EDITORS NOTE: Following the conclusion of Iona's win at Rider on Friday, Canisius defeated Siena which secured the Gaels the 2019 MAAC Regular Season Championship and No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament in Albany. The Gaels have automatically clinched a national postseason berth for the eighth straight season. 

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NEW ROCHELLE, NY -  The Iona College men's basketball program concluded the 2018-19 regular season with an 86-79 victory over Rider. The Gaels have guaranteed themselves at least a top-two seed in the upcoming Metro Atlantic Athletic Championship and a share of the MAAC Regular Season crown. The Maroon & Gold enter the postseason winners of seven straight and a 14-15, 12-6 MAAC record. The Gaels led by as many as 25 points in the second half but had to withstand a feverous comeback effort from the Broncs in order to secure the win. With 10:05 remaining in the game, the Maroon & Gold led the Broncs, 66-41.

Junior E.J. Crawford began the second half on an absolute tear to propel the Gaels to its wide margin. He had 12 points in first 10 minutes of the second. The Hartford, CT native ended the game with 21 points on 8-for-16 shooting.  

Rider cut the lead down to 18 with 8:46 on the clock. At that point senior Rickey McGill went down with a cramp and had to take a short seat on the bench. During that time the Broncs got to within 14 with just over seven minutes to go. Junior Asante Gist hit three free throws to quell the Bronx Zoo crowd for a spell, but Stevie Jordan brought the home team within single digits with a fast break lay with 2:37 left.

From that point it was controlling the chaos for the Maroon & Gold. Crawford and Gist made attempts from the free throw line to put Iona up 83-71 with 2:05 left. Gael Nation thought it had its exclamation point moment with 1:18 left when junior Tajuan Agee had a deafening put-back slam. However, Rider didn't go away.

A quick eight-point run got the Broncs to within six with 23 seconds left. McGill hit one free throw to make it a seven-point edge, and all was sealed with the Maroon & Gold defense inducing a Rider backcourt violation.

Iona's offense was in full force in the second half. It came out flying with Gist hitting three trifectas coming out of the locker room and it'd stay red hot for the full final 20. The Gaels shot 57.1% from the floor in the final frame. They finished the game hitting 48.3% from the floor and a dead ever 40.0% from beyond the arc.

The Maroon & Gold had 14 turnovers which led directly to 19 Rider points. It's the most turnovers Iona's had in a game since Feb. 13 at Siena when it had 15. The Gaels defense forced 16 Bronc turnovers. Every single Rider player who played in the game had at least one turnovers.

With the helter skelter pace, specifically in the second half, the Broncs and Gaels combined for 53 fast break points in the game.

Rider's Frederick Scott led his team with 17 point on 7-for-14 shooting. He also had a game-high 12 rebounds. Jordan finished with 16 points and 10 assists. The Broncs assisted on 24 of their 32 field goals.

• Iona has clinched itself a top two seed in the upcoming MAAC Championship. Iona's first game is on Friday, Mar. 8 against an opponent that's yet to be determined. The Gaels have a chance to be the number one seed for the first time since 2015.
• Gist led all scorers with 22 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor and 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. 17 of his points came in the second half.
• Junior Jahnathan Maxwell scored seven points off the bench, all in the first half. It's the most points he's scored in a game since Jan. 18 against Marist when he had 13 in the Hynes Center.
• Rider had a 14-8 edge in offensive rebounds, but the Gaels scored more second chance points, 11-4.
• In his final regular season game as a Gael, McGill finished with 14 points, six assists, seven rebounds and two steals.
• Agee had 13 points on 6-for-10 shooting. He and Crawford tied for a team-high eight rebounds.

Iona embarks on its quest to claim the MAAC Championship for a fourth straight season on Friday, Mar. 8. The Gaels first round opponent is yet to be determined. For more information on the 2019 MAAC Championship, stay tuned to the Iona men's basketball schedule and ICGaels.com Be sure to follow Iona College athletics on all social media platforms:
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