SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – David Laury scored 20 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as Iona eliminated top-seeded Niagara 79-73 Sunday in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament semifinals.
Laury's jumper with 9:18 remaining started a 10-2 run that gave the fourth-seeded Gaels (19-13) a 70-61 lead at the 6:37 mark. The sophomore forward also sank two free throws after Juan'ya Green's layup brought the Purple Eagles (19-13) to within 70-67 with just under 3 minutes left.
Lamont Jones added 17 points, Taaj Ridley had 16 and Sean Armand 13 for Iona, which split two games against Niagara during the regular season.
The Gaels now have won four in a row after losing six of seven games by a combined total of 11 points.
Antoine Mason scored 21 points to lead Niagara, which was hurt by erratic 3-point shooting. The Purple Eagles were 7 of 33 behind the arc, including 0 of 7 by Green.
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