BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Steve Burtt scored 36 points to lead Iona to a 97-73 win over St. Peter's in the quarterfinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday night.
Burt hit 11 of 19 from the field and 10 of 12 free throws for the Gaels (15-15, 11-9). Ricky Soliver added 20 points and Kiril Wachsmann had 17.
Fifth-seeded Iona bolted to a quick 17-0 lead before Ivan Bozovic hit a 3-pointer to get fourth-seeded St. Peter's on the board with 14:29 left in the first half. The Peacocks missed their first eight shots and committed four turnovers.
Iona shot 59 percent from the field in the first half while limiting St. Peter's to 28 percent shooting from the floor for a 46-29 lead at the break.
St. Peter's (15-13, 10-9) cut the deficit to 66-50 with 11 minutes to go after Terrance Watkins' jumper but was unable to get closer.
Keydren Clark, the nation's leading scorer, had 22 points. Clark came into the game averaging 25.9 points, but was just 5 of 20 from the field, including 1 of 7 beyond the arc.
Ron Yates had 17 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out with just over five minutes remaining for St. Peter's, which had a first-round tournament bye.
The Gaels' second-leading scorer, Greg Jenkins, returned after missing their first-round win over Siena because of a back injury. Jenkins finished with eight points in 13 minutes.
