Must be Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament time again.
The MAAC tournament tipped off at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall Tuesday, hours after it was announced the venerable Atlantic City venue would continue to serve as its host for the next three years, and in its first night of action, saw two upsets and an overtime win in the men’s bracket.
Mount St. Mary’s 67, Canisius 66 (OT)
In the opening contest of the tournament, eighth-seeded Mount St. Mary’s erased a double-digit first-half deficit to pull ahead by seven with four minutes remaining in regulation. However, an 11-4 run by No. 9 seed Canisius, capped by a Jordan Henderson 3-pointer, knotted the score and prompted an additional five minutes.
Jalen Benjamin led second-half rally as Mount St. Mary’s scored comeback win over Canisius to open MAAC tournament. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)
In the extra session, The Mount overcame a potential game-changing flagrant foul assessed to Deandre Thomas, as a Dakota Leffew basket in the lane put the Mountaineers ahead by one going into the final minute of overtime. The Golden Griffins had two chances to win in the final seconds, but Jacco Fritz missed a go-ahead layup and Tahj Staveskie’s three for the win clanged off the backboard after Malik Jefferson’s missed free throw afforded the Griffs one last shot.
“We were down 14 at one point, we cut the lead to seven and it gave us a lot of momentum,” head coach Dan Engelstad said of The Mount’s rally. “We came out in the second half like we hoped. We punched them in the mouth, we executed well, our playmakers made plays. It was great to see our guys be in the moment and make plays.”
“There’s a belief, and in March, you gotta have it. Our guys are confident. Early on in the season, we weren’t closing out games and now we’ve got a lot of guys who can close you out. It was great to see Dakota make the big shot in the paint today, it was great to see (Jalen Benjamin) hit those pull-ups. That’s what it takes. These guys aren’t afraid. They’re fearless to go make some plays, and that gives you a chance in March.”
Mount St. Mary’s will face regular season champion Iona in the quarterfinals Wednesday.
Saint Peter’s 70, Fairfield 52
Saint Peter’s started its Cinderella story last season with a win over Fairfield in the quarterfinals of the MAAC tournament. The odds of reaching the Elite Eight a second straight year are slim, but the 10th-seeded Peacocks began their latest postseason escapades the same way Tuesday.
A 22-5 run spanning the end of the first half with the beginning of the second stanza allowed the reigning darlings of March to seize control against the No. 7 seed Stags and pull away to a commanding 70-52 victory behind a career-high 23 points from Jaylen “Juju” Murray, who picked up where he left off a year ago.
Jaylen Murray drives up for shot during 23-point career-high night as Saint Peter’s upset Fairfield. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)
“I’m just trying to take accountability and step up,” Murray said as his efforts were instrumental in setting up a quarterfinal meeting Wednesday with in-state rival and second seed Rider. “I’m trying to be a leader, trying to lead certain guys who haven’t been in this position before. It’s a big transition because last year, I kind of played with veterans — Daryl Banks, KC (Ndefo) the (Drame) twins — who told me there’d be a point in time where I’m going to be the one to step up.”
“He’s getting better and better daily,” head coach Bashir Mason said of Murray. “It’s been a learning process for him with his role last year, and it’s a learning process for me getting to learn him, this team, all these different guys. He’s growing up right in front of our eyes.”
Marist 61, Manhattan 50
In the last regular season meeting between Marist and Manhattan, Patrick Gardner dominated the Jaspers and was a major reason behind the Red Foxes’ 81-58 victory at Draddy Gymnasium on February 24.
Patrick Gardner works on Manhattan’s Josh Roberts for two of his 22 points as Marist handed Jaspers early MAAC tournament exit. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)
The 6-foot-11 center left no doubt of his potential in the rubber match with sixth-seeded Manhattan, leading Marist with 22 points as the Red Foxes toppled the Jaspers, 61-50. The win is the first for Marist in the MAAC tournament since 2015, when it was also the No. 11 seed just as it is this season.
“We knew, up 19 at the half, that they weren’t going to quit,” John Dunne remarked as the Jaspers pulled within four points in the final minutes of regulation but were unable to get over the hump. “We talked about needing to be resilient when they made a run. It wasn’t pretty, but it doesn’t have to be pretty this time of year.”
“There’s been a lot of times this year where we could have just put our head down and folded. They’ve been through some tough stretches, but their character never wavered and their will to prepare never wavered. To be able to bounce back and get a spirited effort, I couldn’t be more proud of the guys.”
Marist will face third-seeded Quinnipiac in the quarterfinals Thursday.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.