POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – Iona ran out of time in its comeback effort against Marist on Thursday night. The Maroon & Gold trailed by as many as 16 and got to within one possession three times in the final minute but couldn't get over the final hump at McCann Arena. The Red Foxes handed the Gaels their fourth Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference loss, 78-74.

GAME SUMMARY

Two long cold stretches in both the first and second half pushed Iona into a pair of deep holes. In the first half the Gaels went without a made field goal for five-plus minutes and come the second half, the Maroon & Gold shot 1-of-8 over four-plus minutes in the closing 10 minutes of the contest. Iona's opening period drought put itself down by a game-high 16.
 
Marist shot the ball well throughout the game, hitting 43.1% from the floor and 45.8% from beyond the arc. The Red Foxes didn't make a field goal over the final 3:08 of the game, but free throws from Ryan Funk and Darius Hines were enough to carry them to victory.
 
Funk had two of the major turning points in the game in the final five minutes. He hit his first three-pointer with 4:52 left to give Marist a 67-59 lead right after the Gaels had a short five-point spurt to get within two possessions. Then with 2:25 remaining, Funk was fouled on a three-point attempt. He made all three free throws to put Marist up 10, 72-62.
 
After a sluggish defensive first half, the Maroon & Gold gave themselves a chance in the second half after allowing the Red Foxes to shoot 69% from beyond the arc and 50% from the floor to start. Nine of Marist's 16 first half field goals where from deep and Iona allowed just two made three-point field goals in the second.
 
Junior E.J. Crawford led the Gaels with 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting. He also tied for team-high with eight rebounds. Senior Rickey McGill had 14 points and seven assists. He also committed a career-high nine turnovers. Junior Asante Gist had 14 points off the bench. Junior Tajuan Agee netted 10 points and collected five rebounds in 20 minutes.
 
Marist had five players in double-figures, led by Isaiah Lamb's 15. Aleksandar Dozic and Hines each had 14 points. Brian Parker and Funk each ended with 11. The Red Foxes assists on 20 of their 25 made field goals. Seven different players had at least one assist.
 
The Gaels shot 40.7% from the floor and 37.9% from beyond the arc. The two rivals mirrored each other on the glass, gathering 35 total rebounds, 23 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds. Both Iona and Marist had 24 points in the paint.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Junior Jahnathan Maxwell's start against the Red Foxes was his first donning the Maroon & Gold. In the previous game against Marist at the Hynes Center, he had 13 points in 17 minutes. Tonight he played 10 minutes and had two rebounds.
• Junior Ben Perez returned to action for the first time after missing the past two games due to injury. His last game prior to tonight was at Monmouth on Jan. 20. Perez played 33 minutes in his return and had nine points on 3-for-6 shooting.
• Marist ends a 10 game losing streak to Iona with Thursday's decision. It is just the second time in the last 17 contests that the winning team did not score at least 80 points. Iona lost for the first time in McCann arena since the 2008-09 season.
• Iona is now 16-2 under head coach Tim Cluess versus the Red Foxes.
• The Gaels have dropped 10 of its last 11 road contests. Their last win came at Canisius on Jan. 13.

UP NEXT

Iona's next game is on Saturday, Feb. 2 at home against Siena. It is the first meeting of the season between the Saints and Gaels. Tip-off from the Hynes Center is scheduled for 1 p.m. Game is being broadcasted on ESPN3.

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.

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