SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — A dominant 60-42 MAAC semifinal rout over Fairfield ensured Manhattan it will face its closest rival tonight in a league title game for the first time, guaranteeing one of them will go to the Big Dance.
The Jaspers (14-17) smothered the Stags (19-15) defensively, holding them to 28.6 percent shooting in the second half to blow the game open. After losing George Beamon to a season-ending injury and starting slowly, they have won eight of their last 10 to get within one victory of an NCAA bid.
“You don’t want to come this far and lose. I’m proud to be here,’’ said coach Steve Masiello. “You’re looking at two extremely rich programs from a tradition standpoint. Iona is the epitome of this conference, somewhere we want to be, going to back-to-back NCAAs, getting at-large bids.
“We’re going to play for the chance to go to the Big Dance. … What you’re going to have is a lot of city kids who know each other very well, have played against each other for something they’ve dreamed of since being little kids. What New York basketball is all about is going to be in here [tonight].’’
Yesterday’s game was a microcosm of the Jaspers’ season, 3-6 in the league and struggling for point-guard creativity before Masiello put the ball in the hands of Michael Alvarado and Emmy Andujar on pick-and-rolls. Last night, they trailed 16-5 before that duo sparked the Jaspers, who outscored the Stags 55-26 the rest of the way.
Andujar had a game-high 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting with five rebounds and three steals, while Alvarado added a dozen.
“My coach is always on me about [being aggressive] and it worked. I didn’t want my seniors to go out losing,’’ said Andujar “We’ve come this far, our turnaround was so good,’’ Andujar said. “I love the success we’re having. I didn’t want it to end.’’
It didn’t, thanks to defense that hounded Fairfield into missing all nine 3-pointers. Star guard Derek Needham finished with four points after a 2-of-10 outing.
“When coach got the job, he turned my whole life around on the court, on and off,’’ said Alvarado. “I really want to get this championship as well as he does and my teammates. It’s a good feeling.’’