Iona wins fourth straight MAAC Championship

Iona (17-15) became the first MAAC men’s basketball program to win four straight MAAC Championships after beating Monmouth (14-21) 81-60 Monday night at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY.

The Gaels now await their NCAA Tournament seeding which will be announced on Sunday’s Selection Show. It is the 12th championship for Iona, which is the most all-time for a MAAC school.

Iona ended a streak of top seeds being eliminated from the MAAC tournament. The Gaels are the first No. 1 seed to win a MAAC Championship since Siena in 2010.

Iona’s starting five scored 79 of the 81 points in Monday’s win. Asante Gist led the Gaels with 22 points and four assists. All-Championship Team selection Tajuan Agee added 18 points and seven rebounds.

Iona’s EJ Crawford and Rickey McGill join Agee on the All-Championship Team. McGill is the first MAAC men’s basketball player to win four MAAC titles.

In many projections, Iona appears headed for a play-in game or No. 16 seed. The Gaels had what some would call a wild season. They lost nine of their first 11 games and appeared to be stuck in the middle of the pack in the MAAC before ended the season on a seven game winning streak to capture the conference regular season and earn the conference tournaments No. 1 seed.