Manhattan 79, Iona 69

[March 10, 2015]  Manhattan 79, Iona 69: Ashton Pankey recorded 21 points and 10 rebounds as the Jaspers topped the Gaels in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament title game in Albany, N.Y.

Emmy Andujar registered 18 points, 11 rebounds and four assists for No. 3 seed Manhattan (19-13), which defeated Iona in the conference title game for the second straight year. The Jaspers, who lost to Iona twice during the regular season, will be making their fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2003 and their eighth trip overall.

David Laury recorded team highs of 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as top-seeded Iona (26-8) lost for the second time in its last 15 games. Kelvin Amayo chipped in 11 points and 10 boards for the Gaels, who made a MAAC tournament-record 19 3-pointers in their semifinal win against Monmouth but authored a 5-of-22 effort from the arc against Manhattan.

Laury's three-point play with 6:06 remaining drew the Gaels within 64-63 before Donovan Kates (13 points) drained a 3-pointer and Pankey added two foul shots, a jumper and a layup over a two-minute span to create a 73-64 cushion. Laury's jumper quickly got Iona within seven, but the Gaels missed their next six shots from the field as their brief comeback attempt stalled.

Manhattan led by 10 with less than two minutes left in the first half before A.J. English went on a personal 8-0 run to create a 39-37 margin at the break. The Jaspers led by seven early in the second half, but the Gaels scored eight straight points and the teams jockeyed back and forth for the next six minutes until Manhattan pulled away.

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