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ALBANY, N.Y. - A.J. English scored 23 of his game-high 29 points in the second half to lead Iona past Siena 81-70 in the MAAC Semifinals Sunday night in Albany. The Gaels advance to the MAAC Championship game for the fourth straight season and improve to 8-0 all-time against the Saints in MAAC Tournament play.

"I'm proud of our team," Siena coach Jimmy Patsos said. "We're climbing the mountain, earning our way. We can't get over the hump as quickly as we like, but we're working on it. (Iona) was better than us today. Make no mistake about that. They made big shots. It wasn't a lack of effort."

Nico Clareth led Siena (21-12) with 18 points, and keyed an 8-0 run that cut the deficit to 53-48 with 13:51 to play, but English and Iona (21-10) had all the answers down the stretch.

Siena trailed just 64-58 with 6:44 left after Marquis Wright's layup, but English rose up for a three to lead a mini 8-2 spurt that pushed the lead back to double figures, and Siena got no closer than 10 the rest of the way.

Iona shot 53% from the field, including 59% in the first half. They led 45-31 at the break after holding Siena without a field goal over the final 7:40 during a decisive 19-3 run that closed the half.

Isaiah Williams had 17 of his 23 points in the first half, including the benchmark 1,000th of his career, and he rounded out a double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds. The Gaels made 10-21 three-pointers and stayed even with Siena on the glass.

Brett Bisping finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, Lavon Long added 14 points and six boards in 23 spirited minutes off the bench, and Javion Ogunyemi rounded out four Saints in double figures with 13 points. Bisping was later named to the MAAC All-Tournament Team.

Siena started the second half with good energy, closing the gap to single digits on the first of three straight Clareth threes with 14:27 remaining. Iona missed four straight shots after Clareth's three threes, but the Saints couldn't take advantage.

Siena shot just 11-21 from the free throw line and misfired on 15 of 22 three-point attempts.

It's the second straight year Iona has defeated Siena in the MAAC Tournament. The Gaels posted a 74-71 victory in the quarterfinals last season. Iona is the only team with a winning record against Siena in MAAC Tournament play.

"The future is bright, everything is good," Patsos said. "We're going to play some more basketball, but for now it's time for a break."