Manhattan Wins 2014 MAAC Men's Basketball Championship
MAAC Sports
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The second time was a charm for the second-seeded Manhattan College men’s basketball team.
The Jaspers, who lost to Iona by three points in last year’s Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title game, were on the winning side this year as they scored a 71-68 victory over the top-seeded Gaels in the 2014 MAAC Championship at the MassMutual Center on Monday night.
The Jaspers also claim the MAAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Basketball Championship. They will find out their seed and draw in the “Big Dance” on Selection Sunday, March 16. It will be Manhattan's first appearance in the NCAA Tournment since 2004.
George Beamon scored 16 points to lead a parade of four Jaspers in double figures. Rhamel Brown added 15 points, Shane Richards scored 14 and Emmy Andujar contributed 12. Richards was especially effective in the second half, scoring 11 points in the final stanza as he hit on 3-of-4 from three point range.
As this series has seen so many times in the past, the championship game came down to the final moments. Manhattan (25-7) took its largest lead of the game at 10 points, when Beamon hit a three-point field from the top of the key with 6:19 remaining.
The Gaels fought back, however, to outscore the Jaspers 14-7 in the final six minutes of play, but came up three points short. Iona whittled the Manhattan lead to two points, at 68-66, on a layup by A. J. English with 0:26 remaining. The Jaspers responded with a pair of free throws by Shane Richards to regain a four point advantage, 70-66 with 0:21 left.
English came back with a dunk for Iona to cut the lead to 70-68 with 0:17 left, and the Gaels quickly fouled the Jaspers’ Donovan Kates. Kates converted the first of two free throws for a 71-68 advantage.
Iona had one final possession but was unable to get the shot it wanted, as a three-point attempt by big man David Laury fell short.
English led Iona (22-10) with 15 points, while Tre Bowman added 14, Laury and Sean Armand scored 13 and Williams contributed 10. Laury also grabbed a game high 11 rebounds.
Iona outscored the Jaspers 10-4 in the game’s first 3:06 for a six-point lead, its largest of the game. Manhattan fought back and eventually went on a 9-0 run late in the first half, holding the Gaels scoreless for 4:23, to take a 29-22 lead. Iona pulled to within two at 29-27 with five unanswered points, but the Jaspers closed out the half with five consecutive points for a 33-27 halftime edge.