FAIRFIELD, CT – The Iona College men's basketball program dropped the second game of its MAAC-opening weekend on Saturday night to the Fairfield Stags, 67-52. The Gaels sputtered offensively at Alumni Hall, shooting just 33% from the floor, 21% from beyond the arc while committing 17 turnovers.
GAME SUMMARY
Fairfield's defense made things difficult for the Gaels from the opening tip. The Stags tenacious defense, in conjunction with Iona's persistent foul trouble, resulted in the home team having control for most of the game.
The score was tied 10-10 at the under 12 media time out due in large part to
Ryan Myers coming off the bench with scoring aggression. The rookie, who made back-to-back buckets upon entering, was needed to come in due to early foul trouble for the Maroon & Gold.
Asante Gist,
Berrick JeanLouis and
Nelly Junior Joseph all had two fouls by the 10:17 mark of the first half.
Shifting in and out different players to supplement the foul situation, Iona's offense went from 9:38 to 2:10 without a made field goal. Between 7:39 and 2:28, Iona went 0-for-4 from the floor while surrendering five turnovers; Fairfield took advantage and opened a 31-16 lead.
Iona trailed 36-23 at intermission.
Ryan Myers led the Gaels at the break with nine points on 4-of-4 shooting.
Isaiah Ross, who had 30 points in Friday's game, was limited to just three points in the first half on only two field goal attempts.
Caleb Green had 12 points in the first half for the Stags. He helped orchestrate the Stags offense which had 12 points off 12 Iona turnovers. The Maroon & Gold had only 10 turnovers in Friday's win. Fairfield also benefited from 16 free throw attempts in the first half; for comparison Iona had five.
The Gaels tried to get Fairfield's lead down to single-digits early in the second half with a basket and some free throws from Gist. The Stags withstood the quick tempest and tightened the reigns on their lead after the first media timeout. Fairfield exploded its lead to 52-29 with eight straight points from 15:35 to 13:41. A pair of Ross free throws ended the bleeding, but the Maroon & Gold's offense still limped for the remainder of the second half.
Iona shot 9-for-31 in the second half and failed to hit a three-pointer. The Gaels had three assists over the final 20 minutes. The Maroon & Gold did end the game on an 8-0 run that included the first collegiate points for
Johan Crafoord and
Parker Weiss.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
- Ryan Myers led the Gaels with 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting. Isaiah Ross and Nelly Junior Joseph each had nine points. Berrick JeanLouis had a team-high three assists and three steals for the Maroon & Gold.
- Junior Joseph had eight of Iona's 34 total rebounds. Dylan van Eyck and Dwayne Koroma each have five rebounds.
- Fairfield had four players in double-figures: Caleb Green led the way with 14 points. Taj Benning and Jalen Leach each had 10 points.
- The Stags best player was Chris Maidoh who finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds in 21 minutes.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Iona's seniors scored 57 points on Friday night and scored just 22 points on Saturday night.
- The Gaels shot a season-low 3-for-14 (21.4%) from beyond the arc and 32.7% from the floor on Saturday night.
- Iona had a season-low eight assists. It is their only game this season thus with less than 10 assists. The Gaels made a season-low 18 field goals.
- Fairfield earns its first win of the 2020-21 season.
- Saturday's decision marked the fifth straight time that the losing team in the Iona vs. Fairfield matchup has scored less than 70 points.
- Iona's 23 points scored in the first half is a season-low for a have this season.
- Nelly Junior Joseph and Dylan van Eyck both fouled out of the game. Asante Gist finished with four fouls and Berrick JeanLouis concluded with three. The Gaels committed 21 fouls as a team.
AROUND THE MAAC
- Marist eked one out past Canisius, 56-52. The Red Foxes split in Buffalo was propelled by Jordan Jones and Hakim Byrd who each scored 10 points. The Golden Griffins shot 29.6% from the floor and 20.0% from deep.
- Saint Peter's escaped with a weekend sweep over Niagara, 53-49. KC Ndefo scored a team-high 15 points and Fousseyni Drame had 14 points. The Peacocks held Niagara to just 31.3% from the floor and 50% from the free throw line.
- Manhattan earned its first win of the season with a bounce back win over Rider, 87-77. Anthony Nelson had 27 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Jaspers. Manhattan shot 57.1% from the floor.
UP NEXT
Iona's next game is on Friday, December 18 on the road against the Rider Broncs. It'll be the first of two straight in Alumni Gymnasium. Tip-off from Lawrenceville, NJ is set for 7 PM. This weekend's games will be broadcasted on either ESPN3 or ESPN+. Iona fans can also follow the action via live stats and across all Iona athletics social media platforms.
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)
