NEW YORK, NY – The Iona College men's basketball team lost to Columbia at Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon, 74-71. The Gaels lost the opener of the Holiday Festival despite have four players in double-figures.

GAME SUMMARY

Columbia jumped to a 9-0 lead out the gate. Senior Rickey McGill got the Gaels on the scoreboard at the 15:27 mark, but the Lions continually stifled the Maroon & Gold attack over the first 10 minutes. Iona hit just three of its first 10 shots and trailed 16-7 at the U12 media timeout.
 
A pair of transition buckets in succession by Iona forced Columbia to call its first timeout of the game with 6:35 remaining in the first. The scoreboard read 27-18 and the Maroon & Gold defense continued to improve, holding the Lions without a point for three minutes. Columbia's Jake Killingsworth hit his first of four three pointers in the game to end the scoreless stretch, but the end of the first half continued to sway Iona's way.
 
Junior Isaiah Still scored six straight points to bring Iona within eight, 30-22, with 3:30 remaining. His efforts sparked a 12-2 run to close out the half. McGill hit a layup to knot the game at 30, but a late chip shot by Patrick Tape gave the Lions a 32-30 lead at the break.
 
Junior Tajuan Agee had 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench to lead Iona in the first. Still had nine-points at the break. The Gaels shot 46.2% from the floor and 27.3% from beyond the arc. The Lions' first half effort was led by Maka Ellis's eight points in eight minutes. Despite missing eight of its final 10 shots, Columbia shot 36.4% from the floor and 37.5% from deep in the first.
 
Iona grabbed its first lead of the game at 19:03 of the second half. Junior Asante Gist scored the Maroon & Gold's first eight points in the second half after just netting one free throw in the opening frame. The Gaels showed urgency getting to the hole coming out of the locker room, earning and completing three old-fashioned three-point plays in the first 5:05.
 
Gist's surge was answered by Killingsworth. Columbia's sharpshooter hit three straight three-pointers in a two-minute stretch to put Iona back in the 45-38 hole five minutes into the second. Following a timeout by head coach Tim Cluess at 15:07, E.J. Crawford hit his first field goal of the game. The junior had a hot stretch and soon the Gaels tied the game at 55 with 8:30 left.
 
Agee hit a pair of free throws with clock reading 8:01 to give Iona a 57-55 lead. The Gaels didn't score again till a Crawford trifecta at 4:18. On Iona's next possession, Crawford hit a pair from the charity stripe to put Iona back up one with 3:43 left. 40 seconds later, Quinton Adlesh hit a jumper that'd give Columbia the 63-62 lead, and it'd keep it for the remainder of the game.
 
The Lions closed out the game going seven-for-eight from the free throw line over the final minute. Columbia shot 92.3% from the line in the game.
 
The Maroon & Gold shot 45.5% from the floor and 27.8% from beyond the arc. The Gaels hit 80.0% from the charity stripe.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Agee collected his first career double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. He shot six-for-seven from the floor and hit both attempts from beyond the arc.
• Crawford led all-scorers with 17 points. He had a game-high seven free throws. Additionally, Crawford now has five-plus rebounds in four straight games.
• McGill finished the game with nine points, five rebounds, five assists, two blocks and four steals. He tied a career-high with his two rejections; the previous game came against Manhattan last season in the MAAC Championship. McGill also tied a season-best with four steals; he matched the four swipes against the Ohio Bobcats on Nov. 27.
• Still had 14 points and six rebounds. He shot five-for-10 from the floor. It's the most points Still has scored since Nov. 19 against Long Beast State when he had 16 points in 32 minutes.
• Gist had 11 points in 31 minutes. He played the entirety of the second half.
• The Gaels shot 27.8% from beyond the arc in the game. They have not shot over 30.0% from long range during the four-game losing streak. The Gaels shot 45.0% from deep in their last win against Hartford on Nov. 21.
• Columbia had five players in double-figures, led by Killingsworth's 14 points. Tape had 13 points and eight rebounds. Gabe Stefanini had 11 points and five assists. Adlesh played 36 minutes off the bench and contributed 10 points and five helpers.
• Sunday's result ruins an unblemished record Iona had against Columbia in the all-time series history. This was the first game that was played at a neutral site. The Gaels fall to 10-11 all-time against Ivy League opponents.

UP NEXT

Iona's next game is on Saturday, Dec. 15 against Princeton. The Maroon & Gold are part of the Boardwalk Classic taking place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. Tip-off between the Gaels and Tigers set for 11:30 AM. The game will be broadcasted on FLOHOOPS.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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