Box Score New Rochelle, NY - Junior
Gary Springer's 18 points and 13 rebounds were not enough to solve Niagara as the Iona College men's basketball team dropped a 74-67 decision to the Purple Eagles (9-3, 3-0 MAAC) in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action at the Hynes Center. The Gaels (5-10, 1-2 MAAC) erased a 12-point first half deficit but could not hang on in their first loss at home of the season.
Niagara jumped out to an early 17-7 lead (11:03) as senior Charron Fisher paced the visitors early on. After Iona cut the deficit to five points on senior
Dexter Gray's free throw at 8:41, the Purple Eagles went on a 9-2 run to take their largest lead of the contest. A thunderous dunk by
Devon Clarke with less than a minute to go in the stanza put the Maroon & Gold down just one point at 35-34. Niagara freshman Anthony Nelson gave his squad a three-point lead going into halftime with two free throws with less than nine seconds left.
An epic second half saw nine different ties and six lead changes but it was the Niagara's late surge that led to the difference. Two
Milan Prodanovic free throws gave Iona a 61-60 lead at 3:21. Niagara scored the next six points led by three Fisher free throws and a conventional three-point play by Benson Egemonye. A
Kyle Camper pull up three pointer with 19 seconds left put Iona down by three but Fisher hit four more freebies down the stretch to seal the win.
Iona out shot Niagara 41.7% to 32.8% and out rebounded its opponent by a margin of 47-36 but the 29-17 deficit in points off turnovers and a 28-15 free throws made difference proved to be the team's undoing. In the second half, Niagara scored 16 points from the field (7-for-26 with two three pointers) and was 21-of-25 from the charity stripe.
Springer's first collegiate double double with a career-high in both points and rebounds was assisted by his double-double in the first half (15 points, 11 boards). Clarke added 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting including a couple of thunderous dunks backed up his front court mate. Gray and freshman
Rashon Dwight each had 10 points and nine rebounds in the loss.
Fisher scored 23 of his game-high 32 points in the first half on 7-of-13 from the field. He scored all 11 of his points from the free throw line in the second half and was 0-for-7 in the frame. The MAAC's leading scorer also had 12 rebounds to pace the Purple Eagles. Sophomore Tyrone Lewis had 17 while Egemonye had 10 in the win.
The Gaels hit the road for their next contest when they travel to Baltimore for a rematch with Loyola. Iona defeated the Greyhounds at the Hynes Center in early December by a score of 92-68.
