Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament Recaps

Albany, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Evan Hymes netted 14 points and recorded five steals to lead his eighth-seeded Siena Saints past the ninth-seeded Niagara Purple Eagles, 71-54, in the first round of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament at the Times Union Center.

Ryan Oliver came off the bench to score 13 points with six rebounds for Siena (11-19), which will advance to the quarterfinal round Saturday to face top- seeded Iona. Marquis Wright chipped in with 11 points and six assists, and Lavon Long added 10 points with six boards before he fouled out.

Dominique Reid scored a game-high 24 points and tallied nine rebounds to pace Niagara (8-22), which snapped its four-game win streak. Emile Blackman contributed 13 points with six turnovers in the loss for the Purple Eagles.

Siena netted 45.2 percent of its shot attempts in the first half, and buried 5-of-15 from 3-point distance to take a 34-22 lead into the intermission. Niagara hit a cold 33.3 percent from the floor with an 0-of-4 mark from beyond the arc in the opening frame.

The Saints picked it up in the second half behind 55.6 percent shooting to further bury the Purple Eagles, who improved to 46.2 percent shooting in the period but couldn’t make a dent in the Siena lead.

Siena held Niagara to 1-of-11 shooting from 3-point range in the contest, and owned a 20-2 advantage in bench scoring as the Saints live to play another day.

Final Score: Saint Peter’s 63, Fairfield 33

Albany, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Quadir Welton came off the bench to score 13 points and grab seven rebounds as the seventh-seeded Saint Peter’s Peacocks easily defeated the 10th-seeded Fairfield Stags, 63-33, in the first round of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament at the Times Union Center.

Trevis Wyche chipped in with 12 points and five boards for the Peacocks (15-17), who advance to the quarterfinal round Saturday to take on second- seeded Rider. Tyler Gaskins added nine points in the win.

Marcus Gilbert scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds to pace Fairfield (7-24), which concluded its season on a three-game losing streak. Tyler Nelson added nine points in the team’s loss.

Both teams performed horribly on offense in the opening period. Saint Peter’s shot 32.1 percent from the floor in the frame, and missed all five of its 3- point tries. Still, the Peacocks took a 22-7 lead into the intermission after Fairfield connected on a mere 9.5 percent shooting in the half (2-of-21).

The Peacocks boosted their accuracy to 62.5 percent shooting in the second half, this time hitting 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. The Stags hit on 34.8 percent of their attempts from the field, which wasn’t remotely enough to make a comeback effort.

Saint Peter’s outscored Fairfield in the paint, 32-8, and owned a 40-26 advantage in rebounding in the lopsided win.

Final Score: Marist 80, Quinnipiac 74

Albany, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Chavaughn Lewis netted 26 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and notched four steals to help his 11th-seeded Marist Red Foxes upset the sixth-seeded Quinnipiac Bobcats, 80-74, in the first round of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament at the Times Union Center.

Khallid Hart contributed 18 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting for Marist (7-24), which advances to the quarterfinal round Friday to face third-seeded Manhattan. Phillip Lawrence added 12 points and T.J. Curry chipped in 11 in the win.

Ousmane Drame tallied a huge double-double of 27 points and 23 rebounds for Quinnipiac (15-15), which lost its last two games of the season. Zaid Hearst collected 16 points, and Justin Harris added 15 with seven rebounds in the defeat.

Marist took a commanding 41-27 lead into the intermission after hitting 61.5 percent of its first-half field goal attempts, including 9-of-12 from 3-point range. Quinnipiac connected on a lowly 33.3 percent shooting in the period, with a 2-of-11 mark from distance.

The Red Foxes cooled to 41.7 percent shooting in the second half, but managed a 15-of-23 line from the charity stripe. The Bobcats made 37.5 percent of their shots in the frame, and shaved eight points off Marist’s first-half advantage, but couldn’t complete the full comeback.

The Red Foxes outscored Quinnipiac from beyond the arc, 39-21, and held a 15-0 advantage in fast-break scoring as Marist survives another day.

Categorized in: NCAA Basketball