HEMPSTEAD, NY – The Iona College men's basketball program picked up its first win of the season on Saturday afternoon against the Hofstra Pride, 82-74. The Gaels emerged victorious in Hempstead with senior Isaiah Ross pouring in a career-high 33 points and freshman Nelly Junior Joseph collecting his first-ever double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

It is the first win for Hall of Fame head coach Rick Pitino at the helm of the Maroon & Gold. The Gaels offense sputtered in the early minutes against the Hofstra zone, but once the Maroon & Gold got on the right tracks, it was full steam ahead for Iona in Hempstead. The spark head coach Rick Pitino's team needed came off the bench by way of the energy supplied by Nelly Junior Joseph and Dylan van Eyck.

Both post players started the season-opener against Seton Hall and they each entered against the Pride quickly because of early foul trouble. Junior Joseph's first minute of action included back-to-back buckets sandwiched around a block on the defensive end. Van Eyck scored six straight points for Iona once he entered the fray.

Iona led Hofstra 15-9 at the under 12 media time out. At this point, the Pride were shooting just 2-for-13. Adding to the Gaels woes was Ross' first basket at the 11:36 mark; it was the first of many to come. The saving grace for the Pride and their lack of success on the offensive end was the foul trouble Iona found itself in. At the end of the first half the Gaels had six players with two fouls.

The Pride took pride in their homecourt and eventually the consistent lead Iona maintained in the first half dwindled. Hofstra did not miss a field goal attempt over the last 8:55 of the first half. The Pride shot 35.7% overall but made 11-for-14 from the free throw line. For comparison, Iona attempted only three free throws in the first half. The highlight of the first half for the Maroon & Gold as a team was its defensive pressure and rim protection. Junior Joseph and Berrick JeanLouis combined for five blocks in the opening half.

Hofstra took the early a few times in the opening 90 seconds of the second half, but the Maroon & Gold's senior preseason All-MAAC Second Team honoree announced it was his time to take over. After a strong 15 points in the second half, Ross did not rest on his laurels. A pair of back-to-back threes from Ross gave Iona it's first double-digit lead of the game, 60-49, with 10:28 remaining. From the 11:55 mark till 9:57 mark, Ross scored 11 points with three trifectas and a pair of free throws.

Following the hot spell, Iona did go cold for a stint while allowed Hofstra to crawl back within six, 64-58, with 7:45 remaining. It slimmed down to three with 6:37 left. With momentum wavering, Ross rose to the occasion and laid in a reverse layup off a nice feed from Junior Joseph. Hofstra continued to push the levee, and it was up to Iona to not break.

The score of the game was delivered with 4:49 on the clock and Iona ahead 70-66. Straight from the top of the key, the van Eyck buried a three-pointer that put Iona up by seven and set the tone for the final minutes. The extra cushion came on the following possession when JeanLouis somehow got an acrobatic tip-in to fall and put the Gaels up nine. The Maroon & Gold's edge would stay over seven points for the remainder of the game until the final buzzer sounded with Iona winning by a final of 82-74.

• Isaiah Ross scored a career-high 33 points on 10-for-17 shooting. He made six three-point field goals and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe. Ross also nabbed seven rebounds and three assists.
• Junior Joseph came off the bench and scored 14 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Defensively he had four blocks and one steal.
• Van Eyck scored 14 points off the bench on 6-for-9 shooting.
• JeanLouis had an all-around excellent game with 10 points, eight rebounds, four steals and two blocks.
• Hofstra's leading scorer was Tareq Coburn with 28 points. He mad six field goals and hit 13-of-17 from the free throw line. Isaac Kante had eight rebounds for the Pride and Caleb Burgess dished out a game-high eight assists.

• IRoss crossed multiple milestones in Saturday's game. Ross scored a career-high 33 points and passed 1,000 career points in his collegiate career. Ross now has 1,012 career points.
• Iona had 33 bench points compared to nine for Hofstra.
• The Gaels out-rebounded the Pride, 43-31. Iona had 13 offensive rebounds which led to 19 second chance points.
• There was only three combined fast break points between both teams.
• Iona had at least four players with three assists. Junior Joseph had a team-high four helpers. Seven different players had at least one assist.
• Hofstra attempted 39 free throws in the game. It is the most free throws an Iona opponent has attempted since November 15, 2016 when Florida State took 40.
• Dwayne Koroma, JeanLouis and Junior Joseph fouled out of the game. Robert Brown and van Eyck each finished the game with four fouls.

• Marist won its first game of the season against Binghamton in overtime, 68-65, Michael Cubbage had 18 points and four rebounds. Braden Bell scored 16 points and had eight rebounds.
• Syracuse defeated Rider at the Carrier Dome, 87-52. The only player in double figures for the Broncs was Dwight Murray Jr.

Iona's next game, made official today, is scheduled for Tuesday, December 8 against Morgan State. The Gaels will tip-off against the Bears at 3 PM in what will be the debut of the 2020-21 Gaels at the Hynes Athletics Center.
Gael Nation can watch the Maroon & Gold in their third non-conference game on ESPN3/ESPN+. Fans can also follow Iona vs. Morgan State via Live Stats ands across Iona social media platforms.

Tuesday's game will be the final tune-up before MAAC play begins on the road against Quinnipiac on Friday, December 11. 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)

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