Box Score Andrew Kahn will be writing feature and postgame articles for Iona basketball for
ICGaels.com in the 2009-10 season. A New Rochelle High School
graduate, he holds an English degree from the University of Michigan
and currently works for the non-profit Dana Foundation. In addition to
his work for ICGaels.com, Andrew writes for his own blog,
www.TheSportsJournalists.com.
ALBANY, NY - The Iona College men's basketball team didn't ascend to No. 2 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference standings by accident. The Siena Saints aren't No. 1 for no reason, either, and they showed why they are regarded as the conference's elite team with an 88-68 victory over the Gaels tonight at the Times Union Center.
Iona hung with Siena for the first half, trailed by only 10 at the break and immediately cut the lead to eight on a thunderous dunk by junior forward
Alejo Rodriguez to start the second frame. But Siena went on a 15-4 run over the next three minutes to extend its lead to 53-34, and the Saints never looked back.
One recipe for an upset is to out score your opponent from beyond the three-point line. The Gaels came up well short in this department, shooting 4-for-18 from deep. The Saints, however, were an impressive 9-for-17 from downtown. Siena also got to the free throw line more, converting 25 times to Iona's 18.
“We were going to have to pitch a perfect game,” Iona head coach
Kevin Willard said about his team's chances coming into the game. “I just think (Siena's) a terrific basketball team.”
Hard to argue with Willard after tonight's game. Four Saints scored in double figures, with Alex Franklin leading the way with 23 points. Clarence Jackson hit six threes en route to a 20-point performance. In total the Saints shot 50 percent from the field compared to Iona's 38.
Willard also spoke about Siena's edge in a category that doesn't show up in the box score: experience. Iona started two juniors, a sophomore, and two freshmen. Siena? Three seniors and two juniors. This may have been the biggest game many of the Gaels have played in; this experienced Siena squad is used to big games like this. The Times Union Center was sold out and the crowd was very energetic.
For the MAAC's second-place team, it wasn't a completely discouraging performance, despite the score. The Gaels' eight-game winning streak was snapped, but Rodriguez kept his double-double streak alive by recording 16 points and a game-high 15 boards. He has now achieved the feat in three consecutive games. Sophomore
Scott Machado led all scorers with 24 points on eight-of-14 shooting. Iona's two stars were in foul trouble in the second half, however, each playing with four fouls.
“I was proud of my kids,” Willard said. “We battled hard, we played hard… I think I have a great basketball team.”
Siena head coach Fran McCaffery, whose team holds a nation's best 14-game winning streak, agrees.
“We just beat a very, very good team,” McCaffery said. “They have proven that. There haven't been too many games where we've shot this well from three… for us to go 9-for-17, and for them to go 4-for-18 is not something that I think anyone saw coming.”
It certainly would have been a different game had Iona been more successful with its outside shooting. The Gaels can't afford to dwell on their cold shooting or on their lopsided defeat, however, as they travel to Marist on Sunday with hopes of starting a new winning streak.
