No. 15 Seed Iona Defeated by No. 2 Seed Duke in NCAA Tournament First Round

No. 15 Seed Iona Defeated by No. 2 Seed Duke in NCAA Tournament First Round

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No. 15 seed Iona College – 67 | No. 2 seed Duke University – 89
2018 NCAA Tournament First Round
Pittsburgh, PA | PPG Paints Center
 
No. 15 seed Iona (20-14) was defeated by No. 2 seed Duke (27-7), 89-67, in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Today’s NCAA Tournament game marked the 12th in program history for the Gaels, and their 11th as a member of the MAAC. The 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament are the most by any team in conference history.
 
Iona Notes:
  • Junior forward Roland Griffin scored a team-high 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field and pulled down five rebounds. Griffin registered 20-plus points for the seventh time this season. It was the third time this season he went for 20 or more points in back-to-back games (tallied a career-high 29 points in MAAC Championship game on Mar. 5). 11 of his 21 points came in the first half.
  • Graduate forward TK Edogi posted a near double-double with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor and a game-high nine rebounds.
  • Junior guard Rickey McGill finished with 10 points and five assists in a team-high 35 minutes of play.
  • Graduate guard Zach Lewis totaled 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the floor and 2-of-4 shooting from three-point range. The guard dished out four assists, pulled down three rebounds, and swiped two steals.
  • As a team the Gaels shot 43.0-percent from the field. They shot 55.2-percent from the field in the first half and 44.4-percent from behind the arc. Iona trailed Duke, 53-39, at the break.
  • Today’s meeting with Duke marked the first-ever between the schools.
  • With the loss, Iona falls to 0-11 in the NCAA Tournament as a member of the MAAC and 0-12 overall.
Duke Notes:
  • Duke advances to the NCAA Tournament Second Round and will face No. 7 seed Rhode Island (26-7) on Saturday. The Rams outlasted Oklahoma, 83-78, in overtime earlier Thursday.
  • Freshman forward Marvin Bagley III scored a game-high 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting and pulled down seven rebounds.
  • Freshman guard Trevon Duval tallied 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and recorded eight assists.
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 37th 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.