The fourth-seeded Iona Gaels completed their sweep through the MAAC tournament and secured a second-straight NCAA tournament berth with a 60-57 win over the No. 6 Manhattan Jaspers in Monday's MAAC tournament championship game.
Iona wins 2013 MAAC basketball tournament: Gaels earn 2nd-straight NCAA bid
The Gaels got hot at the right time to redeem a fourth-place season.
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The Gaels earned a bid to last year's big dance at-large last year, but a 20-13 record this season and a fourth-place MAAC finish would obviously have fallen well short of the field of 68 without Monday's win. The Gaels earned a 79-73 upset Sunday over the No. 1 Niagara Purple Eagles to set up Monday's win.
The Gaels are 1-8 all-time in NCAA tournament competition, and the one win, an 84-78 victory over Holy Cross in the first round of the 1980 tournament, was later vacated because of NCAA sanctions.
Manhattan, under second-year coach Steve Masiello, was looking for its first NCAA tournament bid since making back-to-back tournaments in 2003 and 2004.
Senior guard Lamont Jones led the Gaels with 14 points.
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