Sam Wasson

Box Score

Iona College ION 6-11, 4-2 MAAC

Monmouth MON 6-14, 5-2 MAAC

Iona College ION

6-11, 4-2 MAAC

Final

Jan. 20, 2019

Monmouth MON

6-14, 5-2 MAAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Iona College ION	33	48	81
Monmouth MON	35	48	83

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 1/20/2019 3:40:00 PM | Jonathan Stanko

Iona's Comeback Falls Just Short At Monmouth

Hawks hit shot with 1.1 seconds left to hand Gaels second final second loss of the season

Next Game:

Rider

1/25/2019 | 7:00 PM

ESPNU

Next Game

Full Schedule

Jan. 25 (Fri) / 7:00 PM

Rider

History

Recap
Roster

WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – A buzzer-beating shot by the Monmouth Hawks sunk Iona at OceanFirst Bank Center on early Sunday afternoon. Ray Salnave hit a running floater with 1.1 seconds that put the Maroon & Gold behind for good, 83-81. The clincher came just seconds after senior Rickey McGill had hit a game-tying three-point shot from the top of the key.

GAME SUMMARY

After a back-and-forth and relatively even first half, it was a battle to establish a flow in the second half. Iona and Monmouth combined for 36 fouls and 56 foul shots between the both of them. Through all the whistles, the Gaels were able to bounce back and earn themselves a chance to extend the game after entering halftime trailing, 35-33.

Junior Ben Perez gave Iona a 47-46 lead with a four-point play with 14:44 remaining. Iona's junior dealt with foul trouble throughout the game and ended up fouling out in the closing minutes, but he still managed 13 points in 25 minutes.

The Hawks rebounded from the brief Gael lead going on a 7-0 run and gaining a six-point edge with 13:03 left. As the next few minutes progressed, we reached halfway through the final period to at which point there were 19 fouls called and 10 made field goals between both teams. Junior Tajuan Agee went on his won seven-point scoring run which brought the Maroon & Gold to within three, 59-56.

McGill hit his first of two big-time threes with 7:51 left to tie the game at 61. Over the final eight minutes, the deficit grew to as large as seven on a couple of occasions, but the Gaels continued to chip with big baskets from 11 points from McGIll in the last 50 seconds. His bucket to tie the game came after Salnaver committed a turnover at midcourt, but Monmouth's leading scorer made up for his mistake hitting his final bucket to hand the Gaels their second league loss of the season.

Agee finished the game with 20 points and 10 rebounds. He now has five double-doubles this season. McGill netted 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting and also had a team-best five assists. Junior Asante Gist had a team-best 21 points, 12 of which came in the first half. Seven of those dozen closed out the first and brought Iona to within two at intermission.

Monmouth controlled the offensive glass, 15-8. It had 20 second chance points compared to just two for Iona. Eight different Hawks had at least one offensive rebounds; Mustapha Traore and Sam Ibiezugbe each had a three. Nick Rutherford led the Hawks with six rebounds.

Salnave finished the game with 19 points and 7-of-13 shooting. Deion Hammond and Ibiezugbe also scored in double-figures for Monmouth.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

Iona went nearly 15 minutes without making a two-point field goal in the second half. Gist hade a layup with 16:02 on the clock and it wasn't until 1:07 when he had another lay-in that the Gaels got points from besides the three-point or free throw line.
Junior E.J. Crawford finished with single-digit points for just the second time this season. He had seven on 3-of-11 shooting against the Hawks. His last game with 10 points or less was against Ohio on Nov. 27.
Iona's 29 free throw attempts is tied for the third most in a single-game this season. In its two games against Monmouth this season, the Maroon & Gold have attempted 63 from the charity stripe, hitting at a 76.2% clip. Ironically in this afternoon's game, Iona didn't attempt a free throw until there was 58.5 seconds remaining in the first half.
The Gaels offense took time to get motoring in the first half. They only scored on consecutive possessions twice over the final eight minutes of the frame. Iona shot 39% from the floor and hit 5-of-19 from beyond the arc in the first; in comparison, it shot 43.5% in the second and 6-for-15 in the second.
Iona and Monmouth have now split the regular season series two years in a row. Under head coach Tim Cluess, the Gaels are 10-6 against the Hawks.

UP NEXT

Iona is off until Friday, Jan. 25 when it hosts the MAAC preseason favorite Rider at the Hynes Center. The is being broadcasted on ESPNU and is set to tip a 7 p.m. You can also stream the game on WATCHESPN.

The game is the annual Maroon Maniac Gold Rush game. The first 400 students who arrive to the Hynes Center will get the exclusive 2019 Gold Rush t-shirt.

The Iona College men's golf program will be honored for winning their fifth ever Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference at halftime of this next contest.

Iona Golf supporters are invited to attend the game and Goal Club Reception following the game. For additional information, reach out to Sean Burke, Golf Coach at sburke@iona.edu or (914) 633-2071.

For more information on the events, please contact Assistant Athletic Director of Ticketing Peter Talman at (914) 633-2491 or ptalman@iona.edu.

IONA ATHLETICS YOUNG ALUMNI GOAL CLUB GATHERING

Iona College Athletics will host a young alumni reception as part of the regularly scheduled Goal Club Reception prior to the Sunday, Feb. 10 men's basketball game against Niagara. The event will be held at Sage Cafe, located across from the Iona Campus on North Avenue.

Reception doors will open at 11:30 a.m. Attendees that have graduated since 2013 will receive a complimentary ticket to the basketball game which tips off at 1 p.m.

Any questions can be directed to Bryan Davis, Assistant Athletic Director for Development, at 914-633-2598, or email at bdavis@iona.edu.