BRIDGEPORT, CT – The Iona College men's basketball program won its second straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game in confident fashion on Sunday afternoon. The Gaels got over its vampiric fear of day games and defeated the Fairfield Stags at Webster Bank Arena, 78-54.
The last time Iona won back-to-back MAAC games by 20+ points was at the start of the 2015-16 season when the Maroon & Gold opened up conference play with wins over Fairfield and Marist.
GAME SUMMARY
The Gaels fell behind in the opening minutes but a quick 7-0 spurt put the Maroon & Gold ahead by two at the first media timeout. Transitions buckets from
Dylan van Eyck and
Isaiah Washington carried the Iona offense as it ended up making six of its first eight shots of the game.
A three-pointer from
Isaiah Ross with 11:07 gave Iona its first double-digit lead of the game, 23-12. The lefty sharpshooter was a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond on the arc in the first half before sitting on the bench for the last 9:28 of the period. two personal fouls.
Jesus Cruz made an and-one play to end Fairfield's scoreless drought, but the Maroon & Gold offense was sizzling in the first half. At the under eight media break, the Gaels were shooting 69% from the floor and 71% from beyond the arc.
With 6:08 to go before halftime, Agee was whistled for his second personal foul. With the big man on the bench, Iona made just three field goals for the remainder of the first half. The Gaels committed three turnovers over the final 3:17, after having just three to that point, and the Stags made four of their last six field goals to cut into the Iona lead at intermission.
The Gaels led 38-31 after two minutes shooting an effective 62.5% from the floor and 6-of-10 from deep.
E.J. Crawford and Agee combine for 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting. Washington dished out three assists playing the entirety of the first half. Van Eyck, who also dealt with some foul concerns, had five rebounds.
Fairfield was within single digits due in large part to being perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Iona was whistled for five straight fouls but never led by less than two possessions due in large part to big bench minutes from
Niksa Nikolic,
Colton Cashaw and
Ben Perez.
The second half began at a rickety pace. Crawford picked up a pair of quick fouls and was forced to take a seat on the bench with three personal fouls less than three minutes into the period. Fairfield crawled to within four, 40-36, after Vincent Eze made a layup. The Stags kept it within two possessions until Agee made four straight free throws to put the Maroon & Gold ahead, 49-39. The big-man's free throws catapulted an 11-0 Iona run that ended up giving them a 57-39 lead with 9:55 to go. The defining momentum shifting moment was a three-pointer from
Ben Perez that put the Gaels ahead by 13 with 11:08 left.
The last 10 minutes of the game were dominated by the Maroon & Gold. A 9-0 run gave Iona its largest lead of the game, 74-48, with 2:56 left. Crawford got himself another 20+ scoring night with five straight points in the final four minutes.
The Gaels shot a season-best 57.4% from the floor and 52.6% from beyond the arc. The Maroon & Gold were incredibly effective in the paint hitting 12-of-15 layup attempts. Fairfield shot 28.0% in the second half and 36.0% overall. The Stags hit four three-pointers in in the game on 16 attempts. The forced just three live ball turnovers.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
- Ross scored a season-high 23 points on 7-for-9 shooting.
- Crawford scored 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting. He was a perfect 4-for-4 in the second half.
- Agee scored 17 points on 5-for-10 shooting.
- van Eyck game-high and career-high 11 rebounds. He and Washington both had two steals. Washington tied a season-high with seven assists.
- Fairfield's leading scorer was Taj Benning with 16 points on 5-for-11 shooting. Eze scored 14 points and had a team-best seven rebounds. Aidas Kavaliauskas had a team-best five assists.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Sunday marked the first time the Gaels have repeated the same starting lineup in back-to-back games since early 2020 at Rider (Jan. 10) and versus Niagara (Jan. 12).
- Iona's win over Farfield is its first afternoon and first Sunday win of the season.
- Ross is the first Gael to hit six three-pointers in a game since Rickey McGill vs. North Carolina (March 22) at the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
- The Gaels won the rebounding battled 32-21; they outrebounded the Stags in the second half 21-9.
- This weekend was the first time this season the Maroon & Gold hit double-digit three-pointers in back-to-back games.
- Fairfield's 18 made field goals is the fewest Iona has allowed in any game this season.
- During the Tim Cluess era, the Gaels are 36-1 when they hold opponents under 60 minutes.
AROUND THE MAAC
- Saint Peter's handed Monmouth its first home loss of the season at OceanFirst Bank Center, 81-69. Quinn Taylor had 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
- Manhattan's Tykei Greene hit a game-winning layup with one second left on the clock to give the Jaspers a 65-63 win over the Quinnipiac Bobcats in Hamden, CT.
- Rider handled business against Niagara, 73-58. Frederick Scott had 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting.
UP NEXT
Spend your Valentine's Day at the Hynes Athletics Center as the Iona Gaels host the best rivalry in the MAAC since for the first time since 2017. The Maroon & Gold host the Manhattan Jaspers at 7:00 p.m. for a game that features no love-lost between the two neighborhood programs.
Tune in on
ESPN3 as the Gaels look to avenge their loss at Draddy Gymnasium earlier in February. 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)
