Isaiah Washington’s MAAC tournament debut included 24 points as Iona defeated Canisius. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The backdrop was different, yet the result remained the same.
Playing on the first day of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament for the first time since 2009, the stage mattered little to Iona in comparison to the result, as the four-time defending champions won their 13th consecutive tournament game in a 70-60 triumph over 10th-seed Canisius.
“Coming into this tournament, our guys were locked in,” acting head coach Tra Arnold said as the seventh-seeded Gaels got 25 points from E.J. Crawford and 24 from Isaiah Washington to commence their latest title defense, which resumes Wednesday in the quarterfinals against second seed Saint Peter’s. “As the game went along, we really played well. Those two guys made big plays for us throughout the game and big free throws down the stretch to help us win.”
“It really meant a lot,” Washington said, mentioning Iona was looking to make a statement in its tournament opener. “We were struggling during the year, so now we’re just locked in and going into the tournament focusing on winning each game, one at a time. Now we’re getting ready for Saint Peter’s.”
Iona (12-16) battled through the opening stanza before swinging the pendulum in the final minute before halftime on two Washington free throws and a Tajuan Agee 3-pointer to take a 36-32 lead into the intermission. Canisius (12-20) would tie the game early in the second half, but Washington and Crawford responded with six straight points to quash any momentum on the part of the Golden Griffins. The sequence would be repeated down the stretch, as each time the Griffs drew near, either Washington or Crawford would respond with a big shot or clutch free throw, carrying the Gaels to a 25-for-27 performance in the latter category.
Agee joined Crawford and Washington in double figures on the scoreboard, notching 10 points. For Canisius, Corey Brown led the way with 16 points, while Malik Johnson tallied 13 in the final game of an impressive four-year career that may not have garnered much attention on a national level, but will go down as one of the more underrated and symbolic tenures on Main Street in Buffalo.
“First, I want to thank God for blessing me with this opportunity to play college basketball for four years and to do it healthy with no injuries,” Johnson reflected. “One thing I’m going to miss is just the camaraderie. Each year is a different group of guys, they all bring something different to the table, all different personalities, and I think that’s the fun in college basketball. I think the biggest thing is making relationships, and over four years, I built a ton of relationships that I think will last a lifetime, not only with players, but definitely the coaches. I think the thing I’m going to miss the most is those relationships, living with guys and practicing, just the whole process of going through the grind of a season.”
Reggie Witherspoon’s memories of his warrior point guard were equally as sentimental.
“His spirit, his determination, his will, his desire,” the Griffs’ coach said, describing Johnson’s qualities that he must now replace. “He’s a person that not only never missed a game and not only never missed a practice, he never missed a minute of practice. He got dinged up. He’s not the biggest guy in the world, but he just is so determined. He has been great to work with, and we’ve had a lot of success with him. He was a big part of the team that hung a banner for the first time in almost a quarter-century, so to have a guy like that around and to have a guy like that, whose grit and determination, no matter who we’re playing — his first game was at Kentucky, Rupp Arena — and then off the court, he’s been great. He’s going to graduate with a Masters degree and a bachelor’s degree at the same time. He’s been awesome.”
While Johnson rides off into the sunset, Iona moves on, keeping its drive for five alive and reinforcing the message that this tournament run has only one objective.
“We came here to win a chip,” Crawford reaffirmed. “Anything less than a chip is a bust in our eyes, so we’ve just got to take it one game at a time and play our game.”
Playing on the first day of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament for the first time since 2009, the stage mattered little to Iona in comparison to the result, as the four-time defending champions won their 13th consecutive tournament game in a 70-60 triumph over 10th-seed Canisius.
“Coming into this tournament, our guys were locked in,” acting head coach Tra Arnold said as the seventh-seeded Gaels got 25 points from E.J. Crawford and 24 from Isaiah Washington to commence their latest title defense, which resumes Wednesday in the quarterfinals against second seed Saint Peter’s. “As the game went along, we really played well. Those two guys made big plays for us throughout the game and big free throws down the stretch to help us win.”
“It really meant a lot,” Washington said, mentioning Iona was looking to make a statement in its tournament opener. “We were struggling during the year, so now we’re just locked in and going into the tournament focusing on winning each game, one at a time. Now we’re getting ready for Saint Peter’s.”
Iona (12-16) battled through the opening stanza before swinging the pendulum in the final minute before halftime on two Washington free throws and a Tajuan Agee 3-pointer to take a 36-32 lead into the intermission. Canisius (12-20) would tie the game early in the second half, but Washington and Crawford responded with six straight points to quash any momentum on the part of the Golden Griffins. The sequence would be repeated down the stretch, as each time the Griffs drew near, either Washington or Crawford would respond with a big shot or clutch free throw, carrying the Gaels to a 25-for-27 performance in the latter category.
Agee joined Crawford and Washington in double figures on the scoreboard, notching 10 points. For Canisius, Corey Brown led the way with 16 points, while Malik Johnson tallied 13 in the final game of an impressive four-year career that may not have garnered much attention on a national level, but will go down as one of the more underrated and symbolic tenures on Main Street in Buffalo.
“First, I want to thank God for blessing me with this opportunity to play college basketball for four years and to do it healthy with no injuries,” Johnson reflected. “One thing I’m going to miss is just the camaraderie. Each year is a different group of guys, they all bring something different to the table, all different personalities, and I think that’s the fun in college basketball. I think the biggest thing is making relationships, and over four years, I built a ton of relationships that I think will last a lifetime, not only with players, but definitely the coaches. I think the thing I’m going to miss the most is those relationships, living with guys and practicing, just the whole process of going through the grind of a season.”
Reggie Witherspoon’s memories of his warrior point guard were equally as sentimental.
“His spirit, his determination, his will, his desire,” the Griffs’ coach said, describing Johnson’s qualities that he must now replace. “He’s a person that not only never missed a game and not only never missed a practice, he never missed a minute of practice. He got dinged up. He’s not the biggest guy in the world, but he just is so determined. He has been great to work with, and we’ve had a lot of success with him. He was a big part of the team that hung a banner for the first time in almost a quarter-century, so to have a guy like that around and to have a guy like that, whose grit and determination, no matter who we’re playing — his first game was at Kentucky, Rupp Arena — and then off the court, he’s been great. He’s going to graduate with a Masters degree and a bachelor’s degree at the same time. He’s been awesome.”
While Johnson rides off into the sunset, Iona moves on, keeping its drive for five alive and reinforcing the message that this tournament run has only one objective.
“We came here to win a chip,” Crawford reaffirmed. “Anything less than a chip is a bust in our eyes, so we’ve just got to take it one game at a time and play our game.”
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