griffs were making their first semifinal appearance since 2014.
Tickets for the MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships are still on sale. Tickets can be purchased by visiting
Ticketmaster.com or the Times Union Center Box Office.
For more information on the 2019 MAAC Basketball Championships, visit
maacsports.com/basketball. Be sure to follow the conversation on all social media platforms by using #MAACHoops19.
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 38th year of competition during the 2018-19 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.