All the comings and goings of Metro Atlantic Athletic men’s basketball.
Fairfield sweeps weekly honors
Derek Needham averaged 20.5 points and 8.5 assists per game as the Stags posted a 1-1 record last week. He started the week with a 29-point performance against DePaul University, making 11 of 16 shots from the floor and four of eight from three-point range. He recorded eight assists with a pair of steals against DePaul. He followed with a 12-point night at Austin Peay, also registering nine assists, two steals and four rebounds. For the week, Needham shot 55 percent from the floor (16 of 29).
Marcus Gilbert scored a personal-best 11 points in his first start as the Stags defeated Austin Peay University to finish the week at 1-1. The freshman made four of nine shots and three of six three pointers against the Governors. Against DePaul, he tallied eight points by making three of four shots and two of three three-point field goals with a career-high five rebounds. For the week, Gilbert averaged 9.5 points with three rebounds and a steal over two games. He shot 54 percent from the floor and 55 percent from three-point range.
Jaspers prevail in 105th “Battle of the Bronx”
BRONX, N.Y. – The 105th edition of the ‘Battle of the Bronx’ did not come as easy for the Jaspers as their 34-point victory over Fordham last season. Manhattan (2-3) relied on the solid play of junior point guard Michael Alvarado down the stretch to come out with a 65-58 road victory over the Rams on Thursday at Rose Hill Gym. Alvarado received the Mike Cohen Most Valuable Player award after scoring 12 of his game-high 19 points in the second half.
MBB: Head coach Jim Baron speaking at today’s Cage Club Luncheon. #Griffs #MAACHoops twitter.com/GoGriffs/statu…
— GoGriffs (@GoGriffs) December 4, 2012
Siena turns over Albany Cup
Jacob Iati scored eight of his 13 points in a one minute and 48 second span early in the second half helping UAlbany push a four point lead to 10, and Siena got no closer than seven the rest of the way in a 69-56 loss Saturday night at Times Union Center.
It’s the third time UAlbany (6-2) has won the Albany Cup in 12 meetings since the rivalry was restarted at the Division I level in 2001, and the second time in three years.
#ICMBB Lamont Jones sits down with MSG Network’s Anthony Fucilli before today’s practice #maachoops twitter.com/ICGaels/status…
— Iona Athletics (@ICGaels) December 1, 2012
UMass nips Siena in final seconds
Chaz Williams hit a tough runner off glass with 3.9 seconds left propelling UMass to a come-from-behind 64-63 victory over a determined Siena team Wednesday night at Times Union Center. Trenity Burdine’s desperation full-court pass toO.D. Anosike on the final play was batted away, preserving the victory for the Minutemen.
Balanced effort leads Iona over Niagara
NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona College men’s basketball team earned an 83-72 win over Niagara in its 2012-13 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opener at the Hynes Center. JuniorSean Armand‘s first collegiate double-double – an 18-point, 11 rebound effort – led the Gaels (3-2, 1-0 MAAC) to victory over the Purple Eagles (2-4, 0-1 MAAC).
Marist earns historic win over Vanderbilt
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – One day after suffering a substantial loss to a strong West Virginia squad, the Marist Men’s Basketball team came out with monumental response. Instead of wallowing on a sub-par performance, the Red Foxes put together 40 minutes of hard-nosed basketball and earned their first-ever win over an SEC team with a program-low 33 points allowed in its 50-33 win versus Vanderbilt on Friday in the second round of the Old Spice Classic. Senior Devin Price (Inglewood, Calif.) and sophomore Isaiah Morton (Vineland, N.J.) led the Red Foxes’ offensive efforts with 13 points a piece.
GW holds off Manhattan
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senior forward Isaiah Armwood scored 14 of his game-high 23 points in the second half to send George Washington (4-3) to a 67-55 victory over Manhattan (2-4) on Sunday in the 18th Annual BB&T Classic at the Verizon Center. The Jaspers were led in scoring by sophomore guard RaShawn Storeswho matched a career-high with 11 points.
Rider falls to La Salle
LAWRENCEVILLE- The La Salle varsity teams are the Explorers. The University is named after St. John the Baptist de La Salle, however, not Sieur de La Salle the French explorer of the 1600s.
MAAC set to vote on conference expansion
As the landscape of college athletics continues to shift, the latest conference seeking to expand its ranks is the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The league — which is headquartered in Edison — will vote on Dec. 14 to decide whether or not to expand its current roster of universities.
Anosike working boards, books
Ngozi Anosike, a Nigerian immigrant, raised eight children as a single mother.
She’s a registered nurse who worked during the day at a nursing home. Then, after coming home, she fixed dinner and helped her children with their homework before getting a few hours’ sleep and heading to the overnight shift at a psychiatric facility, all to provide for her family in their four-bedroom apartment in a Staten Island housing project.
Read more: https://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Working-boards-books-4084198.php#ixzz2E8RvvgHU
Quinnipiac and Monmouth to the MAAC
William Paxton tweeted Monday that sources have told him that mid-majors Quinnipiac and Monmouth, both of the Northeast Conference, are joining the re-alignment party by becoming what will be the 10th and 11th members the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference. The MAAC needed to find a replacement for exiting Loyola Maryland.
Monmouth’s location in New Jersey will give it an intra-state, intra-conference rival with Rider, and the Quinnipiac-Fairfield intra-Connecticut rivalry is sure to be something.
@sienasaints‘ Anosike leads nation in double doubles (7) & 2nd in rebounds per game (13.3). @icgaels‘ Jones T4th in PPG (23.0) . #maachoops
— MAAC Sports (@MAACSports) December 3, 2012
| SRS | Adjusted | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| School | OSRS | DSRS | SRS | ORtg | DRtg | NRtg |
| Iona | 15.72 | -8.29 | 7.43 | 113.43 | 102.43 | 11.00 |
| Canisius | 8.57 | -5.06 | 3.52 | 107.07 | 101.71 | 5.36 |
| Loyola (MD) | -3.06 | 5.98 | 2.92 | 97.34 | 91.57 | 5.77 |
| Rider | 1.34 | 0.05 | 1.39 | 96.88 | 94.73 | 2.15 |
| Niagara | 9.57 | -12.13 | -2.57 | 104.00 | 106.87 | -2.87 |
| Fairfield | -6.44 | 3.34 | -3.10 | 95.65 | 99.55 | -3.90 |
| Saint Peter’s | -10.05 | 3.29 | -6.76 | 87.50 | 97.43 | -9.93 |
| Marist | -9.68 | 1.70 | -7.98 | 81.62 | 93.00 | -11.39 |
| Siena | -9.46 | 0.22 | -9.24 | 89.97 | 103.68 | -13.70 |
| Manhattan | -11.29 | -0.93 | -12.22 | 82.67 | 99.46 | -16.79 |
MAAC to consider expansion
The MAAC might be replacing departing league member Loyola (off to the Patriot League after the current academic year) not only sooner than later, but with at least two and, maybe, three new members.
A report that first surfaced in the Connecticut Post newspaper, as reported by Bill Paxton, who is as credible and knowledgeable a conference beat reporter (he covers Fairfield primarily) as there is, indicates that Quinnipiac University and Monmouth could be joining the conference.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly as MAAC opens conference play
It wasn’t the best week in the world for the MAAC, but a small pack of teams are starting to separate themselves as legitimate title contenders as the season continues. Iona, Loyola (MD) and Fairfield look to be the class of the league right now as Manhattan has struggled against a difficult schedule.
Come Wednesday the real questions will start to be answered, as Iona plays at St. Peter’s and Niagara is at Loyola (MD). The rest of the “December weekend” should at least give us an early sense of how the season will go.
NYC Power Poll
It is time. Most area teams have played at least five games and thus it is time to introduce the Big Apple Buckets Power Poll.This will be an occasional thing this season. Each of the writers ranked their Top 10 area teams.
Tragedy helps put sports in perspective
We’ll take a break from basketball, at least directly, to bring to your attention a story of tragedy in upstate New York, the subsequent outpouring of support (in some ways via MAAC connections), and how adversity can, and should, put our enjoyment of sports in proper perspective.
What began as an enjoyable evening out for four New York Capital Region high school students who attended this past Saturday’s Siena-UAlbany men’s/women’s double-header at Albany’s Times Union Center ended in the death of two of them in an auto accident.
Tweet @PickinSplinters Get in the Press Break.
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