Ray Floriani is the RTC correspondent for the MAAC and NEC conferences.

Nonconference play is the norm and story around the country, but especially in the MAAC. Iona’s near-takedown of Purdue raised eyes and caught attention. The Gaels rebounded to defeat Western Michigan in the consolation round in that tournament in Puerto Rico, though, so not all is lost. On Thanksgiving, naturally Macy’s Parade and turkey are the order of the day, but the Old Spice Classic tips off as well with MAAC representative Fairfield entering the eight-team field as a viable threat.

Iona Was Very Close But Hummel Saved Purdue

MAAC Honors

• Player of the Week : Maurice Barrow, 6’5″ So. F, Fairfield. Barrow scored 19 points while grabbing six rebounds in the Stags’ win over Quinnipiac.
• Newcomer of the Week – Donovan Kates, 6’6″ Fr. G, Manhattan. Kates scored ten points, including two late threes to help the Jaspers edge NJIT at Draddy Gymnasium.

Power Rankings

1. Siena (1-0) defeated Navy 65-56 at the Times Union Center in their opener on Wednesday. Kyle Downey paced the Saints with 19 points. O. D Anosike led the way for Siena on the glass with ten boards.
2. Loyola (2-1) dropped its opener at Wake Forest, then returned home to defeat Coppin State before posting a victory at nearby UMBC. In the latter game, Erik Etherly (27 points) and Dylan Cormier (20 points) paced the Greyhounds.
3. Manhattan (2-1) had a loss to Syracuse sandwiched around wins over NJIT and Brown. George Beamon knocked down four treys en route to a game-high 18 points against the Bears.
4. Iona (1-1) narrowly missed a big win, dropping a 91-90 decision to Purdue in the 5-Hour Energy Puerto Rico Tipoff opener. The Boilermakers’ Robbie Hummel drained a three late to decide the outcome. The Gaels’ Momo Jones scored 17. Scott Machado of the handed out 11 assists before fouling out late, but not before becoming Iona’s all time leader in assists.
5. Niagara (1-1) defeated Central Connecticut before losing to #24 Missouri. The game against Central Connecticut was a 102-93 overtime decision at Niagara’s Gallagher Center. Not exactly a walk it up pace, the game was tied at 86 after regulation. In the final tally, it was a 90-possession contest.
6. Canisius (1-2) is getting some solid production from Harold Washington, a junior guard. The 6’1″ Washington scored 30 in a win over Longmont and averaged 26.5 for his first two games in a Canisius uniform. Washington is a transfer from Cecil Junior College in Maryland.
7. Fairfield (1-2) won its opener over Quinnipiac before dropping games against Providence and Minnesota. The Stags faced former coach Ed Cooley in that 80-72 loss to the Friars. Fairfield struggled from the perimeter against Minnesota shooting only 2-16 from three.
8. Marist (1-2) got off at 0-2 after suffering losses at Kentucky and South Florida. In the Kentucky game, the Red Foxes’ efficiency margin was -67. On the offensive end, they were a 77 while allowing UK a 144 efficiency on the other end. Marist did have five players in double figures at South Florida with Dorvell Carter (12 points) leading the way.
9. St. Peter’s (0-3) dropped a 73-62 decision at FDU on Friday. Peacocks, struggling out of the gate, were led by Jack Hill (15 points) and Chris Prescott (14 points).
10. Rider (0-4) battled Pitt competitively on the road, dropping an 86-78 decision, then returned home, losing to Drexel 80-62 and Penn 78-72 in overtime. The Drexel game was at 6 AM, part of ESPN’s Marathon Tipoff.

Put-Backs

Rider’s efficiency margin is a -20. The Broncs are 94 on offense and 114 on the defensive end which goes a distance in explaining their rough start… Steve Masiello has the Manhattan Jaspers at a brisk 68-possession pace. Efficiency margin is a negative even though the Jaspers won two of three… Manhattan is 85 on offense, 95 on defense for a -10 EM… Loyola with two players, Erik Etherly and Dylan Cormier, hitting for 20 or more points is a good sign for Jim Patsos’ club… Kyle Downey’s 19 points and O. D. Anosike’s rebounding are also good omens for Siena’s prospects… Tough out of the gate for defending champion St. Peter’s. John Dunne is dealing with personnel changes and the Peacocks will get better. Finally, the MAAC-sponsored Old Spice draw:

November 24:

• Indiana State – Texas Tech
• Minnesota – DePaul
• Dayton – Wake Forest
• Fairfield-Arizona State

November 25: consolation and semifinals

November 27: consolations and championship

Brian Goodman (987 Posts)

Brian Goodman a Big 12 microsite writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BSGoodman.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 20th, 2011 at 9:14 am by Brian Goodman and is filed under Checking In On, maac. Tagged: canisius, dohn dunne, donovan kates, dorvell carter, dylan cormier, Erik Etherly, fairfield, George Beamon, harold washington, iona, j, jack hill, jim patsos, kyle downey, loyola, manhattan, marist, maurice barrow, momo jones, niagara, o.d. anosike, rider, scott machado, st peter's. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.