One week after saying he’d be “much happier not playing Iona again,” Manhattan coach Steve Masiello will play Iona again.
The longtime New York rivals will meet in the MAAC Championship Game and with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line. And before a national TV audience live from Albany, N.Y. (9 p.m., ESPN2).
Manhattan, the defending MAAC Tournament champion, advanced to Round 3 against Iona with a 65-48 semifinal victory over St. Peter’s. Iona took care of Monmouth, 95-77, earlier at the Times Union Center in Albany. The teams are meeting in the MAAC title game for the third straight year, with Manhattan winning last year, 71-68, behind George Beamon’s 16 points. Iona won the title in 2013.
“We lost last year [in the MAAC Tournament] so we know what it takes to win,” said Iona’s Isaiah Williams , who went for 27 points and a MAAC Tournament record nine 3-pointers in Iona’s win.
Masiello has repeatedly said he could live without the rematch.
“I’m not a guy that believes in seeing good teams three times,” Masiello said one week ago after Iona beat Manhattan in New Rochelle, 79-75. “I’d be much happier not playing Iona again and seeing them go out early. I’m not into the sizzle factor. They’re a good team and I don’t like playing them. You like playing them because it’s good for college basketball. It’s good for our guys, but it’s a tough out.”
Manhattan’s Ashton Pankey — who had 10 points in the St. Peter’s win — said that night he wouldn’t mind seeing the Gaels again.
“I would love to see them again,” Pankey said a potential matchup in the MAAC Tournament.
Now here we go.
The Gaels advanced because of Williams and A.J. English , who tallied a game-high 29 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists as the top-seeded Gaels rolled Monmouth.
“I’m just going out there to play hard, so whatever I can do to help my team that’s what I’m going to try to do,” Williams, a Newark native profiled in the above documentary by NJ Advanced Media, told the MAAC Network. “When I have open shots, I made some, I missed some, but more went in than I missed so I’m just happy.”
MAAC Rookie of the Year Schadrac Casimir added 16 points on a night when league Player of the Year David Laury managed only 7 points on 1-for-8 shooting.
Max DiLeo scored a team-best 21 points for Monmouth (18-15) and Deon Jones added 18 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.
Williams went 9-for-15 from the arc while Monmouth focused on English and Laury, both All-MAAC First-Team selections.
“It’s like A.J. English and David Laury, everybody worried about them and I just stand there wide open,” said Williams, who missed a chunk of the season with a stress fracture in his foot but is a key two-way player for coach Tim Cluess‘ club.
Iona is now one win away from a third NCAA Tournament appearance in four years, where they could be a problem for some opponents because of their up-tempo style of play.
