Iona beats Siena 81-70 in MAAC tournament semifinals

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) A.J. English scored 29, Isaiah Williams added 23 points with 11 rebounds and No. 2 seed Iona beat third-seeded Siena 81-70 Sunday night in the semifinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament.

The teams met for the third time in 22 days with Iona earning the first road win in the series Sunday. The Gaels (21-10) will face top-seeded Monmouth (27-6) on Monday.

English made five 3-pointers with five assists and five steals. Williams was 10-of-16 shooting, with three 3s.

Siena pulled to 64-58 on a Marquis Wright layup but Iona quickly pushed it back to double digits and Williams' dunk with 5:17 remaining gave the Gaels a 12-point lead. The Saints would not get closer than 10 the rest of the way.

Nico Clareth led Siena (21-12) with 18 points, including four 3-pointers. Brett Bisping added 16 points and nine rebounds.

Williams scored 17 points in the first half to help Iona hold a 45-31 advantage.