ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (Mar. 10, 2023) – The 2023 Hercules Tires Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s Basketball Championship at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall final is set following Friday night’s semifinals. No. 1 Iona University used a commanding second half to defeat No. 5 Niagara University and No. 11 Marist College eliminated defending champion, No. 10 Saint Peter’s to secure its spot in the title game.
No. 1 Iona – 71 | No. 5 Niagara – 59
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall | ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
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Top-seeded Iona put together a dominating second half en route to a 71-59 victory over No. 5 Niagara, on Friday night in the first semifinal. In spite of the outcome, the contest was competitive the first 30 plus minutes of action, producing 13 lead changes and eight ties. The Purple Eagles led for 20:50 while the Gaels held the edge for 13:36. The two teams played even through the game’s first half, going into the locker room knotted at 35-35. Five points was the largest separation which Niagara held 12 minutes in while Iona’s largest advantage was three points. Midway through the second half the game tied one final time with 10:34 on the clock at 48-48. The Gaels would use a 12-2 run to go ahead 60-50, and then 23-11 total the rest of the way to punch the team’s ticket in the championship final. Three Gaels led the way in double figures with MAAC Player of the Year Walter Clayton Jr. scoring a game-high 22 points, Nelly Junior Joseph scored 16 points and pulled in six rebounds, and Daniss Jenkins added 14 points. Niagara’s top scorers were Aaron Gray who finished with a team-high 18 points, followed by Noah Thomasson who scored 15 points. Iona will appear in its second championship final in the past three years, its 10th over the last 13 years, and its MAAC-leading 20th overall. The Gaels will look to add their conference leading 14th MAAC Championship trophy to the case tomorrow night.
No. 11 Marist – 69 | No. 10 Saint Peter’s – 57
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall | ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
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11th-seeded Marist defeated 10th-seeded Saint Peter’s, 69-57, in the semifinal round on Friday night. The Red Foxes led wire-to-wire in the victory, completing its third straight game in which the team has not trailed. Marist scored the game's first eight points and held Saint Peter's scoreless for the first 5:54. After the Peacocks cut into the Red Foxes’ lead, Marist scored 16 of the next 18 points to jump out to a 33 -14 edge. By halftime, Marist led by 21 points (41-20). Saint Peter’s countered in the second half with seven straight points to spark the defending champions. The Peacocks would continue its comeback efforts, cutting the game to single digits at the 7:28 mark. With 4:33 on the clock, Saint Peter’s Kyle Cardaci hit a corner three-pointer to cut the deficit to just three points. Down the stretch, Patrick Gardner hit a triple from the top of the key with just under two minutes to play, extending Marist’s lead to seven points and putting the game out of reach. Gardner led four Marist double-digit scorers with 18 points, while Isaiah Brickner, Javon Cooley, and Noah Harris all scored 10 points. Saint Peter’s was led by Jaylen Murray’s 14 points and Mouhamed Sow tallied 10 points. Marist becomes the first ever 11th seed in MAAC history to appear in a title game and the Red Foxes advance to their first ever MAAC Championship final in program history.
Iona and Marist will battle tomorrow night in primetime at 7:30pm on ESPNU for the chance to be named 2023 MAAC Men’s Basketball Champions and earn the league’s automatic qualifier bid into the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
For all information regarding the 2023 Hercules Tires MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, please visit
MAACSports.com/basketball and by following @MAACHoops and #MAACHoops on Twitter.
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 42nd year of competition during the 2022-23 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
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