ALBANY, N.Y. - The late game of Friday's schedule of tournament game here featured shooting performances that made it appear that both teams had gone to sleep early.
The Marist men held off Iona, 43-40, in a first-round contest in which points were at a definite premium.
Marist's 43 points were the lowest margin ever by a winning team in a men's tournament game since the league was formed in 1981.
The combined 83 points scored by the two squads also accounted for the lowest combined total in a single game in the league's tournament history as well.
Senior forward Ryan Schneider and junior guard David Devezin had 14 each for the winners, the 10th-seeded team. Freshman guard Scott Machado's 14 points accounted for the only double-figure total for Iona.
The victory sends Marist into Saturday's quarterfinal-round contest against No. 2-seeded Niagara.
Marist, the league's last-place team in regular-season play, joined ninth-place finisher Canisius as men's teams that advanced in first-round play on Friday.
A day earlier, the two lowest-seeded women's teams (Loyola and Niagara) also won first-round games on Thursday.
It is believed to be the first time in the tournament's history that the two lowest seeded teams on both the men's and women's side all won a first-round contest.
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