ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (Mar. 6, 2026) – The 2026 Air Force Reserve Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s Basketball Championship at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall began on Thursday night with first round action. No. 9 Sacred Heart and No. 7 Fairfield secured first round wins and move into the quarterfinal round tomorrow.
No. 9 Sacred Heart – 91 | No. 8 Iona – 80
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall | ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
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In a highly entertaining opening contest, Sacred Heart topped Iona, 91-80. A competitive first half went back and forth. Iona started out with the momentum, taking a 17-10 lead and then a 21-14 edge. Khalil Badru accounted for nine points off the bench to give an early spark for the Gaels. Energy began to shift for Sacred Heart later in the half when the team opened up an 11-0 rally, to go up 25-21. From there it was level the remainder of the way. The Pioneers would take a 34-29 lead into the locker room. Sacred Heart’s Nyle Ralph-Beyer had 14 points to lead all scorers at the half.
The second half was a scoring marathon and three point shooting contest between the teams. Both sides scored over 50 points each in the second half and combined to attempt 68 triples, with the Pioneers shooting 13-of-37 (35%) from beyond the arc, while the Gaels went just 8-of-31 (26%) from deep. Iona knotted the game at 40-40, following a basket by CJ Anthony at the 16:28. After a few more ties, the Pioneers ran off a 23-13 run, to extend its lead to double figures and never look back.
Sacred Heart Notes and Notables
- The trio of Ralph-Beyer, Yann Farrell, and Anquan Hill accounted for 64 of the Pios 91 total points.
- Ralph-Beyer had a bigtime performance, accumulating 26 points off 8-for-10 shooting from the field, 6-for-7 from three point land, and 4-for-5 from the free throw line.
- He added four boards, one assists, one steal, and one block to his statline.
- Farrell stepped up in the second half and finished with a 19 and 10 double-double.
- Hill had a quiet 19 point performance, chipping in with five rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.
- The Pioneers finished with 32 points in the paint and 12 points off turnovers.
- In its second season as a member of the MAAC, Sacred Heart will be making its second straight appearance in the quarters.
- Sacred Heart will meet top seeded Merrimack in the quarterfinal round tomorrow at 6:00 p.m.
Iona Notes and Notables
- The Gaels were led by the quintet of Luke Jungers, Lamin Sabally, Badru, Anthony, and Kosy Akametu.
- Jungers led the squad with 20 points and had six rebounds to go along with his points.
- Sabally scored 16 points, pulled down a team-leading seven rebounds and dished out a team-most eight assists.
- Badru totaled 14 points, while Anthony and Akametu added 11 points apiece.
- Iona’s reserves outplayed Sacred Heart’s, posting a 40-8 advantage in bench points.
- The Gaels also scored 42 points in the paint, had 12 points off turnovers and 12 second chance points.
No. 7 Fairfield – 71 | No. 10 Manhattan – 60
Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall | ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
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Fairfield took down Manhattan, 71-60 in the final game of the first round. Fairfield controlled the bulk of the opening half, owning a lead as large as seven points, but Manhattan stuck around and managed to take a one point lead late in the half, before the Stags ended the half on a 7-2 run to take a 31-27 edge into the half.
The opening five and a half minutes out of halftime was all Fairfield, as the Stags went on a 14-2 run, spearheaded by the duo of Brandon Benjamin (6) and Braden Sparks (5), who scored 11 of the 14 points. That rally would prove to be the difference as the Jaspers would only get as close as nine the remainder of the way, while the Stags went ahead by 17 on a pair of occasion before closing out the victory.
Fairfield Notes and Notables
- Fairfield had three players in double figures tonight, with Sparks leading all scorers with a game-high of 17 points.
- He also led the team with five assists and two steals.
- Benjamin had a near double-double, recording 15 points and nine rebounds.
- Benjamin led the team in blocks as well with three.
- The final Stag in double figures was Eric Mejia, who added 10 points.
- Fairfield held advantages in four out of five scoring categories, which included points off turnovers (16-10), second chance points (13-11), fast break points (11-7) and bench points (21-10).
- The Stags also won the rebounding battle in a slim 37-34 advantage.
- After missing the quarterfinals last season, Fairfield is back in the round for the fourth time over the past six seasons dating back to 2021.
- Fairfield will matchup with No. 2 Saint Peter’s in the quarterfinal round tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m.
Manhattan Notes and Notables
- All 60 Manhattan points were scored by five players.
- Terrance Jones scored 16 points, with four rebounds, four assists, and a block.
- Jaden Winston had 15 points and three steals.
- Devin Denkins scored 11 points and Anthoiny Isaac contributed 10 points.
- The Jaspers scored more than half their points in the post, finishing with 32 points in the paint.
For all information regarding the 2026 Air Force Reserve MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, please visit
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Air Force Reserve
The mission of the Air Force Reserve is to provide combat-ready forces to fly, fight, and win in air, space, and cyberspace, whenever and wherever needed. As a critical component of the United States Air Force, the Air Force Reserve supports global operations while remaining ready to respond to domestic emergencies and humanitarian efforts. It is responsible for organizing, training, and equipping Reserve Citizen Airmen to execute a wide range of missions that contribute to national defense and global security.
The Air Force Reserve offers part-time and full-time service options, enabling individuals to serve while maintaining civilian careers or pursuing higher education. Each year, the Reserve recruits thousands of enlisted and officer personnel across core specialties including Aviation, Maintenance, Intelligence, Cyber, Medical, Security Forces, and Logistics. This flexibility allows members to develop valuable skills, gain leadership experience, and serve their country with pride.
More information about Air Force Reserve careers and opportunities is available at:
https://www.airforce.com/ways-to-serve/air-force-reserve.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 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 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena University.
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