Iona defeats Monmouth, 79-76, to win MAAC title and clinch NCAA berth

A.J. English hit a fadeaway jumper with 1:39 left to break a tie and Deyshonee Much followed with a driving layup that he converted into a three-point play, and second-seeded Iona beat top-seeded Monmouth, 79-76, on Monday night in Albany, N.Y., to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament title and the NCAA tournament berth that goes with it.

The Hawks (27-7), who joined the MAAC in 2013, were seeking their first tournament appearance since 2006 when they were members of the Northeast Conference. They entered the title game on a five-game winning streak and had won 13 of 14 in a storybook season, the lone loss coming at Iona (22-10).

With a solid resume, the Hawks were still in the running for an at-large bid and the MAAC has twice had multiple bids (1995, 2012).

North Carolina Wilmington 80, Hofstra 73 (OT): The Seahawks (25-7) won their first Colonial Athletic Association title in 10 years and earned a trip to the NCAA tournament, getting 20 points from Craig Ponder in an overtime victory over the top-seeded Pride (24-9) in Baltimore.

Chattanooga 73, East Tennessee State 67: Greg Pryor and Tre’ McLean each had 13 points, and the top-seeded Mocs (29-5) held on to defeat the second-seeded Buccaneers (23-11) to win the Southern Conference championship at Asheville, N.C., and earn an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament.