IonaGaels.com

Box Score

Monmouth MON 14-21

Iona College ION 17-15

Monmouth MON

14-21

Final

Mar. 11, 2019

Iona College ION

17-15

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Monmouth MON	30	30	60
Iona College ION	36	45	81

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 3/12/2019 12:35:00 AM | Jonathan Stanko

#MAACChamps!!! Iona Wins Fourth Straight MAAC Championship

Gaels win unprecedented fourth straight league title

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vs. NCAA Selection Show

3/17/2019 | 6:00 PM

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Next Game

Full Schedule

Mar. 17 (Sun) / 6:00 PM

vs. NCAA Selection Show

History

ALBANY, NY – CHAMPIONS!!! The Iona College men's basketball program won its unprecedented fourth straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship on Monday night at the Times Union Center. The top-seeded Gaels defeated No. 6 Monmouth, 81-60 to cut down the nets for the 12^th time in program history.

Senior Rickey McGill finishes his career as the only student-athlete in MAAC history to win four MAAC rings. The MAAC Championship's Most Valuable Player finishes his Maroon & Gold career with a perfect 12-0 record.

GAME SUMMARY

Iona led by double-digits for portions of the first half but entered the locker room with a slimmer 36-30 lead. Then the second half began and the Gaels went into full-throttle mode. Iona outscored Monmouth in the second half 45-30 and a monstrous 20-2 run gave a cushion that'd last till the final buzzer.

Junior Asante Gist came up in the biggest fulcrum moment of the game. Monmouth cut the lead down to three, 41-38, with a Nick Rutherford three. On Iona's next trip down the court, Gist buried a three to put the Gaels back up two possessions.

So began the decisive run.

Juniors E.J. Crawford and Tajuan Agee scored fast break buckets to put Iona up 52-38. Gist then shut the door with back-to-back three-pointers. The Maroon & Gold made seven of their first nine shots in the second half.

McGill and Agee each picked up their fourth personal fouls midway through the second. With their leading guard and premiere post presence having to take a seat, the Maroon & Gold held a 64-42 edge. When McGill reentered the game with 3:07 left, they still maintained a 20+ point lead.

Iona didn't make a field goal from 9:16 till 2:40 but nailed free throws down the stretch. The Hawks made just three buckets during the timespan.

Gist finished the game with a team-high 22 points. He matched his scoring total in the MAAC semifinal against Siena. McGill scored 10 points and pulled down four rebounds with three assists. Crawford scored 15 points, hitting nine free throws. Agee scored 18 and pulled down seven boards. Junior Ben Perez scored 14 in a team-high 35:10 minutes.

Iona shot 46.2% in the game and a sizzling 52.9% in the second half. It his 41.4% from beyond the arc and 84.0% from the free throw line.

The Maroon & Gold had 23 points of 15 Monmouth turnovers. Iona had 11 steals, including junior Perez swiping a career-best five. Agee & McGIll each had three.

The Hawks shot 41.6% from the floor but struggled immensely in the second half. They shot 34.4% from the field and 23.5% from deep in final frame. Diago Quinn was the lone Monmouth student-athlete to finish in double-figures with 13 points.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

Head Coach Tim Cluess, the MAAC Coach of the Year, led the the Iona program to a MAAC record four straight conference tournament championships.
Iona is the first number one seed to win the MAAC Tournament since 2010 when Siena did so. The Gaels were the top seed for the 11^th time in team history, and they won the crown as the regular season champions for the fourth time.
Agee & Crawford were both named to the MAAC All-Championship team along with MVP McGill. The full MAAC All-Championship team also includes Jalen Pickett (Siena), Jalanni White (Canisius), Deion Hammond (Monmouth), and Diago Quinn (Monmouth).
Iona's starters scored 79 of its 81 points. Redshirt Andrija Ristanovic had the lone bucket off the bench, a dunk assisted by Agee.
The Maroon & Gold enter the tournament winners of 10 straight. The Gael are 19-2 in postseason play during its seven straight MAAC title game appearance streak. Their only losses came in the championship games in 2014 and 2015.
Monday's contest was the first time Iona played a team in a 1v6 MAAC Championship matchup. The Gaels improve to 7-4 against number six seeds all-time in the postseason.

UP NEXT

The Iona College await their placement and opponent in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Selection Sunday is on Sunday, Mar. 17. Stay tuned to ICGaels.com for details about a Selection Sunday watch party at the Hynes Center.