NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona College men's basketball program dropped its final home game of the season to the Quinnipiac Bobcats on Wednesday night, 69-68. Isaiah Ross had a decent look to win the game as time was expiring but the ball rattled off the iron.

Prior to the start of Wednesday's game, the Iona College athletics department and Gael Nation honored the five seniors part of the men's basketball program: Mo Thiam, Niksa Nikolic, Ben Perez, Tajuan Agee and E.J. Crawford. It was a slow start in the Hynes Athletic Center for both Iona and Quinnipiac. 10 of the first 12 combined shots of the game came from beyond the arc, but the game was only tied at 7-7 with 6:15 passed in the first half. The Gaels began the game shooting 1-for-10 from the floor but had solid defense to keep themselves in the game early.

The Bobcats did catch a bit of streak to gain a 13-7 lead with 11:00 to go in the first half. A basket by Tyrese Williams forced a 30 second timeout by the Maroon & Gold. Iona hit only four of its first 20 shots and two of its opening 10 from deep.

The Gaels trailed 19-12 at the under eight media timeout, by Crawford caught fire with a pair and old-fashioned three-point plays to tie the game at 23 with 4:03 to go in the first. The momentum was quelled by the Bobcats with a pair of three pointers in the final 98 seconds by Aaron Falzon and Williams. Quinnipiac took a 36-29 lead into intermission.

Iona shot 29.4% from the floor and 13.5% from deep in the first half. The Bobocats shot 36.8% overall and 31.8% from long range. Jacob Rigoni was Quinnipiac's leading scorer in the first half with eight points. E.J. Crawford and Dylan van Eyck each had seven for the Maroon & Gold. Crawford, Tajuan Agee, and Isaiah Washington combine to shoot 4-for-23.

The Bobcats took a double-digit lead less than 90 seconds into the second half, but the Gaels fought back to get it within seven with 15:36 on the clock. From there it was an uphill battle for the Maroon & Gold, slowly crawling their way back. The swelling of momentum came at the midway point of the second half. Washington began and 11-0 run with a layup but the biggest basket of the stretch was Crawford's three from the top of the key to put the home team ahead, 55-53, with 8:23 left.

The Maroon & Gold held a lead until the final four minutes. Rich Kelly had a three-pointer form the right wing that put the Bobcats at 63-61 with 3:37 remaining. It was quickly followed by a pair of Quinnipiac layups. Iona trailed 67-61 with 1:11 left.

Iona got back to within three with 27 seconds left following a Crawford free throw and Washington layup. The Gaels fouled Kevin Marfo, who made both free throws to make it a two-possession game against. Less than 10 seconds later, Washington earned a trip to the free throw line. The Harlem, NY native made the first, then purposely missed the second. After a scramble, the Gaels regained possession and the ball found the fingertips of Isaiah Ross who nailed a trifecta to make it a out point game, 69-68, with 10 seconds left.

Quinnipiac's Williams had a chance to ice the game at the free throw line, but he missed the front end of a one-and-one. Agee got the rebound and Iona raced up the court with a chance to win. After a series of short passes, Ross had a chance to be a hero at the Hynes Center again, but his game-winning attempt didn't fall. Quinnipiac escaped New Rochelle with a 69-68 decision.

• Crawford was Iona's leading scorer netting 17 points on 6-for-15 shooting.
• Washington had the best all around for the Maroon & Gold with 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
• Agee had 10 points, six rebounds and four assists. He did commit six of Iona's nine turnovers.
• Ross closed out with 12 points and seven rebounds. In his return to the starting lineup, van Eyck had seven points and seven rebounds.
• Quinnipiac's Williams led all scorers with 18 points on 7-for-20 shooting. Marfo dominated the glass with 18 rebounds. Kelly had 17 points at the point guard spot.

• Iona finished the game outshooting Quinnipiac, 40% to 36%. Neither team shot well from beyond the arc; the Gael hitting 25% and the Bobcats shooting 29%. Ross was the best sharp-shooter of the game hitting 4-for-8 from beyond the arc.
• Marfo played only 25 minutes and had a season-low eight rebounds in the first matchup between these two teams. On Wednesday, Marfo finished with 18 rebounds, eight points and five assists.
• Quinnipiac had 15 seconds chance points off 13 offensive rebounds. The last time these teams played in early February, the Bobcats had 10 offensive rebounds and six second chance points.

• Rider defended home court against Manattan, 71-59. Tyere Marshall scored 20 points on 9-for-12 shooting. Dimencio Vaughn had 18 points, making 9-of-14 from the free throw line.
• Monmouth's defense clamped down on Fairfield, 69-45. The Hawks guard Ray Salnave had a career-day with 34 points. The Stags shot 22.2% for the game and just 2-for-21 (9.5%) in the second half.
• Siena dominated Niagara in Albany, NY by a final of 77-55. Elijah Burns had 24 points and 10 rebounds. Jalen Pickett closed with 10 points and 12 assists.
• Canisius ended a losing streak with a road win against Marist, 85-69. Majesty Brandon had 23 points on 9-for-16 shooting. Malik Johnson netted 16 points and five assists.

Iona plays its final regular season game on Friday, March 6 against the Saint Peter's Peacocks. The game will take place in Jersey City, NJ at the Yanitelli Center. The Maroon & Gold opened up league play against Saint Peter's on Friday, January 3.

Tickets are available at the Saint Peter's Box office. The game is being broadcasted on ESPN3 and live stats are available. 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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