PROVIDENCE, RI – Iona was able to cut a 21-point deficit down to nine in the waning moments of the second half, but it was not enough to pull out a win as the Providence Friars upended the Maroon & Gold at the Dunkin Donuts Center on Saturday evening, 91-78.

GAME SUMMARY

Providence, playing its first home game since Tuesday, Nov. 13, started the game shooting red hot. The Friars had easy access to the rim with 15 layup attempts among their 33 first half shots. Alpha Diallo scored 15 points in the first, using the midrange well and hitting 6-of-10 from the floor.

Iona tried to counter Providence's attack but it was often flabbergasted by a wide rebounding margin. The Gaels were out-rebounded 21-11 but they did a strong job limiting the Friars to five second chance points on eight offensive rebounds.

Junior E.J. Crawford had 11 points in the first half, the last of which came with 5:21 remaining before halftime when Iona trailed 31-25. From that point the Friars went on a 14-2 run over a three-minute stretch. A late three-pointer by the Maroon & Gold resulted in the halftime scoreboard reading, 48-32.

Iona increased its defensive prowess in the second half, most notably holding Providence to 3-for-12 shooting from beyond the arc after the Friars shot 6-of-10 from distance in the first. Providence shot 44.1% in the second period compared to 54.5% in the opening frame.

The Gaels did fall behind the eight-ball early in the second half. The Friars, using a 7-2 run in the opening 85 seconds, forced an early Iona timeout with the deficit reaching its tallest margin of 21. Iona battled its way back into contention, getting within 12 with junior Niksa Nikolic banking home a layup with 10:35 remaining.

The Friars responded with Isaiah Jackson scoring five straight points a few minutes later to elevate their lead to 74-57 with 8:49 left. The Gaels did not stop fighting and Crawford let the charge with back-to-back three-pointers to get his team within 10 with 6:41 left. Junior Asante Gist, hitting the backend of double bonus free throws, got the Gaels to within nine a minute later.

Providence put its stamp on it with 3:56 left. Diallo made a pair of free throws gifted by a technical foul and Nate Watson followed up with two more he'd earned drawing a foul in the paint. The four-point string put Iona down 84-71.

Iona played just eight players in the second half and got just 20 minutes from the bench. The second half starting five of Nikolic, senior Rickey McGill, Crawford, junior Asante Gist and junior Tajuan Agee averaged 18.8 minutes each in the second half. McGill, Crawford and Gist played the entirety of the final frame.

Diallo led all scorers with 23 points on 8-12 shooting. Nate Watson had 13 points, including eight straight for Providence in the second half. A.J. Reeves also dropped 20 and Jackson finished with 13.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• The Gaels had four players in double figures, led by Crawford's team-high and season-high 21 points. It's Crawford's first 20+ point scoring effort of the season. He an Iona individual-high 18 field goal attempts.
• McGill has had double-figures in every game, including 14 against the Friars. Gist contributed a season-best 20 points; his first 20+ scoring performance with Iona.
• Nikolic had a career-best 14 points and eight rebounds in 31 minutes. He scored 12 points in the second half and was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field in the game.
• Iona assisted on five of 13 baskets in the first half; it improved to 10 helpers on 16 baskets in the second half.
• The Gaels tied a season-low with six three-pointers made. Iona has gone back-to-back games collecting a season-low six steals.  Agee led the Maroon & Gold with two steals against the Friars.
• Providence is the fourth team to shoot over 40.0% from beyond the arc against Iona. The lone team that did not was Hartford (Nov. 21); the Hawks shot 26.3%.
• The Friars had a Gael opponent-high 14 offensive rebounds and tied an opponent-best with five blocks.
• Saturday's contest ends the longest road trip of the season for Iona. The Gaels had been on the road since Saturday, Nov. 10 and return to the Hynes Athletics Center late on Nov. 24. It's just short respite as Iona takes flight again on Sunday to travel for its next two road contests.

UP NEXT

The Maroon & Gold return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 27 against Ohio in The Convocation Center in Athens, OH. Tip-off is set for 7 PM and the game is being broadcasted on ESPN+ .

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).