Box Score

Iona College ION 4-3, 3-1 MAAC

Rider RID 1-5, 1-3 MAAC

Iona College ION

4-3, 3-1 MAAC

Final

Dec. 19, 2020

Rider RID

1-5, 1-3 MAAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Iona College ION	39	33	72
Rider RID	32	32	64

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 12/19/2020 10:33:00 PM | Jonathan Stanko

Iona MBB Earns Weekend Sweep Against Rider

Asante Gist has double-double and Ross leads the way with 25 points

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Iona College men's basketball program improved to 3-1 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play with a 72-64 road win over the Rider Broncs at Alumni Gymnasium. The Gaels were propelled by their senior guards Isaiah Ross and Asante Gist who combined to score 40 points on 10-for-18 shooting with seven three-pointers.

GAME SUMMARY

The offense was clicking in the first half for Iona with senior Asante Gist facilitating in his return to the starting line-up. After one game coming off the bench, the Preseason All-MAAC Second Team selection was finding teammates left-and-right in the opening frame, finishing with nine helpers in 19 minutes of first period action.

The Gaels 56.5 shooting percentage and seven three-point field goals allowed them to lead for most of the opening frame. The Maroon & Gold led by as many as 13, 39-26, with 1:39 left in the half. Over the final 99 seconds Rider went on a six-point run, capped off by a Dwight Murray Jr. buzzer-beater, to make the score 39-32 at intermission.

Isaiah Ross had 17 points in the first half. He was a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor and 3-for-3 from deep in addition to making six free throws. Berrick JeanLouis had nine points and was a perfect 3-for-3 from long range.

The Broncs closed out first half well and continued their streaking into the second half. Getting in an offensive flow and making six of seven shots, Rider knotted the game at 44 with a contested floater by Christian Ings at the 15:24 mark. Following an Iona timeout and a media timeout, the Broncs took a 46-44 lead with a Dontrell McQuarter jumper.

The Gaels pulled back ahead just before the under-12 media timeout with a Nelly Junior Joseph bucket. After the freshman notched double-figures, the Maroon & Gold went scoreless for the next 3:30. Rider took a 52-49 lead with under nine minutes to go.

Just when the game was getting tight, Iona's three captains stepped up to the plate. Dylan van Eyck hit a three-pointer, his lone of the game, at the 7:14 mark to tie the game at 54. It was the Maroon & Gold's first field goal since 12:18. Iona led by two with just under five minutes to go when Ross hit a contested three-pointer to make it a 63-58 Gaels advantage. The final dagger from Iona's sharpshooter came with 2:58 when he crossed over a defender, stepped back behind the three-point line, and buried a triple to put the Gaels ahead 67-60. Gist helped ice the game at the free throw line and added a cherry on top in the last minute with his tenth assist.

The final buzzer sounded with the final score Iona 72, Rider 64. The Gaels have won six straight games against the Broncs.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Isaiah Ross led all scorers with 25 points on 7-for-9 shooting. He hit five shots from beyond the arc.
Asante Gist scored 15 points and dished out a career-best 10 assists for his first double-double with Iona. Gist is the first Iona player with 10+ assists since Isaiah Washington had 11 at Canisius (February 27, 2020) in his triple-double effort.
Nelly Junior Joseph came one rebound shy of his second career double-double; 13 points and nine rebounds. Also throw in two blocks for the one-time MAAC Rookie of the Week.
Rider's Dontrell McQuarter scored 20 points for the Broncs on 7-for-13 shooting. He also had a team-best eight rebounds. Christian Ings and Dwight Murray Jr. each had double-figures with 10 and 15 points, respectively.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

Iona attempted 28 free throws and shot 60.7% from the free throw line. As a team this season the Gaels are shooting 68.9%. They have shot below 70% three times this season, all of them wins.
There were a combined 49 fouls called against Iona and Rider. The Gaels had Dylan van Eyck and Dwayne Koroma foul out of the game. The Broncs had five players finish the game with four fouls.
The Gaels assisted on 18 of their 22 made field goals. The Broncs assisted on only four of its 20 baskets. Iona has held its opponents under 10 assists in three of its four wins this season. The last time the Maroon & Gold held an opponent to less than five assists was on March 11 last season against Saint Peter's.
Iona shot 11-for-23 (47.8%) from long range. Rider shot 1-for-9 (11.1%) from deep. In Friday's game, the Broncs hit 4-for-15 (26.7%) and Iona was only 4-for-21 (19.0%).
Iona improves to 4-0 this season when they score 70+ points.

AROUND THE MAAC

Niagara completed the weekend sweep of Fairfield with an 81-61 win. Marcus Hammond led Niagara in all statistical categories with 24 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.
In an afternoon affair, the Marist Red Foxies defeated the Manhattan Jaspers in Riverdale by a final score of 61-39. Marist shot 50.0% from beyond the arc including four three-pointers from Hakim Byrd. Manhattan shot 29.5% from the floor and 9.1% from beyond the arc.
Saint Peter's earned a split in West Long Branch, NJ with a 78-76 win over the Monmouth Hawks. Matthew Lee scored the final four points for the Peacocks in the final 11 seconds. He led his team with 15 points and four assists.

UP NEXT

An early Christmas present for Gael Nation. Iona hosts Coppin State at the Hynes Athletics Center on Wednesday, December 23 at 7 PM ET. The contest will be broadcasted live on ESPN+ and fans can also follow along via live stats and Iona College athletics social media.