Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Notebook
by Matthew Moll
Six teams within striking distance
Over half of the MAAC field is within one game in the loss column from the all-important number-one seed. Currently there is a three-way tie for first and a four-way tie for second heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
No longer an O-fer
Iona’s version of the Fab Five and reliable free throw shooting was the perfect formula for the Gaels first victory of the season. Devon Clarke lead last season’s MAAC NCAA Tournament representative with 19 points as Iona notched its first victory since losing to LSU in the first round of last season’s NCAA Tourney.
Iona defeated Rider 69-57 despite committing 21 turnovers. The win moved the Gaels to a tie in at the bottom of the MAAC win column with St. Peter’s. The Gaels have lost three games in overtime this season and two games by one.
Niagara dominating Canisius
Niagara and Canisius have traded blows since 1904, but the Purple Eagles’ current winning streak is the longest either team has enjoyed during that time. Niagara’s 71-61 win at the Gallagher Center marked the eighth straight over the Golden Griffins.
Hoopville MAAC Player of the Week
Cliff Brown, senior, forward, Niagara – 16.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in last two victories for Purple Eagles.
Hoopville MAAC Rookie of the Week
Frank Turner, freshman, guard, Canisius – 13.3 points and 5.0 assists per game last week.
1. Manhattan Jaspers (12-11 overall, 9-4 MAAC)
Another season, another time in first place: The players and coaches have changed, but Manhattan remains a contender in the MAAC. The Jaspers split their last two games to pull into a virtual three-way tie for first.
Manhattan fell to Niagara 81-70 despite a double-double from Arturo Dubois, who scored 25 points and added 10 boards.
Guy Ngarndi recorded his first career double-double in leading the Jaspers to a 58-51 win over St. Peter’s. Ngarndi scored 16 points and added 17 rebounds in the win.
More MAAC: Rider then Niagara.
2. Loyola Greyhounds (13-10, 9-4)
Could have been alone at the top: Loyola is forced to share first place after two consecutive road losses.
The senior duo of Jared Jordan and Will Whittington combined for 49 points, including clutch shots inside of three minutes, to defeat the Greyhounds 71-66. Sophomore Marcus Sullivan led the Greyhounds in scoring with 18.
Fairfield scored the final 13 points of the game to stun Loyola. The 13-0 run bumped the Greyhounds out of sole possession of first place and into a losing streak. Loyola last scored with 3:33 remaining. Sullivan and Gerald Brown each had 13 points to pace the Greyhounds.
Back in the Reitz: hosting Canisius and then Fairfield.
3. Marist Red Foxes (17-7, 9-4)
Back near first: The Red Foxes re-entered the race for the MAAC double bye with two straight wins.
Senior sharpshooter Will Whittington led the Foxes in its win over first place combatant Loyola by a 71-66 margin in Poughkeepsie. Jared Jordan added 16 and five assists en route to a share of first place.
Whittington went 8-of-15 from beyond the arch and led the Red Foxes with 32 points in a 79-78 win over Rider. Whittington currently stands at sixth in the nation in three-point field goals made.
Will they stand alone? Fairfield and Iona.
4. Fairfield Stags (10-15, 8-5)
Five followed by seven: Fairfield’s last streak was of the losing variety and it lasted five games. The current streak is of the opposite persuasion and is at seven games and counting.
The last two victories have come by slim margins against conference foes. Senior Michael Van Schaick served up a 25-point performance in the 67-63 win over Canisius.
The Stags built and lost several double-digit leads throughout the contest, but pulled away with less than two minutes remaining to force the Golden Griffins to resort to fouling until time expired.
The Stags extended their win streak to seven by defeating MAAC’s one-third of number-one Loyola 65-62. The stags relied on Jonathan Han’s 19 points, including the team’s final five of a 23-6 run, to pull out of a 10-point hole in the last four minutes. The win marked the team’s longest winning streak since the 1985-86 season.
Eight, nine? at Marist then Loyola.
5. Siena Saints (13-10, 9-4)
Barely bouncing back: Siena recovered from two consecutive losses with two straight wins.
The Saints nearly became Iona’s first victim of the season until Kenny Hasbrouck hit a jumper with less than half a second remaining to end the losing streak but continue the Gaels’ futility. Hasbrouck scored all seven of his points in the final three minutes of the second half. Freshman Ronald Moore matched his career high with 19 points to lead the Saints.
Hasbrouck then more than doubled his point output, scoring 17 in the 66-60 win over St. Peter’s. The Saints’ defense forced the St. Peter’s shooting percentage to below 40 percent and held the Peacocks’ leading scorer to 12 points.
Palindrome: At Iona then at St. Peter’s to mirror the previous week.
6. Niagara Purple Eagles (13-11, 8-5)
What can Brown do you for you: The Purple Eagles posted consecutive wins to propel themselves into a three-way tie for second place and a game outside of the first-place tie.
Niagara overpowered the Golden Griffins 79-61. Senior Lorenzo Miles scored 21, while Cliff Brown added his 11th double-double of the season in going for 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Brown scored his 1,000th career point in an 81-70 win over Manhattan. Charron Fisher scored a team-high 27 points in front of the home crowd.
No. 1 seed within sight: At St. Peter’s and at Manhattan.
7. Canisius Golden Griffins (11-12, 6-7)
Loss and loss: Two losses in three days abruptly ended the Griffs’ five game winning streak and began the other kind of streak.
The Golden Griffins recovered after spotting Fairfield 15 points, but could not come all the way back, falling 67-63 at Koessler. Senior Darnell Wilson led the way with his third straight double-double, scoring 19 and grabbing 12 boards. Freshman of the Year candidate Frank Turner added 15 points and four assists.
Niagara made it a losing streak by using a 30-11 run to start the second half to streak past Canisius 79-61. Wilson paced the Griffins again with 16 points.
Run at the top: At Loyola and hosting Niagara.
8. Rider Broncos (12-11, 6-7)
A sniff of .500: The Broncos have dropped two consecutive games after failing to win against deficient Iona and to now-tied-for-first Marist.
The Broncos allowed Marist to hit on 16 of 32 threes but nearly pulled off the upset falling 79-78. The brother duo of Jason and Ryan Thompson spurred the Broncos in the second half, finishing with 22 and 16 points respectively.
Iona avenged an earlier loss to the Broncos, putting Rider down 69-57. Jason Thompson was limited to 28 minutes due to foul trouble and Terrance Mouton sat for disciplinary reasons, eliminating the crux of the scoring attack. Jason Thompson still managed to lead the Broncos with 18 points.
More MAAC: Manhattan and then Canisius.
9. St. Peter’s (3-20, 1-12)
Feathers do not hold water: The Peacocks are in the midst of the school’s longest losing streak after losing leads in consecutive games last week and falling once this week.
The Peacocks fell victim to a Jason Thompson make with 4.2 seconds remaining, which proved to be the last basket in the 54-53 loss. Raul Orta went for 14 to lead St. Peter’s.
The second loss of the week extended the losing streak to 14 after the Peacocks were defeated by Siena 66-50. The Peacocks allowed Siena two double-digit to nothing runs, a 16-0 run to end the first half and am 11-0 run to late in the second, and watched the Saints pull away in Jersey City. Orta lead the Peacocks with 21 points.
The Manhattan Jaspers handed the Peacocks loss number 15 with a 58-51 decision. This is the team’s second 20-loss season in the last five years. Akeem Gooding scored 16 to lead the Peacocks.
Can it be stopped? Niagara and then Siena.
10. Iona Gaels (1-22, 1-12)
It starts with one: The Gaels dropped the moniker of “only-Division-I-team-without-a-win” with a 69-57 win over Rider. The all-freshman starting line-up managed to withstand Jason Thompson’s 18-point effort en route to the first MAAC and overall victory.
Earlier in the week the Gaels came back from an eight-point second-half deficit to Siena and eventually took the lead with less than thirty seconds remaining. But the Anthony Bruin-less Gaels could not hold their one-point lead for the final half second as Hasbrouck’s jumper pushed Iona to its 23rd straight loss. Justin Marshall lead the Gaels with 17 points.
On consecutive nights: Hosting Siena and then Marist.
