Iona and Manhattan to meet in Title Game for Third Consecutive Year
MAAC Sports
ALBANY, N.Y. – For the third time in as many years, New York City rivals, Iona College and Manhattan College will meet in the championship game of the 2015 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s Basketball Championship at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York. The contest will air live on ESPN2 at 9:00 p.m.
Top seed Iona, will make its MAAC best, 14th appearance in the title game. The Gaels road to the championship game included wins over No. 8 Siena College in the quarterfinals and a win over No. 4 Monmouth University in the semifinal round. The No. 3 seeded Manhattan College Jaspers will play in their ninth championship contest, and moved into the game with a victory over No. 11 Marist College in the quarterfinal round and No. 7 Saint Peter’s University in the semifinals.
In the 2014-15 campaign, Iona won both meetings against Manhattan. On Feb. 13 in Riverdale on ESPNU, the Gaels picked up a, 70-67 win over the Jaspers off of an A.J. English three point basket with 25.3 seconds to play. In the second meeting which took place in New Rochelle on ESPN2, Iona took the contest 79-75, behind English’s 26 points and David Laury’s double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Iona has won the league’s post-season title a league best, eight times, the last being in 2013 over Manhattan. Manhattan has been crowned conference champions four times including last season’s victory over Iona.
The winner will earns the leagues automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.