NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona College men's basketball program sent Gael Nation home with happy hearts on Valentine's Day defeating rival Manhattan at the Hynes Athletics Center, 80-57. Four Gaels scored in double-figures as the Maroon & Gold secured its third straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference win.
GAME SUMMARY
The Gaels jumped out in front early and kept the pedal on the metal. Less than five minutes into the game,
Tajuan Agee put home an alley-oop pass from
Dylan van Eyck to make it 11-2. The Jaspers missed nine of its first 11 shots from the floor and their offensive struggles allowed for Iona to go on a nine-point run to make the score 24-9 with 9:38 left.
The first spell of adversity came with 8:14 left in the first half when Agee picked up his second personal foul.
Andrija Ristanovic subbed in and the Maroon & Gold offense didn't skip a beat as they hit 8-of-10 from the floor from 13:02 to 5:46. Iona led 35-20 at the under-four media timeout. A bit of a cold spell was quickly whisked away with the MAAC's leading scoring
E.J. Crawford betting an and-one bucket to put the Maroon & Gold ahead by 17 with 2:38 before halftime. Crawford then hit a nasty turnaround to give Iona's its first 20-plus point lead of the game.
The Gaels held at 45-22 lead at intermission shooting a lights-out 62.5% from the floor. 20 of their 24 shots in the first half were from inside the arc. Manhattan shot 31.0% from the field and 23.1% from beyond the arc in the first half. The Jaspers also made just 1-for-8 from the free throw line while the Maroon & Gold made 13-of-14.
Agee picked up his third personal foul 33 second into the second half. Just 90 second later, van Eyck was whistled for this third. Despite the foul trouble, Iona's lead grew as large as 30 as the second half progressed.
The Maroon & Gold went on a 12-2 run over a four-minute stretch to reach its largest margin of the night, 74-44, with 4:43 remaining. This game-sealing run came after their was a cold spell for both teams in the second half where Manhattan made just 2-for-11 and the Gaels went without a field goal for over four minutes.
Over the final 9:05, Iona never led by less than 20. Each and every healthy Iona student-athlete appeared in the game.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
- Crawford scored a game-high, and seemingly effortless, 21 points on 5-for-13 shooting. He made 11-for-13 from the free throw line, tying Iona's season-high for made free throws in a game which was last done by Crawford against Saint Peter's (Jan. 3). Crawford also dished out a career-high seven assists and pulled down seven rebounds.
- Agee, playing just 22 minutes due to foul trouble, had 16 points, six rebounds and five assists.
- Isaiah Washington scored 14 points on eight shot attempts. Isaiah Ross netted 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting.
- Van Eyck, the only starter to not score in double-figures, led all players with a career-high 13 rebounds. His box score also includes eight points and six assists.
- Manhattan's leading scorer was Pauly Paulicap with 10 points. Three different players had two assists. Christian Hinckson and Tykei Greene grabbed seven rebounds.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Crawford moved up to ninth all-time on Iona's scoring list with 1664 career points. He moves ahead of Glenn Vickers and is now chasing Sean Armand.
- Iona tied its season-high for assists with 20; it was done one-time prior against Monmouth (Jan. 26)
- The Gaels had a season-low one steal but counteracted it with six blocks. It's their highest block total since January 12 against Niagara when they had nine.
- Manhattan's 33.9% overall shooting, and 22.2% three-point shooting are the second-lowest percentages for the Maroon & Gold defense this season.
- Iona made a season-high 24 free throws against Manhattan. The Gaels shot 85.7% as a team.
- The Maroon & Gold have won the rebounding battle three-straight games for the first time this season. Iona also has made assists than its opponent in each of the past three wins.
AROUND THE MAAC
- Monmouth came from behind to defeat Canisius in Buffalo, 85-71. After trailing by six at halftime, the Hawks outscored the Golden Griffins 55-35 in the second half.
- 40 minutes wasn't enough in Poughkeepsie as the Fairfield Stags fought for a 57-53 win over Marist. Taj Benning had a team-leading 15 points for the victor.
- Saint Peter's picked up its ninth MAAC win of the season with a 84-72 decision against the visiting Quinnipiac Bobcats. The Peacocks held Quinnipiac to 26.92% shooting in the first half and withstood their 66.67% shooting in the second half.
- Siena defeated Rider in Albany, 73-64. Jalen Pickett scored 27 points on 11-for-15 shooting and dished out nine assists playing 35 minutes.
UP NEXT
The Maroon & Gold host Marist on Sunday, February 16 at 1:00 p.m. at the Hynes Athletics Center. The game is being broadcasted on
ESPN+.
Fans who can't make it to the game can also follow the game via
live stats. For Gael Nation members who plan on attending the contest, tickets can be found and inquired about at the
Iona Box Office.
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)
