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Iona University Athletics

Isaiah Ross
Ben Solomon
64
Iona College ION 0-1
86
Winner Seton Hall SHU 1-1
Iona College ION
0-1
64
Final
86
Seton Hall SHU
1-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Iona College ION 37 27 64
Seton Hall SHU 35 51 86

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Jonathan Stanko

Seton Hall Passes Iona MBB In Second Half

Isaiah Ross led the Maroon & Gold with 23 points

NEWARK, NJ – The Iona College men's basketball program dropped its season-opener to Seton Hall on Monday night, 86-64. The Maroon & Gold led at halftime in the Prudential Center but the Pirates pulled away in the second half. Senior Isaiah Ross led the Gaels with 23 points as newcomers Nelly Junior Joseph and Berrick JeanLouis combined for 18 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and five blocks.
 

GAME SUMMARY

The first half was a battle of wills as the Gaels defensive intensity led to numerous deflections. Iona was able to fight with the Pirates over the opening 20 minutes despite early foul trouble.
 
Senior Dylan van Eyck picked up two early fouls and the team had five before the first media timeout. Freshmen Ryan Myers and Dwayne Koroma saw early minutes off the bench while head coach Rick Pitino was sifting through substitutions. One man he started with and left on the court early was junior JeanLouis, who came out the gates showcasing his athleticism. The new Gael had a strong opening to his Maroon & Gold career with five points, two blocks, one assist, one rebound and one fast break dunk in his first nine minutes of action.
 
JeanLouis' early play kept Iona in it throughout the first 10 minutes. Seton Hall had a 20-13 lead with 9:57 left in the first half when a Koroma lay-up ended a nine-point Pirates run. The Gaels came storming back with a 12-3 run which gave them a 25-23 edge with 6:50 remaining before intermission. The offensive hot stretch, led by Ross, propelled the Gaels to a 37-28 lead. The momentum could not last till the locker room as a quick spurt from the home team meant Iona led by two at the break, 37-35.
 
All 10 available scholarship players appeared in the first half for Iona. The Gaels shot 65.2% from the floor and 70.0% from deep to combat Seton Hall having 20 points off 13 turnovers in the first half. Ross had 15 points in the first half while the Pirates was led by Jared Rhoden's 10 points.
 
The second half belonged to Seton Hall. The Pirates took a 48-45 lead with 14 minutes to go in the second half and it ballooned from there. Coach Pitino called a timeout with 12:13 on the clock after the Pirates spurted out a six-point run to take a 56-47 advantage. The Gaels opened the second half shooting 3-for-10 from the floor and the turning point came after a pair of missed buckets inside the paint. Iona missed twice inside the paint and the Pirates exploded on the fast break to take a double-digit lead they would not look back from.
 
Seton Hall stretched out a 13-0 run to take a 63-47 lead. At that 8:49 mark, Ross' first field goal of the second half ended a five-minute scoreless spell for the Maroon & Gold. The Pirates lead swelled to over 20 points due in large part to hitting 7-of-9 from the floor as the Gaels knocked down just 2-of-11 during the deciding run. The Pirates also repeated its mission for success from the first half by forcing nine Iona turnovers in the second half and converting them into 14 points. Iona shot 29.0% from the floor in the second half and hit just a pair of three-pointers. Seton Hall hit at a 52.9% in the in the final period and 35.7% from long range.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

  • Isaiah Ross led the Maroon & Gold with 23 points on 8-for-18 shooting and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. He also led the Gaels with three steals.
  • Nelly Junior Joseph opened his Iona career with 13 points and a team-high six rebounds.
  • Four different Gaels had two assists: Berrick JeanLouis, Tahlik Chavez, Dwayne Koroma and Ryan Myers.
  • JeanLouis led Iona with three blocks. Junior Joseph also added in a pair.
  • Seton Hall's Jared Rhoden led all scorers with 26 points. He made seven field goals but also hit three from beyond the arc and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Rhoden registered a double-double with 10 rebounds.
  • Shavar Reynolds had a game-high eight assists and five steals.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

  • Iona had no free throw attempts in the first half and only nine for the game. Seton Hall attempted 23 from the charity stripe.
  • The Gaels had 11 assists and 22 turnovers.
  • Seton Hall out rebounded Iona 35-27. The Pirates had 14 offensive rebounds and 11 second chance points.
  • The Pirates had 23 fast break points, which is in large correlation with their 34 points off Gael turnovers.
  • Monday night's matchup was the first time the Gaels and Pirates have met since December 31, 2005. Seton Hall won the game 73-59 at the Continental Airlines Arena. Steve Burtt had 18 points and Rick Soliver netted 17 for the Maroon & Gold.

UP NEXT

The Maroon & Gold return to action on Thursday, December 3. The Gaels host Merrimack at the Hynes Athletics Center. Tip-off is set for 6 PM ET. Gaels can follow the action live via Live Stats and ESPN3.
 
The Warriors went 20-11 last season and won the NEC Regular Season Championship with a 14-4 conference record. As a result of it being the program's first season at Division I, they were not eligible for the postseason. The Warriors were selected last in the 2019-20 NEC Preseason Coaches' Poll before upending the entire conference. Their 20 wins were a record for a first year reclassifying school.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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Iona Men's Basketball: Twitter, Facebook. Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates)




 
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