SPRINGFIELD, MA - The No. 1 seed Iona College men's basketball advanced to its 13th Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship final after surviving a furious comeback effort from No. 4 seed Canisius in a 75-72 win in the MAAC semifinal round at the MassMutual Center. Senior Sean Armand scored 17 of his team-best 21 points in the first half to lead the Gaels (22-9).

Armand shot 8-of-11 from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc while adding a team-high five assists. He was supported by 16 points apiece by senior Tre Bowman and sophomore Isaiah Williams. Bowman was 6-for-12 from the field and added six rebounds while Williams shot 7-for-10 and had two rebounds, two assists and a block. Sophomore A.J. English added 12 points and five rebounds while junior David Laury pitched in four points, 12 rebounds, four assists and a block.

Iona built a 12 point advantage 5:45 into the second half after an Armand three-ball. Canisius pulled within five points on a Jordan Heath dunk at 8:47 but a 7-2 Iona run made the score 70-60 following two Laury free throw makes with 4:18 remaining. The lead was erased by 10 straight Golden Griffin points including nine from senior Billy Baron. Following two Baron free throws with 1:28 left, the score was tied at 70-70.

Following an Iona miss, Laury got a crucial offensive rebound, converted a layup and was fouled but missed the free throw attempt and gave the Gaels a 72-70 lead with 56 ticks left. After Baron missed a three that would have put his team ahead, Armand was fouled and made one of two free throw attempts to make it a three point game with 28 seconds left. Canisius got within one following a dunk by senior Chris Manhertz with 9.7 on the clock. Bowman was fouled on the ensuing inbound and calmly sank two free throws to make the score 75-72 with under six seconds to play. Baron's 35-footer as time expired was short and the Gaels held on to the win.

Baron scored 17 of his game-high 23 points in the second half to lead Canisius. Manhertz recorded a 15-point, 13 rebound double-double while senior Chris Perez added 12 points and freshman Zach Lewis had 13 in the loss.

The Gaels advance to the MAAC Championship game for the second straight season and third time in four years and for the 13th time in history. Iona has won a MAAC record eight titles including its last win in 2013.

The Maroon & Gold faces archrival Manhattan in a rematch of the 2013 championship game on Monday night in a 7:00 pm tipoff on ESPN2.