NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona College men's basketball program stormed back in the second half to upend Fairfield at the Hynes Center in a rematch of the 2018 MAAC Championship game. The Gaels had four players in double figures, led by junior Tajuan Agee and his third double-double of the season.

GAME SUMMARY

Down by as many as 13 in the first half and trailing 51-39 at halftime, the Maroon & Gold shot a blistering 56.7% from the floor and 41.7% from beyond the arc in the second half. Fairfield on the other hand, saw both its overall and long-range shooting percentages drop precipitously in the second period as Iona's defense riled up the intensity.
 
Junior E.J. Crawford had a strong start to the contest scoring seven points before the media timeout and finished the game with 22 points on 9-of 14 shooting. The Preseason All-MAAC Third Team honoree's strong start wasn't enough to withstand the windfall start by the Stags.
 
Fairfield led 22-12 eight minutes into the game due to a 11-0 spurt where they hit four straight shots and five of six. The Iona dry spell ended with an Agee and-one bucket for his score of the game. The junior-transfer the next ten points for the Maroon & Gold.
 
Iona had to withstand a three-point barrage from the Stags throughout the game and the majority of the first half. Fairfield led 35-26 at the under-eight media timeout, at which point it was shooting 60.0% from the floor and 63.0% from deep. They hit seven three-pointers in the opening ten minutes of the game and shot 16-of-33, 48.5%, in the game.
 
Iona scored nine straight points to get within four with 2:51 left, but Stag guard Omar El-Sheikh hit his one and only three-pointer but Fairfield up by double-digits for the break. The Stags held a 51-39 edge at the intermission.
 
Agee led the Gaels at halftime with 12 points and five rebounds. Crawford played all 20 minutes in the first half and had nine points. Fairfield finished the first shooting 54.3% from the floor and 56.3% from deep. It had 14 fast break points and compared to just two for the Gaels.
 
Much like the first half, Crawford opened the second half with seven straight points to open it with momentum for the Maroon & Gold. The Stags made four straight shots to reestablish a 64-52 lead before junior Asante Gist hit this third three-pointer to end a short scoreless spell.
 
With 13:34 on the scoreboard, Iona turned it into high gear. The Gaels went on a 16-0 run and took a lead that it'd fight to keep to the final whistle. During the scoring storm, Gist hit a heat-check three-pointer to put Iona within five, 67-62, with 12:30 left. Agee gave the Gaels the lead at the free throw line with 10:28 remaining and eventually Fairfield head coach Sydney Johnson had to call timeout with 9:10 remaining and his squad trailing the Gaels, 73-67. The Stags had six turnovers and missed six straight field goals during the torrid stretch.
 
The Stags wouldn't go away quietly.  Landon Taliaferro ended Iona's six-minute field goal drought and got the Stags within two with his first of two final three-pointers in the last eight minutes.
 
The back-and-forth battle between the two 2018 MAAC Championship finalists took its final tilt with 91 seconds remaining. The Maroon & Gold took the court following a timeout trailing 82-81. After a set play from head coach Tim Cluess resulted in a missed layup, Crawford was able to lay home an offensive put-back to give Iona the one-point lead.
 
On Fairfield's next possession, Crawford stepped up again on the defensive end and forced a turnover. It led to an old-fashioned three-point transition bucket for senior Rickey McGill. Iona closed out the game from the free throw line and improved to 2-0 in the MAAC with a 94-87 victory.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Agee finished the game with a game-high 23 points and 10 rebounds. His 23 points also ties his career high, which he had previously netted against Ohio on Nov. 27.
• Crawford scored 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting. He has scored 20-plus points in both MAAC games this season, and in four of his last five games overall.
• Fairfield had just two fast break points in the second half after blitzing the Maroon & Gold with 14 in the first. The Stags also had no points from the bench in the second half.
• Iona shot 56.7% from the floor and 45.5% from beyond the arc. Overall, the Maroon & Gold have started league play shooting 51.7% from the field and 49.1% from three-point range.
• McGill closed the game with 15 points and tied a season-best with nine assists. Iona assisted on 17 of its 31 field goals.

UP NEXT

Iona returns to the road with a contest against the Niagara Purple Eagles at the Gallagher Center in Lewiston, NY. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

MARK CALENDAR: IONA GOLF MAAC CHAMPIONSHIP RECOGNITION

The Iona College men's golf program will be honored for winning their fifth ever Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference at halftime of the men's basketball game on Friday, Jan. 24 against Rider University.  The opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
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.

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