ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (Mar. 9, 2022) – There was nothing short of fireworks on day one of the quarterfinal round at the 2022 Hercules Tires Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s Basketball Championship inside of Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall on Wednesday. The evening began with No. 9 Rider University scoring an upset over No. 1 Iona College and ended with No. 2 Saint Peter’s University defeating No. 7 Fairfield University.
No. 9 Rider – 71 | No. 1 Iona – 70
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall | ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
Stats
Rider pulled off the upset of the tournament, taking down defending champ and top-seeded Iona, 71-70. The game was nothing short of a thriller as the two sides went back and forth throughout the second half. With the Gaels ahead by five (70-65) with just under three minutes to play, the Broncs would close out the game by scoring the final six points which included the go-ahead bucket coming from Dwight Murray with seven seconds left. Iona would fail to get off a shot on the final possession of the game, sending the Broncs into the semifinals ion upset fashion. In addition to the game-winner, Murray poured in a game-high 21 points and added eight assists, while Mervin James (13), Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson (12), and Allen Powell (11) also scored in double figures. Iona also had a quartet in double digit scoring, led by 19 from Tyson Jolly, 13 by Elijah Joiner, 12 from Walter Clayton, and 11 by Nelly Junior Joseph. Rider is back in the MAAC semifinals for the first time in over a decade, last making an appearance in 2011. The Broncs will face the winner of No. 4 Monmouth and No. 5 Niagara on Friday, March 11 at 6pm.
No. 2 Saint Peter’s – 77 | No. 7 Fairfield – 63
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall | ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
Stats
A rematch of last year’s semifinals, Saint Peter’s never trailed in a 77-63, wire-to-wire win over Fairfield in the nightcap. The Peacocks sprinted to an 11-0 lead to start the game and took a commanding 44-19 lead into the locker room. Fairfield would never get within single digits in the second half. KC Ndefo led all scorers with 20 points, Daryl Banks III added 14 and Fousseyni Drame chipped in with 10 points. The Stags were led by 19 points from Taj Benning and 13 from Supreme Cook. Saint Peter’s will appear in the semifinals for the third straight season and will play the winner of No. 3 Siena and No. 11 Quinnipiac on March 11 at 8:30pm.
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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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