ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (Mar. 11, 2022) – Thursday night’s quarterfinal round of the 2022 Hercules Tires Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s Basketball Championship inside of Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall finished with No. 11 Quinnipiac University and No. 4 Monmouth University both advancing to the semifinals.
No. 11 Quinnipiac – 77 | No. 3 Siena – 71
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall | ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
Stats
Conference history was made when No. 11 Quinnipiac defeated No. 3 Siena, 77-71 to start the evening session off. The Bobcats picked right back up where they left off, hitting 6-of-11 (54.5%) triples in the first half, taking a 40-32 lead into the break. Quinnipiac extended its lead to as many 16 in the second half and held a lead of 60-45 with nine minutes to play. The Saints would eventually fight back into the game, creating a 13-0 run over a span of three minutes that made it a one-possession contest with five minutes left. Despite the near comeback, Quinnipiac would never relinquish the lead and secure the upset win. Jacob Rigoni led the Bobcats with 16 points, followed by Matt Balanc’s 15 points and 11 by Dezi Jones. Siena had four players in double figures; Javian McCollum (16), Colby Rogers (14), Jackson Stormo (12), and Jared Billups (11). Quinnipiac becomes the first 11th seed in league history to make the semifinals round. This will be the Bobcats first time back in the semis since last playing in the round during the 2018 championship. They will face No. 2 Saint Peter’s on Friday, March 11 at 8:30pm.
No. 4 Monmouth – 61 | No. 5 Niagara – 58
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall | ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
Stats
No. 4 Monmouth edged No. 5 Niagara, 61-58 in the final matchup of the quarterfinal round. The Hawks held the advantage on the scoreboard for almost 36 minutes in the game, while only trailing for 18 seconds. Monmouth converted on 56 percent (9-16) of its three-pointers in the victory. Walker Miller scored a game-high 17 points for the Hawks, Shavar Reynolds stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Marcus McClary chipped in 10 points. For Niagara, Marcus Hammond matched the game-high of 17 points, the duo of Justin Roberts and Noah Thomasson scored 13 points each, and Jordan Cintron pitched in with 11 points. 2019 was the Hawks last appearance in the semifinals. Monmouth will clash with rival No. 9 Rider on Friday, March 11 at 6pm next time out in the semis.
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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 41st year of competition during the 2021-22 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.
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