Canisius, Iona meet in MAAC tourney
No. 10 seed Canisius (12-19, 7-13) vs. No. 7 seed Iona (11-16, 9-11)
Metro Atlantic Conference Tourney First Round, Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey; Tuesday, 6 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Canisius and Iona are prepared to square off in the first round of the MAAC tournament. In the regular season, Iona won both of the head-to-head matchups. The teams last met on Feb. 27, when the Gaels shot 64.3 percent from the field while holding Canisius’s shooters to just 38.7 percent en route to an 86-65 victory.
TEAM LEADERS: Iona’s E.J. Crawford has averaged 18.8 points and 5.3 rebounds while Tajuan Agee has put up 14.7 points and 7.4 rebounds. For the Golden Griffins, Malik Johnson has averaged 12.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists while Majesty Brandon has put up 14.1 points and 4.1 rebounds.
OFFENSIVE THREAT: Isaiah Washington has either made or assisted on 40 percent of all Iona field goals over the last five games. Washington has accounted for 20 field goals and 35 assists in those games.
SLIPPING AT 72: Iona is 0-11 this year when it allows 72 points or more and 11-5 when holding opponents to fewer than 72.
ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Gaels have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Golden Griffins. Iona has an assist on 45 of 76 field goals (59.2 percent) across its previous three outings while Canisius has assists on 46 of 80 field goals (57.5 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: Iona has made eight 3-pointers per game this season, which is second-best among MAAC teams.
