HAMDEN, CT – Jordan Washington forced overtime with a late layup, however, the Iona College men's basketball team was unable to get past Quinnipiac this afternoon, falling 97-91 in MAAC action at the TD Banks Sports Center.

The Bobcats (7-11, 4-4 MAAC) outscored the Gaels (10-8, 3-4 MAAC) 20-14 in the overtime period, including 10-of-14 from the free throw line, to clinch the win. Peter Kiss led the hosts with nine points in the extra session.

The Maroon & Gold controlled the margin for a majority of the first half, starting with a Rickey McGill layup to open the scoring and building a lead to as large as 10 points. Quinnipiac tied the game with a minute left until the break as Donovan Smith converted a jumper to even the score at 35.

Mikey Dixon led all scorers in the opening period with 16 points for Quinnipiac while E.J. Crawford tallied eight points and Taylor Bessick came off the bench to provide six points, four rebounds and two blocks.

After Jordan Washington scored the first basket of the second half, the Bobcats scored four straight points to claim their first advantage of the contest on a Chaise Daniels jumper. The two teams went back-and-forth to open the stanza, including 10 of the first 12 Gael points coming from Washington.

The Gaels looked to be in control as Sam Cassell Jr. knocked down a 3-pointer to create a 67-59 lead with 7:41 remaining in regulation. However, in less than six minutes, Daniels tied the game and pushed Quinnipiac ahead at 77-75 with 1:09 left in the second period.

Following a missed jumper from Dixon with 30 seconds left, Washington hauled in the rebound and drove the floor for the coast-to-coast tying layup. The Bobcats missed two opportunities in the final three seconds, resulting in overtime.

Quinnipiac scored 11 of the first 12 points of the extra session to create a tough comeback for the Gaels. The final basket of the game, a jumper off the window from Schadrac Casimir, was the closest Iona came after trailing by 11 on two different occasions.

The Maroon & Gold placed five players in double-figure scoring, led by 25 from Washington. The senior scored 17 of his points in the second and finished his 30 minutes with a season-high 14 rebounds. Crawford added 14 points and six rebounds while Cassell finished with 11 points and four assists.

Bessick ended his afternoon with 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks off the bench while Deyshonee Much added 13 points and three assists.

Dixon posted a game-high 27 points for the Bobcats while Daniels chipped in 22 points and 11 rebounds with three blocks. Kiss and Smith equally split 30 points while Smith added 11 rebounds and five blocks.

Looking ahead, the Gaels return to the road with a short trip on Tuesday to visit Manhattan at 7:00 pm.