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ALBANY, N.Y. - Manhattan is headed back to the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight year after defeating Regular Season Champion Iona (26-8) 79-69 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship Game at the Times Union Center.
For the Jaspers it marks the second time in program history that they have won back-to-back crowns while also clinching the eighth NCAA Tournament berth in program history.
Manhattan, which has now faced Iona in the MAAC Championship game three years in a row, became the first team to repeat as MAAC champions since Siena won three in a row from 2008-2010.
MAAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player Ashton Pankey (Jr., Bronx, N.Y. / Maryland) finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, while All-Tournament Team selection Emmy Andujar (Sr., Bronx, N.Y. / Rice) also had a double-double with 18 points and 11 boards to go along with four assists.
Junior Shane Richards (New York, N.Y. / York Prep) added 11 points and eight rebounds en route to earning All-Tournament accolades while Donovan Kates (Sr., Hopkinsville, Ky. / Christian County) tallied a season-high 13 points to round out the double-digit scorers.
Senior RaShawn Stores (Sr., Bronx, N.Y. / Robinson School (N.J.)) notched nine points and handed out a game-high five assists while fueling an offensive attack that shot 43.3 percent (26-of-60) from the field, including 40.9 percent (9-for-22) from distance. The Jaspers also outbrounded the Gaels 41-34.
All-Tournament Team choice David Laury had a game-high 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for Iona. Kelvin Amayo also had a double-double for Iona, posting 11 points and 10 boards to go along with four assists. Schadrac Casimir and A.J. English, who was also named to the All-Tournament Team, contributed 10 points apiece for Iona. The Gaels shot 39 percent (23-of-59) from the floor and 75 percent (18-of-24) at the charity stripe.
Iona, which entered the contest ranked fourth nationally in three-pointers and seventh in three-point percentage, was held to just 22.7 percent (5-of-22) from beyond the arc.
The Gaels scored the first four points of the contest, but that would turn out to be their largest lead of the game. The Jaspers quickly rallied to tie the score at 7-7, then went up 10-7 on the first of Kates' four three-pointers on the night.
After Manhattan opened up a five-point lead at 16-11 on an Andujar layup with 14:38 left in the first half, Iona went on a 9-3 run to go back in front, 20-19, at the 10:04 mark.
However, a layup and free throw by Stores on the next possession made it 22-20 Jaspers, and Stores then sank a trey to push the lead to five, 25-20. After a bucket by Iona's Jeylani Dublin, Manhattan rattled off 13 of the next 18 points to open up its biggest cushion of the game, a 38-27 advantage with 4:05 left before halftime.
The Gaels closed the half on a 10-1 run, though, as English scored eight points in the final 1:53 to cut the Jaspers' lead to two, 39-37, at the break.
Manhattan extended the margin to seven at 49-42, but Iona responded with eight straight points to take a 50-49 lead. The teams then traded baskets before Pankey hit a jumper and a pair of free throws to put the Jaspers up 58-54. It was tied at 60-60 at the 6:39 mark when Richards drained two foul shots to put Manhattan up for good.
After an Andujar layup made it 64-60, Laury converted a traditional three-point play to again pull Iona within one at 64-63. However, a Kates trey on the other end started a 10-3 rally that broke the game open. The Jaspers built an 11-point cushion, 77-66, on two Pankey free throws with 23 seconds left.
Pankey then closed out the scoring with two more foul shots before the final five seconds of Manhattan's 79-69 triumph ticked off the clock. With the win, the Jaspers became the seventh team to lock up their place in this year's NCAA Tournament field.
Manhattan will find out its NCAA Tournament fate during the NCAA Selection Show, which will air on CBS at 6 p.m. on Sunday.
