Author: Ray Floriani

MAAC Tournament Semifinal Notes

MAAC Semifinal Notes by Ray Floriani BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Defense wins championships. More than a coaching cliché, it was the order of the evening as it played an instrumental part in Siena and Niagara advancing to the MAAC finals. Siena upset top seed Marist 86-78 in the opener, then Niagara […]

Final MAAC Tournament Notes

Final Notes on the MAAC Tournament by Ray Floriani BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – The nets are cut down, champions crowned and now it’s time for a final look back on the MAAC tournament. Monday evening saw this writer on an officiating assignment before catching Siena-Niagara on ESPN2. At the Hoop Zone […]

MAAC Tournament Notes

Notes on the MAAC Quarterfinals by Ray Floriani BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Opening round action in the MAAC tournament held true to form. For St. Peter’s, the No. 9 seed, their season ended at the hands of No. 8 Canisius. Iona’s season ended at the hands of Rider, a team it […]

Senior Night At FDU, Top High School Out

Freshman Helps Seniors Go Out Winners by Ray Floriani TEANECK, N.J. – It was senior night Tuesday at Rothman Center. The night, though, seemingly belonged to a freshman, as Jordan Sykes scored a game-high 24 points and the Fairleigh Dickinson women stopped Monmouth 74-59 in the Northeast Conference regular season […]

Quick Hitters

A Few Quick Hitters From the Holiday Weekend by Ray Floriani EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – We have several stops and notes from the long President’s Day weekend on tap. IPFW 52, NJIT 47 Visiting Indiana Purdue of Fort Wayne overcame a double-digit deficit to edge the Highlanders on Saturday. IPFW […]

UMass Big Win At Fordham

Minutemen Win Battle Inside Against Fordham by Ray Floriani BRONX, N.Y. – For a minute forget the Xs and Os. It wasn’t about offensive sets. The plain and simple reason behind UMass’ defeat of Fordham at Rose Hill tonight came down to two things: defense and rebounding. In his press […]

NJIT’s Inaugural Division I Season

Highlanders Learn Rigors of Division I by Ray Floriani NEWARK, N.J. – The drive down route 21 (McCarter Highway) was a smooth one given that rush hour traffic had ended. NJIT (New Jersey Institute of Technology) is located in Newark’s University Heights section. Within walking distance are three other institutions […]

Battles In The Bronx

Bronx Teams Get Good Wins by Ray Floriani BRONX, N.Y. – Two nights in this interesting, storied borough, two different conferences at locations separated by just a few miles, if that much. On Tuesday it was a MAAC matchup featuring Marist and Manhattan at Draddy Gym in Riverdale. The following […]

St. John’s, Georgetown Win

St. John’s Wins Another; Hoyas Take Out Pirates by Ray Floriani NEW YORK – Entering Madison Square Garden about two hours prior to game time, I ran into St. John’s assistant Fred Quartlebaum and commended his team on Sunday’s win over Syracuse. “Thanks, but that’s behind us,” Quartlebaum said. “We’re […]

Buscaglia Forges Coaching Career

Coaching Grows on Former Accountant by Ray Floriani TEANECK, N.J. – At first glance Sal Buscaglia looks the part of an accountant with his long-sleeved white shirt and glasses. He barks out instructions to his players and on occasion will question an official, but overall it appears his March Madness […]