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Iona tops Canisius 75-72 in MAAC semifinals

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Sean Armand scored 21 points, while Isaiah Williams and Tre Bowman had 16 apiece, as top-seeded Iona held off fourth-seeded Canisius 75-72 Sunday in the semifinals of the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference.

The Gaels (22-9) saw a long last-second 3-pointer by Billy Baron, who led Canisius (21-12) with 23 points, come up short. They'll play second-seeded Manhattan for the title on Monday.

Iona out-scored Canisus 13-4 in the final 4 minutes of the first half to take a 48-41 lead, highlighted by Bowman's back-to-back 3s.

The Golden Griffins didn't get any closer than five until the closing minutes of the second half. Canisius scored 10 straight, nine by Baron to tie the game at 70. David Laury responded with a layup at 59 seconds. After a miss, Armand made a free throw. Baron fed Chris Manhertz, who had 15 points and 13 rebounds, for a dunk at 9 seconds but Bowman made two free throws, setting up the final heave.