LAS VEGAS, NV – The Iona College men's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker in the opening game of the MGM Sports Main Event on Monday evening. Long Beach State hit a game-winning transition layup at the buzzer to upend the Gaels, 86-85.

The score came just seconds after junior Asante Gist had hit a runner in the paint to give the Maroon & Gold the lead with five seconds remaining.

Iona wraps up the MGM Sports Main Event on Wednesday, Nov. 21 against Hartford. The Gaels and Hawks will tip off at 2 P.M. ET.

GAME SUMMARY

Iona trailed by as any as ten in the second half but still had a chance to pull out the victory in the waning moments against the 49ers.

Junior E.J. Crawford hit a game-tying three with 6:00 left to tie the game at 70. The 49ers continued to try and pull away by a wide margin but Iona kept it within two possessions until the final moments.

With just five second remaining, junior Asante Gist gave the Maroon & Gold its first lead since 18:50 in the second half with a contested banked layup. The excitement lasted just a brief moment as Long Beach State's Ron Freeman got an outlet in transition off the inbound and drove down the lane for the winning bucket as time expired.

Gist finished the game with 17 points. It's his second straight game with 17+ points, four made free throws and three three-point field goals. Gist scored 11 of his 17 points in the second half.

Senior Rickey McGill scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half. He had four field goals in the final seven minutes of the game.

Iona as a team shot 51.9% in the second half and 43.3% in the game. It hit 32.3% from beyond the arc, crossing the double-digit three-pointer threshold for the first time this season.

The Maroon & Gold and 49ers traded the lead for the first half of the game. Senior Isaiah Still was stellar in the first period, scoring 12 of his 16 points. He had back-to-back triples that tied the game at 23 with 9:14 remaining before halftime. Following his second three, Long Beach State went on a 7-0 run and it'd keep the lead until the intermission.

The 49ers strong start was fueled by Temidayo Yussuf. He had 18 points in the game, 12 of which came in the first half. He scored four points over the final two minutes and was the Long Beach State's leading scorer for its 41-40 edge.

Iona had a season-low 11 assists on its season-best 26 made field goals. Iona had 28 points off 25 49ers turnovers and 13 second chance points compared to just eight for Long Beach. The second-opportunity scores occurred despite being out-rebounded, 36-27.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Iona had four players in double-figures, led by Gist's 17 points. Still finished with a season-best 16. Crawford and McGill had 15 points each.
• The Maroon & Gold did not have a player with five or more rebounds. Freshmen Andrija Ristanovic and Jahnathan Maxwell had a team-best four rebounds along with McGill and Crawford.
• McGill had a team-best four assists. Still and junior Ben Perez had three assists each. Gist led the Maroon & Gold with four steals; McGill contributed three.
• Iona has won the turnover margin in each game this season. It forced 20+ opponent turnovers for the third straight game. The Gaels had a season-best 14 steals as a team; they have had 12+ steals in each game this season.
• Long Beach State shot 55.6% from the floor and 58.8% from beyond the arc. It is the second straight game Iona's opponent has shot over 50% from the floor. The 49ers shot 58.8% from beyond the arc.
• Iona set new season-highs in points (85), field goals made (26), three-point field goals (10), steals (14) and turnovers (17).

UP NEXT

The Maroon & Gold play the Hartford Hawks on Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 2 P.M. ET at COX Pavilion.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Be sure to follow Iona College athletics on all social media platforms:
ICGaels: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (Email Updates)
Iona Men's Basketball: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (Email Updates).