Iona 60, Manhattan 57: Tre Bowman scored 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting to help the Gaels down the Jaspers to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship game in Springfield, Mass.

Lamont Jones added 14 points as fourth-seeded Iona (20-13) earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Gaels are part of the field for the second straight season after being an at-large selection last season.

Michael Alvarado scored 14 points as the lone player in double digits for sixth-seeded Manhattan (14-18), which committed 20 turnovers.

The Jaspers led by two points at halftime and owned a 35-30 lead after a 3-pointer by Shane Richards with 14:52 to play before the Gaels erupted with a 17-2 run over the next six-plus minutes. Sean Armand’s layup gave Iona a 37-35 lead and Taaj Ridley ended the surge with two free throws to give the Gaels a 10-point edge with 8:39 to play.

Iona’s lead was trimmed to 56-52 on two free throws by Manhattan’s Rhamel Brown with 1:24 to play. Bowman hit two free throws with 27.1 seconds left and David Laury scored on a breakaway dunk with six seconds left to push the lead back to eight.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Brown had one blocked shot to raise his career total to 247. His count is fourth in MAAC history, one shy of former La Salle star Lionel Simmons. … Iona had a 28-14 edge in points in the paint and a 10-2 cushion in fast-break points. … Manhattan coach Steve Masiello drew a technical foul with 9:03 to play for being out of the coaches’ box after previously being warned. Jones hit both free throws.