Westchester college basketball fans are in shock after learning that Iona basketball, led by coach Rick Pitino are not headed towards ‘March Madness’ after they were upset in the quarterfinals of the MAAC Tournament, held on March 8, 71-70.
Dwight Murray Jr. of Rider, hit the game winning shot with 7 seconds left. Murray was the high scorer for the game with 21 points. Iona couldn’t get another shot off in the final seconds, and a disappointing ending for what is now a disappointing season for Iona, located in New Rochelle.
A clearly dejected Coach Pitino said after the game that “Our players are devastated. They had dreams of going far in the tournament. They all come to an end when you’re in a one-bid league. But it happens. All you can do is give Rider all the credit because they played a great game.”
Iona was leading 70-65 with less than 3 minutes in the game. Iona has made the NCAA tournament since 2015, including last year, Pitino’s first year as coach, and they played well, almost beating Alabama in the first round.
Pitino said, “I don’t like it,” but added “They made every big play down the stretch. We made a lot of great shots down the stretch. They were just better. They deserve all the credit. I’m proud of my guys. They gave me a great season, but when you’re in a one-bid league, you suffer.”
In the game, Tyson Jolly the MAAC Player of the year had 19 points to lead Iona. Pitino’s squad cooled down in the final stretch of the regular season, going 6-4 in their last 10 games for a 24-5 final record.
After the game, Pitino seemed to lower expectations. “We didn’t play poorly. We played well. That’s the best we could play. We’re just not that much better than any team in the league.”
Iona will lose two of its best players to graduation, Jolly and Elijah Joiner. But Pitino is expected to bring in a few more top line recruits to see if he can make a run to the Final Four at Iona before he retires, or moves on to another program. But whether he can do that is now in question after this loss. “I’ve coached great teams. I’ve said it to our media all season long: Don’t get carried away. We’re not a great basketball team. We’re a good team.”
Here’s hoping you are a great team next year Coach.
