NEW HAVEN, CT – The Iona College men's basketball team lost its sixth straight game at Yale on Saturday afternoon, 99-84. The Bulldogs shot the lights out of the John J. Lee Amphitheater, hitting 52.8% from the floor and 35.7% from the beyond the arc. Junior E.J. Crawford led Gaels with a season-high 23 points, 18 of which came in the second half on perfect 7-of-7 shooting.

GAME SUMMARY

Yale began the game packing the paint defensively and spreading the Maroon & Gold out defensively. Eight of Iona's first 10 shots were from beyond the arc and Crawford didn't hit the first Gael two-point field goal until eight minutes into the game.
 
Head Coach Tim Cluess called two timeouts in the first half, the first coming after back-to-back three-point field goals from Yale's Miye Oni. The Bulldogs didn't soften its momentum and with 7:37 remaining, they expanded their lead to double-digits, 28-17.  At that point the Maroon & Gold called timeout again.
 
Foul trouble mounted for the Gaels midway through the first with juniors Asante Gist and Isaiah Still each picking up two fouls. Additionally, senior Rickey McGill played the majority of the first with a pair of personals and picked his third late in the second half.
 
Iona trailed Yale 48-31 at halftime. Both teams combined to take 52% of the first half shots from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs hit 6-for-15 from deep in the first, anchored by a pair from Oni and Azar Swain. In comparison, the Gaels hit 4-of-21 from long range. McGill led the Gaels with nine points in the opening frame, all of which came in succession. Yale had Paul Atkinson come off the bench and dominate. He had 14 points in 11 minutes to open the game and concluded with a Bulldog-best 23 on 10-for-10 shooting.
 
The pace of play picked up for both Iona and Yale in the second half. Each team topped 50 points in the half. Iona's offense clicked hitting 55.9% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc. Crawford erupted for 18 points and the tandem of Gist and junior Tajuan Agee combined for 25 points.
 
Yale maintained its double-digit throughout the entirety of the second half despite one strong push from the Gaels. Trailing by 14 with 13:56, the Gaels had momentum when Yale called timeout. Just a few minutes later, the surge was plugged when both McGill and Agee picking up their fourth personal fouls. The Bulldogs held the Maroon & Gold at bay for the remainder following the whistles. They never saw their lead dwindle below 12 points over the final 10:03.
 
Seven different Yale players had at least two assists in the second half. Blake Reynolds had 10 of his 19 total points in the second half. Jake Bruner and Alex Copeland each had a game-high six assists for the Bulldogs.
 
Crawford had a team-best 23 points on a season-high nine made field goals. Gist tied his season-best with 20 points off the bench. Agee concluded with 12 points of five rebounds.
 
Iona finished the game shooting 41.4% from the floor and 28.6% from deep. Yale shot 52.8% overall and 35.7% beyond the arc.

NOTEABLE NUGGETS

• Saturday's game at Yale is Iona's first trip to New Haven, CT and Payne Whitney Gymnasium. It is only the second time the programs have met; last year the Maroon & Gold defeated Yale at the Hynes Center, 83-67. The Bulldogs were also the third straight Ivy League opponent for the Maroon & Gold.
• First career starts for Ben Perez and Andrija Ristanovic. In Iona's previous game against Princeton (Dec. 15), the duo combined for 24 points on 9-for-18 shooting from the floor and 6-of-13 from long range. Against Yale, Perez had seven points in 26 minutes. Ristanovic hit two-three pointers and grabbed a career-best eight boards.
• Gist shot 3-for-7 from beyond the arc. Prior to Saturday's game, the transfer from Eastern Kentucky had made just two his last 20 attempts from deep.
• The Bulldogs out-rebounded the Maroon & Gold, 53-30. It is the worst rebounding margin for Iona this season. Yale tied VCU (Dec. 1) with an opponent-best 17 offensive rebounds. Yale also complemented an opponent-high with its 53 total rebounds, matching Ohio (Nov. 27).
• Yale is the second team to score over 90 points against Iona this season. The prior team to reach the mark was Providence on Nov. 24.
• McGill & Agee both fouled out of the contest.

UP NEXT

Iona's next game is at home against the Holy Cross Crusaders on Sunday, Dec. 30. It's the Gaels first home game since Friday, Nov. 9 when they battled Albany in the season-opener. The Maroon & Gold will tip-off against Holy Cross at 1:00 p.m. and the game is being broadcasted on ESPN+. Tickets are available online and at the box office.

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)