LEWISTON, NY – Iona College men's basketball had its two-game winning streak snapped on Saturday afternoon at Niagara University. The Purple Eagles mounted a comeback in the final minute of regulation, hit a game-tying shot at the buzzer, then controlled overtime on way to a 100-91 final decision. Niagara started the game hitting four of its first five shots. A three-pointer from Justin Roberts gave the Purple Eagles an early 9-3 lead. Iona missed six of seven from the floor heading into the first media timeout but responded immediately after with a 6-0 run to tie the game at 12 with 13:00 to go in the first half.

Purple Eagle sharpshooter Marcus Hammond made his firs three to give Niagara the lead back on its next possession. The Gaels trailed 17-14 at the under 12 media timeout despite hitting four in a row from the field.

Iona finally climbed the mountain and took a lead, 27-24, following back-to-back three-pointers from Ben Perez and Tajuan Agee. Isaiah Washington made it three consecutive baskets from long range on the Gaels' next possession and the surging Maroon & Gold held a 30-26 lead with 4:33 remaining before intermission.

E.J. Crawford established himself in the final minutes of the first half. After seeing eye assist found Washington down low, the Hartford, CT native scored six points over the final 3:18 to help Iona carry a lead into the locker room. Working the mid-range, he made two jumpers from the free throw line area in the final minute, including a buzzer beater that made the score 43-35 after 20 minutes.

Agee and Crawford combined for 26 points and 11 rebounds in the first half. As a team Iona shot 53.1% from the floor and 50.0% from beyond the arc. The Gaels had 13 assists on the 17 first half buckets, four of which came Isaiah Ross and Washington.

Niagara shot the ball well in the first half, hitting 50.0% overall and 45.5% from deep. The Purple Eagles didn't have a player in double figures after the first half; Hammond and Roberts each had six points on a pair of triples.

Iona never trailed in the second half but was constantly teetering on the edge. The Gaels had numerous cold spells on the offensive end and Niagara managed to make it one possession game five minutes into the second half. It was the first time the Purple Eagles were within a basket since 5:05 of the first half.

The Gaels maintained a two-point lead, 54-52, with 12:47 left in the second half despite Niagara hitting eight of nine from the floor. Washington hit a three-pointer with 9:43 left to put Iona back ahead by six, 61-55. The Maroon & Gold then thought the escaped the danger zone again when Perez hit a corner three with 4:44 left to make the margin seven, 70-63.

Agee made a pair of free throws with 35 seconds left to put Iona ahead, 79-72. That's when the high wire act of runs began to falter. Back-to-back baskets by James Towns made it a four-point game with 20 seconds left. He missed a free throw, but the ball went out of bounds off the Gaels, giving the Purple Eagles possession. Hammond made Iona pay immediately with a three-pointer to bring his team within one, 80-79, with 17 seconds left.

Crawford made a pair of free throws to put the Gaels back up three, but it was soon down to one again following a Hammond lay-in with seven seconds left. Dylan van Eyck hit a pair from the charity stripe with five ticks left to make it 84-81.

This is when tight wire act slipped out from underneath Iona. Despite not having a timeout, Niagara was able to inbound the ball and get it in the hands of Hammond. He buried a three from the top of the key off the back rim to tie the game at 84 as regulation ended.

After Ross made the first basket of overtime, it was all Niagara. The Purple Eagles shot 4-of-6 in the extra period, making 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. They also hit 6-for-7 from the free throw line. In comparison, Iona shot 2-for-6 from the field and 2-for-6 from the free throw line.

• Agee scored a career-high 28 points on 11-for-19 shooting. He had eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.
• Crawford scored 25 points on 8-for-18 shooting and had a career-high 13 rebounds. He has scored 20 or more points in seven straight games.
• Ross played the full 45 minutes and closed with 19 points.
• Washington followed up his triple-double with 10 points, six assists and four rebounds.
• Hammond scored 27 points for Niagara on 9-for-15 shooting. He made 7-of-11 from beyond the arc. The Purple Eagles had five players in double-figures.
• Towns had five assists to lead Niagara. Hammond also led his team with seven rebounds.

• The Gaels shot 49.2% from the floor, 50.0% from deep and 70.4% from the free throw line. The Purple Eagles shot 58.7% overall, 60.0% from beyond the arc and 73.3% from the charity stripe.
• Iona is 1-4 in games decided by one point this season. It is 0-3 in overtime. Saturday was the Maroon & Gold's first overtime game since December 17 against Princeton.
• Niagara is the first opponent to reach the 100-point mark since Rider defeated the Gaels on February 25, 2018, 110-101.
• Crawford's 25 points and 13 rebounds is his first double-double since February 19, 2019 at Quinnipiac when he had 20 points and 10 rebounds.
• Agee is averaging 20.0 points and 14.0 rebounds per game in four career games against the Niagara Purple Eagles.

• Saint Peter's earned a split in the Buffalo series with a 69-68 win against Canisius. Aaron Estrada had a free throw with seven seconds left to give the Peacocks the lead and Jordan Henderson missed a game-winning attempt at the buzzer.

The Gaels play their final home game of the season on Wednesday, March 4 against the Quinnipiac Bobcats. Iona will honor its five seniors as part of its annual senior day festivities: E.J. Crawford, Tajuan Agee, Ben Perez, Mo Thiam and Niksa Nikolic.

The game is being broadcasted on ESPN+ and tickets are available at the Iona College box office. Fans can also follow via live stats. 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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