NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The visiting Siena Saints rallied from a 13-point deficit in the second half to upend the Iona College men's basketball team 81-79 this evening inside the Hynes Center during MAAC conference play. In the process, the Saints (11-14, 8-6 MAAC) snapped the Gaels (16-9, 9-5 MAAC) six-game winning streak.

Trailing 59-46 with 14:27 left in regulation, the Saints outscored the Gaels 22-8 in less than eight minutes to claim their first lead in more than 20 minutes of game action. Three more lead changes and an equal amount of ties led to Marquis Wright putting the visitors ahead for good with 13 seconds left behind a pair of free throws.

After Wright tied the game and gave Siena an 80-79 lead, an Iona turnover followed by a made free throw from Ahsante Shivers set up an opportunity for Rickey McGill at the other end following a timeout, however, the sophomores shot from the top of the arc fell to the left of the rim.

McGill ended the game leading all scorers with 21 points to go along with seven assists, six rebounds and two steals. Jon Severe added 17 points and five rebounds while E.J. Crawford and Jordan Washington posted 12 and 11 points respectively.

A 45-29 rebounding advantage helped the Saints claim 20 second chance points as Lavon Long tallied a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. Meanwhile, Javoin Ogunyemi led four Siena individuals in double-figure scoring with 17 points to go with seven rebounds and two blocks. Wright totaled 16 points and nine assists while Nico Clareth came off the bench for 14 points and eight rebounds.

Leading for more than 18 minutes in the first period, McGill gave the Maroon & Gold the first double-digit lead of the game with a buzzer beating attempt. The guard recovered a Taylor Bessick blocked shot and sent a shot from the opposite three-point line to put Iona ahead 43-33 at the break.

The shot was one of five made 3-pointers for the Gaels in the first half, however, the group added only one more make in the second half on the way to shooting 27.3 percent from beyond the arc for the game. The Saint used an 18-for-19 performance from the free throw line (94.7 percent) to aid the victory while outscoring the hosts 48-36 in the second half.

Iona begins the first of three straight road games this Sunday with a 2:00 pm contest at Niagara in Lewiston, NY.

Additional Recaps:

● 2/7/17 - NY Journal News - Josh Thomson - Iona squanders 13-point lead as Siena snaps winning streak
● 2/7/17 - NYC Buckets - Vincent Simone - Siena 81, Iona 79: The Return of Nico Clareth
● 2/7/17 - Daly Dose of Hoops - Jaden Daly - Siena comes from down 13 to stun Iona on road in Clareth's return
● 2/7/17 - CBS 6 Albany - WRGB Sports - Clareth returns as Saints beat Iona
● 2/7/17 - Daily Gazette - Staff - Siena wins in Clareth's return
● 2/7/17 - Times Union - Mark Singelais - Late run gives the Saint big rally
● 2/7/17 - ESPN - AP - Siena rallies to beat Iona 81-79 behind Ogunyemi
● 2/7/17 - New Jersey Herald - AP - Siena rallies to beat Iona 81-79 behind Ogunyemi
● 2/7/17 - Fox Sports - AP - Siena rallies to beat Iona 81-79 behind Ogunyemi
● 2/7/17 - 4 Guys in Blazers - Tom Benoit - Siena Comes Together For Big Road Win At Iona
● 2/7/17 - NY Journal News - Josh Thomson - WATCH: Rickey McGill beats buzzer with 70-foot shot
● 2/7/17 - Daly Dose of Hoops - Jaden Daly - WATCH: Rickey McGill beats buzzer with three-quarter court three-pointer
● 2/7/17 - The Ionian - Ryan McFadden - Siena snaps Iona's seven game win streak