MAAC Teams 9-1 in BracketBusters Games

There haven’t been many better days for the MAAC men’s program as a whole than there was on Saturday’s BracketBusters’ series of games.

All 10 teams played against other mid-major level programs from other conferences and the MAAC came out with a sterling 9-1 record.

Let’s break down the good news:

- Fairfield sophomore guard Colin Nickerson continued his strong late-season play off the bench. The player Stags’ coach Ed Cooley calls the “Tasmanian Devil” was certainly a blur to the Governors. In 31 minutes of playing time Nickerson finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and had seven steals, a record for games played in the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yards. His backcourt mate, sophomore Derek Needhem, finished with 19 points. Fairfield, after starting the year with a 1-3 record, has won 21 of its last 23 games overall.

- Junior Kidani Brutus, a junior college transfer, scored a career-high 25 points in a Manhattan uniform while sophomore swingman George Beamon added 23 as Manhattan earned a 64-63 overtime victory over Stony Brook. Beamon’s jumper late in regulation sent the game into overtime. Manhattan then had to rally from a four-point deficit with 3:10 left in the extra session, but Brutus made a pair of three-pointers and forward Demetrius Jemison’s free throw gave Manhattan a 64-61 edge with a minute left and the Jaspers held on.

- Niagara guard Anthony Nelson finished with seven assists, the last of those tying the Purple Eagles’ program career record. Nelson now has 630 assists and his next one will break a tie at the top of that Niagara statistical category with 2005 graduate Alvin Cruz. His work helped Niagara earn a 61-55 victory over Cntral Michigan.

- Iona’s Mike Glover, Scott Machado and Alejo Rodriguez each posted double-doubles as the Gaels knocked off Liberty, 77-57. Rodriguez finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds while Glover had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Machado had 10 points and 11 assists.

- The senior backcourt pair of Wesley Jenkins and Nick Leon each scored 17 points as Saint Peter’s held off Loyola of Chicago, 71-67. Ryan Bacon added 14 points and Jeron Belin 13 for the Peacocks.

- Rider senior guard Justin Robinson continued to produce in a strong senior season with a career-high 31 points to lift the Broncs over Delaware, 95-86. Robinson is part of a senior class that now has more victories (79) than any other class in school history. Another senior, forward Mike Ringold, added 19 points.

- Lightly used J’hred Hall came off the bench to score 19 points, including 15 on five three-pointers, as Loyola defeated Towson, 75-57, in the 70th meeting between the local rivals. Four other Greyhounds also scored in double figures, including Robert Olson (16), Shane Walker (14), Erik Etherly (12) and Dylon Cormier 910).

- Ryan Rossiter scored 14 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and also had six assists to help Siena beat Maine, 71-60. On the season Rossiter averages 13.4 rebounds per game. Senior guard Clarence Jackson added 17 points for the Saints in one of his better performances in recent weeks.

- Marist got 18 points from Dorvell Carter and 15 ffrom Devin Price to knock off New Hampshire and snapping an 11-game losing streak.

- The only loss suffered by a MAAC team on Saturday came when Boston University of the America East conference knocked off Canisius, 70-62.