JERSEY CITY, NJ - The Iona College men's basketball team shot 63.0 percent (17-for-27) from the floor in addition to a 13-for-15 showing at the free throw line in the second half on the way to an 86-77 win at MAAC foe Saint Peter's this afternoon.
After scoring just 31 points in the opening 20 minutes, the Gaels (16-10, 10-4 MAAC) exploded for 55 points in the final half led by a combined 31 points from
Roland Griffin and
Zach Lewis. Griffin notched his fourth 20-point outing of the season with 22 points and four rebounds on 8-of-10 shooting. Meanwhile, Lewis scored all 15 of his points in the second period to go along with two steals.
E.J. Crawford scored 18 points and six rebounds with a season-high three assists in the effort while
Rickey McGill stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
Schadrac Casimir matched Lewis with 15 points in addition to three assists.
Davauhnte Turner led the Peacocks (10-15, 4-10 MAAC) with 21 points in 33 minutes off the bench. Samuel Idowu helped the hosts control a 37-28 rebounding advantage behind a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. Nick Griffin knocked four 3-pointers towards his 14 points. Saint Peter's used 19 second chance points to put forth 18 more field goals than the Gaels.
A pair of free throws from McGill with a little more than six minutes gone by gave the Maroon & Gold a 11-9 lead, the first advantage of the game and lead that was not relinquished. The margin for Iona grew to as many as nine points in the first half before Saint Peter's cut the deficit to a point with 2:36 remaining. Casimir pushed the lead back to four points for Iona before a layup at the buzzer for Turner brought the Peacocks to within 31-29 at the break.
The Gaels opened the second half on a 14-4 run to break open a 12-point advantage less than four minutes in with Crawford and Casimir each contributing five points a piece. The lead dwindled down to as many as two points once again, however, Lewis hit two 3-pointers that each pushed the lead back to 12 points with less than seven minutes to go. In the final 1:21, the Maroon & Gold knocked down five free throws to help seal the win.
The 63.0 field goal percentage in the second half falls just short of a season-high for the Gaels, previously set against Coastal Carolina (65.6 percent). Additionally, Iona was able to offset the second chance points for Saint Peter's by creating a 14-0 edge in fast break points and a +12 showing at the free throw line, resulting in the Maroon & Gold leading for more than 33 minutes of the game.
The Gaels concluded three games in five days on Monday with a trip to Albany to face Siena for a 7 pm tip at the Times Union Center.
