RIVERDALE, NY - A jam-packed Draddy Gymnasium crowd watched the Iona College men's basketball team defeat Manhattan 85-73 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play. The Gaels (19-5, 11-2 MAAC) outlasted the Jaspers (17-8, 10-3 MAAC) in an epic battle between the two New York metro area rivals in a battle of two teams atop the conference standings.

Senior Mike Glover posted 19 points, seven boards, and three assists to lead the Maroon & Gold. Senior Scott Machado netted 18 points, nine assists and four rebounds and junior Lamont Jones added 18 points and six boards in the Iona win. Sophomore Sean Armand scored 14 points off the bench.

The hostile, capacity crowd of 2,345 saw 11 ties and nine lead changes over the first 20 minutes of the contest. The Jaspers knotted the score at 35-35 with 3:54 remaining in the frame in what would turn out to be the closest Manhattan would get. Iona ended the half on a 9-3 run to take a 44-38 advantage into halftime.

The Gaels broke the game open with the first seven points of the second half on a three-pointer by Jones, an 18-foot jumper by Armand and a Glover layup, taking a 51-38 lead with 17:40 to play. A Kidani Brutus three pointer at the 15 minute mark got Manhattan within five points but the Gaels scored 11 straight to take a commanding 62-46 advantage after two Randy Dezouvre free throws with 12:13 to play. The Gaels' largest lead was 19 points after three Armand free throws at the 5:43 mark. George Beamon's free throws with less than a minute to go made the score 73-82. Machado followed with three points in the final minute including his first collegiate dunk with 16 ticks remaining to seal the 12-point victory.

The Gaels held a shooting advantage of 50.9%-40.3%, rebound advantage of 39-32 and posted its 14th 20+ assist effort with 21 helpers. 

After netting 19 points in the first half, the Gaels limited Beamon to just seven in the second half as the junior had a game-high 26 points. The effort turned out to be the turning point in the contest. After shooting 7-for-8 in the first 20 minutes, Beamon was 1-for-7 in the second, missing his first attempt with 8:21 remaining and Iona leading by 16 points. After a dominating 17-point, 11-rebound effort in the first contest, junior Rhamel Brown had just eight points and six boards in the loss. Senior Kidani Brutus had 12 points, shooting 4-of-12 from beyond the arc while rookie Emmy Andujar - the hero in the two teams' last meeting - was held to seven points in the contest.

The three-way tie for first place between Iona, Manhattan and Loyola was broken for the time being with the Gaels' victory. Loyola has an opportunity to improve to 11-2 in conference play tomorrow to tie the Maroon & Gold in the standings. A Greyhound win on Sunday vs. Saint Peter's sets up for a battle for first place next Friday (Feb. 10) in Baltimore. Iona and Loyola square off at 7:00 pm in a nationally televised contest on ESPNU.