NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College men's basketball team never trailed in an 86-67 win over Florida Gulf Coast in non-conference action at the Hynes Center. Junior A.J. English scored 27 points and senior David Laury added 23 points in the win.

English was 9-of-18 from the field, 5-of-10 from beyond the arc and 4-for-4 from the line to account for his game-high total. He scored 22 points in the first half to help the Gaels build an 11-point halftime lead. English added six rebounds, five assists and three steals in the win. It was his fourth 25+ point, 5+ rebound, 5+ assist effort of the season, the most among all NCAA Division I performers.

Laury posted eight rebounds and three assists, shooting 7-of-11 from the field and with a three-pointer and an 8-for-13 effort from the free throw line. Rookie Schadrac Casimir recorded his fifth straight double digit effort with 16 points while posting five rebounds and four assists. Junior Isaiah Williams chipped in eight points, six boards and two steals in the win.

Earning his second start of the season, sophomore Ryden Hines had eight rebounds and connected on 1-of-2 attempts from beyond the arc. Junior Kelvin Amayo had seven points off the bench.

The Gaels shot 50.9% from the field overall and 40.0% from beyond the arc. FGCU posted a 47.5% field goal percentage. Iona held a 39-30 advantage on the boards and committed a season-low seven turnovers.

FGCU's Brett Comer and Bernard Thompson contributed 22 and 19 points respectively. Comer scored 20 of his 22 in the first half and had five assists in the loss. Thompson scored 15 in the second half and had a team-high five rebounds.

Following the Christmas holiday, the Gaels embark on a three-game road trip at Drexel (Dec. 28), UMass (Dec. 30) and Siena (Jan. 4).