RIVERDALE, NY – The Iona College men's basketball program won its fifth straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game on Friday night against the Manhattan Jaspers. The Gaels won their fourth straight in Draddy Gymnasium, 66-52.

GAME SUMMARY

The first half was back and forth with eight lead changes. Each team had four-plus minute stretches without a made field. Iona held Manhattan without a bucket from the floor from the 12:28 mark to the 5:31 mark. Despite the drought, the Jaspers held a two-point at the intermission, 28-26. Tykei Green and Warren Williams scored Manhattan's last four baskets as part of a 9-2 close of the half.
 
Junior Ben Perez led the Maroon & Gold in the first with 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting. Senior Rickey McGill had Iona's lone two-point field goal over the opening 20, but dished three of the Gaels' six assists. The post presence of Manhattan's Williams effected the Iona in the paint. It was 0-5 on attempted layups and Williams had four blocks in just eight minutes.
 
Iona exercised its muscle through the second half. A 16-2 run midway through the frame put the Gaels in charge. At the 13:34 mark the score was tied at 35 the Jaspers would go on to make just one field goal for the next seven minutes. During that time redshirt freshman Andrija Ristanovic came to live with seven straight points. His stretch gave Iona a 43-37 lead with 9:17 remaining. McGill put a bookmark on the dominant spurt with a three-point field goal to give the Gaels their largest lead of the game, 51-37.
 
The Maroon & Gold held a double-digit lead for the final 10 minutes of the game. The Gaels shot 44.8% in the second half and 38.9% for the game. They hit 13 three-point field goals and shot 40.6% from beyond the arc.
 
Junior E.J. Crawford had a sneaky team-high 16 points. He and McGill combined for 22 points in the second half on 7-for-14 shooting. Perez finished the game with 13 points and eight rebounds. Agee also had 13 points. Ristanovic finished the game with nine points and six rebounds in 16 minutes.

Manhattan was led by Greene's 16 points. Williams had 10 points and seven rebounds. Ebube Ebube had a double-double off the bench with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Jaspers shot 38.7% from the floor and 28.1% from long range.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Manhattan had just two players that played at least 30 minutes. Four Gaels played 30+ minutes, including McGill, Crawford and Perez all played 37+ minutes. Iona played a seven-man rotation while Manhattan saw 10 take the court.
• Iona did not make a two-point field goal until the 8:15 mark when McGill collected his second steal and streaked down the court for a fast break dunk. His finish gave the Gaels a 20-15 lead at the point.
• The Gaels had 10 assists and 13 turnovers. It is the only second time in the last nine games the Maroon & Gold had a negative assist/turnover ratio. McGill and junior Asante Gist had seven of Iona's helpers.
• Manhattan dominated the paint in terms of points in the paint (22-14), second chance points (14-8) and blocks (6-1) but the Maroon & Gold out rebounded the Jaspers, 40-35.
• Barring a matchup in the MAAC Championship, McGill finishes his Maroon & Gold career with a perfect 8-0 record against Manhattan. It is the most win-filled stretch for a Gael since Iona won 13 straight games from 1983-89.
• 2018-19 is the first time in the MAAC's 38-year existence that Iona and Manhattan were scheduled to face each other just once during the regular season. The scheduling oddity is due to the unbalanced league schedule.

UP NEXT

The Gaels play their final home game of the season on Sunday, Feb. 24 against the Canisius Golden Griffins. Prior to the game, Gael Nation will honor lone senior Rickey McGill as well as senior team manager Devon Palilla. Tip-off between the Golden Griffins and Maroon & Gold is set for 1 p.m. and the game is being broadcasted live on ESPN+.
 
Tickets for the game are available online at the Iona ticket portal or at the box office.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Be sure to follow Iona College athletics on all social media platforms:
ICGaels: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates)
Iona Men's Basketball: Twitter, Facebook. Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates)