Ray Floriani is the RTC correspondent for the MAAC and NEC conferences. The records listed are up to date, but the analysis is just through Wednesday’s games.
Reader’s Take
The Week That Was
- The conference slate is already one quarter in the books. Throw away those predictions. At this juncture Iona is the team to beat. Inside play (Mike Glover), an excellent lead guard (Scott Machado), the go-to scorer (Lamont Jones), and perimeter threat (Kyle Smyth) all add up for the Gaels. Not to mention, the man on the bench, Tim Cluess, who knows his X’s and O’s, thank you.
- Loyola, Fairfield, and Manhattan stay within striking distance. Slowly, Rider has got things straightened out and is much improved after an awful start. Regardless, the Gaels lead the pack. And will be tough to reel in.
Player of the Week
- Mike Glover, 6’7″, Sr., F, Iona – Averaged 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks the last three games (all victories) for the Gaels. Shot 64.7% from the field and 80% from the line. Enjoyed a 31-point outburst in the win at Marist.
Rookie of the Week
- Evan Hymes, 5’8″, Fr., G, Siena – Averaged 15.7 points and 4.1 assists as the Saints captured two of their last three games. Led Siena with 22 points in a loss to Iona at Madison Square Garden. Ran the team extremely well, logging the full 40 minutes in both wins over Fairfield and Niagara.
Standings
Team, MAAC record, overall record
| 1. Iona | 5-1, 13-4 |
| 2. Loyola (MD) | 4-1, 11-4 |
| 3. Manhattan | 4-2, 11-7 |
| 4. Fairfield | 3-2, 8-8 |
| 5. Sienna | 3-3, 8-8 |
| 6. Marist | 2-3, 7-9 |
| 7. Niagra | 1-4, 6-11 |
| 8. Rider | 3-3, 6-12 |
| 9. Canisius | 0-5, 3-12 |
| 10. St. Peter’s | 2-3, 3-13 |
Power Rankings
- Iona: Won three straight sweeping their two conference games the past week. Iona knocked off Niagara, 73-61, behind Mike Glover’s 19 points and seven rebounds. The Gaels then traveled to Marist, scoring a 100-76 victory. Offensive efficiency was a gaudy 127.0. Glover again was the leader with 31 points and seven boards. Kyle Smyth added 17 points on 5 of 8 shooting from three.
- Loyola: Defeated Manhattan, 61-60, and Canisius, 77-62. Efficiency was a close as the score in the Manhattan contest. A deliberate 62-possession game saw Loyola with a 98-97 offensive efficiency advantage. Against Canisius, sophomore guard Dylon Cormier excelled, scoring 23 points, grabbing six rebounds, and handing out five assists.
- Manhattan: Lost two of last three. George Beamon had an 18-point, six rebound effort but it was not enough as Loyola squeaked by defeating the Jaspers 61-60 in Baltimore. Back in Draddy Gym, Manhattan edged Fairfield 53-51. Beamon again led the way with 16 points. Jaspers also held Fairfield to an offensive efficiency of 79.7 in a 64-possession (slower paced) meeting.
- Fairfield: Lost weekend for the Stags as they dropped a 73-60 decision at Siena on Friday followed by a 53-51 loss at Manhattan two days later. Desmond Wade scored 27 points at Siena, hitting 7 of 11 from downtown. Rakim Sanders had a solid 14-point, 13-board effort at Manhattan.
- Siena: Enjoyed a nice sweep defeating Fairfield and Niagara at the Times Union Center. Six players saw action for the Saints against Fairfield. Five were in double figures, paced by Kyle Downey’s 19 points. Downey added 18 against Niagara for Siena, who received a strong 27-point 14-rebound, one block, no turnover performance from O. D. Anosike.
- Marist: Lost at Rider 99-86 and at home to Iona 100-76. Defense was poor as both opponents rang up a 127 offensive efficiency at the expense of the Red Foxes. Freshman swingman Manny Thomas scored 17 at Rider. Devin Price notched 23 against Iona. Forward Adam Kemp had a 25-point outing versus the Gaels. Kemp also had 15 rebounds, 10 on the offensive end.
- Niagara: Dropped two on the road. At Iona, lost a 73-61 contest. A little further upstate, Niagara was defeated 72-60 by Siena. Niagara only trailed Iona by four at the half. Purple Eagles put four players in double figures. Scoring balance continued at Siena, despite the loss. Three players hit double figures with freshman guard Antoine Mason leading the way with 15 points.
- Rider: Made it three straight wins and four of the last five. Rider defeated Marist 99-86 before stopping St. Peter’s 72-58 in Jersey City. Rider had a 127 offensive efficiency against Marist. Broncs raced out to a 21-point halftime lead. Brandon Penn’s 24 points led five double digit scorers for Rider. At St. Peter’s, Penn continued his strong play. The 6’8″ senior forward led the way with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
- Canisius: Have lost three straight games. Most recently a 65-61 setback at St. Peter’s followed by a 77-62 loss at Loyola. In the St. Peter’s game, Canisius trailed by 16 with just over five minutes to play. The Griffs rallied to get it to a one possession contest. A potential game-tying three with three seconds left missed the mark. At Loyola, four Griffs were in double figures. Harold Washington and Chris Manhertz both led with 15 points. In addition, Manhertz was the rebound leader with nine.
- St. Peter’s: Peacocks split two home contests. Defeated Canisius 65-61 before dropping a 72-58 game on Sunday to Rider. Continued scoring of freshman guard Lamin Fulton has been a plus. Fulton scored a team-high 14 points in the Canisius game and followed it up with 19 against Rider. In the latter meeting, Fulton was 5 of 8 from three point range.
Upcoming Schedule
Some games to looks out for in the coming days:
- January 15: Marist at Niagara, St. Peter’s at Canisius, Loyola at Iona
- January 16: Rider at Fairfield
- January 19: Fairfield at St. Peter’s, Siena at Loyola, Niagara at Canisius
- January 20: Manhattan at Marist, Rider at Iona