NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona College men's basketball program dropped its fourth straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference contest on Friday night against Quinnipiac. The Bobcats escaped the Hynes Center with a 66-65 decision, cashing in with a free throw with 1.2 seconds left on a late controversial foul call.

Friday night was the annual "Coaches Cure CF" Cystic Fibrosis Awareness night. The coaching staff wears sweatpants on the sidelines as a way to raise awareness. For more information, visit the official twitter account @CoachesCureCF or official website at http://www.coachescurecf.org/.

GAME SUMMARY

Iona trailed for the majority of the game and ended up coming just short of a come-from-behind winin front of the home fans. With the score tied at 65 with, the Gaels had two separate opportunities to take the lead in the last 72 seconds. Junior Tajuan Agee, who was Iona's steadiest performer throughout the game, missed a three-pointer. The Chicago, IL favorite then forced a turnover on the defensive end to give the Gaels another chance. Junior E.J. Crawford, the leading scorer in the game, got his opportunity and had it rim out with 24 seconds left.
 
The Bobcats possessed the ball for the remainder of the game. They weren't able to generate a good look, but a foul call with against junior Ben Perez put the MAAC's leading scorer on the charity stripe with a chance to seal it. Cameron Young made the first to give Quinnipiac the edge, and then purposely missed the second off the rim to run out the clock.
 
Iona led the game for just over three minutes. Junior Asante Gist hit three-pointers in back-to-back possessions with five minutes to go, the first of which put the Maroon & Gold in front 59-58. The two trifectas were followed by a two-minute scoreless stretch in where the Bobcats regained the lead, 63-62. Crawford then stepped up with a three-pointer with 2:23 left to make it 65-63. Iona didn't score for the remainder of the game.
 
Crawford had led Iona with 22 points on 8-for-17 shooting. He made three three-point field goals, and was a perfect 3-of-3 from the free throw line. Crawford had three and-one baskets, including a four-point play in the opening three minutes of the game.
 
Agee finished with his sixth double-double of the season. He had 17 points and 12 rebounds in 38 minutes of action. Agee did the majority of his damage in the first half, having 10 points and six rebounds in the opening frame.
 
Senior Rickey McGill scored 12 points on 6-of-15 shooting. He was 0-of-6 from beyond the arc. Gist scored 10 points off the bench, shooting 4-of-11 from the floor and 2-for-7 from deep.
 
Quinnipiac was led by Young's 18 points. Jacob Rigoni rebounded from early foul trouble and ended with 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting. He also collected seven boards. Adbulai Bundu had 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
 

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Quinnipiac shot 44.0% from the floor and 26.0% from beyond the arc. The Bobcats controlled the board, out-rebounding the Gaels 43-32 in the game.
• Iona shot 5-for-25, 20% from beyond the arc. It made just two for its first 20 shots from deep before connecting on three of the last five attempts. The Gaels have shot below 22.2% in four of their last five games.
• The Gaels committed just four turnovers. It is a new season low. The previous season low was seven at Yale (Dec. 22)
• Friday night was Iona men's basketball's annual "Coaches Cure CF" Cystic Fibrosis Awareness night. The coaching staff wears sweatpants on the sidelines as a way to raise awareness. For more information, visit the official twitter account @CoachesCureCF or official website at http://www.coachescurecf.org/.
• Iona had all 11 players suited and heathy for the first time in MAAC play on Friday.
• Five of Iona's six MAAC losses are by five points of less. Its average margin of loss is 4.3 points per game. The average margin of victory in league games is 12.6 points per game.
• At halftime, the Iona College Student Athlete Advisory Committee presented a check to the local Gullatto House from its fundraising efforts at the annual Lift-O-Ween event.

UP NEXT

The Maroon & Gold play their second straight at the Hynes Center on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 1 p.m. against the Niagara Purple Eagles. The Gaels are looking to avenge a loss in Lewiston, NY back on Friday, Jan. 11.

The game is being broadcasted on ESPN+. Tickets are available at the Iona box office or online at the Iona Athletic tickets portal.
 
Iona College is hosting 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.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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