Recap: Niagara vs. Iona

Springfield, MA (Sports Network) - David Laury registered a double-double of 20 points and 17 rebounds to propel the fourth-seeded Iona Gaels to a 79-73 upset victory over the top-seeded Niagara Purple Eagles in the semifinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament at the MassMutual Center.

Lamont Jones tallied 17 points and five assists for Iona (19-13), which will now look to add onto its league record seven conference tournament titles on Monday when it takes on Manhattan in the championship game. Taaj Ridley contributed 16 points and Sean Armand finished with 13.

Antoine Mason paced Niagara (19-13) with 21 points on 6-of-18 shooting from the floor and Ameen Tanksley chipped in 14 points. Juan'ya Green, Marvin Jordan and T.J. Cline all scored 11 points each in the setback.

In a very closely contested first half, Iona shot 46.9 percent from the field and connected on five 3-pointers. The Purple Eagles made 42.9 percent of their field goal attempts and all five of their free-throws to carry a narrow, 40-39 edge into halftime.

Niagara cooled off to hit on 38.2 percent of its shots from the field in the second stanza. The Gaels converted 14-of-17 at the charity stripe after the break to take control. Iona led for the final 13:59 of action.

Iona held a sizeable, 45-32 edge in the rebounding battle.