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Box Score

Iona College ION 11-5

Niagara NIA 9-11

Iona College ION

11-5

Final

Mar. 12, 2021

Niagara NIA

9-11

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Iona College ION	43	27	70
Niagara NIA	25	39	64

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 3/12/2021 9:02:00 PM | Jonathan Stanko

No. 9 Iona Survives Scare Against No. 5 Niagara, 70-64

Gaels become the first No. 9 seed in MAAC history to make MAAC Championship game

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – The Iona College men's basketball program cliched a berth into the 2021 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship game with an exhausting 70-64 victory over No. 5 Niagara. The ninth-seeded Gaels were led by the veteran leadership of senior guard Asante Gist who scored a game-high 19 points and dished out five assists.

Iona is the first nine seed in MAAC history to reach the MAAC Championship game.

GAME SUMMARY

Friday night's MAAC Championship semifinal game was a tale of two halves. Gael Nation fans were breathing easy through the first half, but found themselves gasping for hope in the second.

Over the first 20 minutes, the Maroon & Gold offense was humming on all cylinders. Despite the Purple Eagles jumping ahead by six early, the Gaels led at the first media timeout, 11-8. The Gaels went on a 19-4 run over a 7:09 stretch to take a 19-10 lead with 11:02 remaining. An early exclamation point came with Berrick JeanLouis throwing down a fast-break dunk to force a Niagara timeout.

Iona matched its first-half point total against Siena with 10:04 still left before intermission. The Gaels spread the floor and found baskets for everyone, everywhere, over the opening 20 minutes. Iona used a 12-2 run to take a 37-20 lead at the under-four media time out. The Maroon & Gold hit five straight three pointers from the floor from the 8:16 mark to the 4:21 mark. At halftime the scoreboard read in Iona's favor, 42-25.

The Maroon & Gold had 11 assists on 18 made field goals in the first half. The Gaels shot 64.2% from the floor while holding Niagara to 34.6%. JeanLouis led all players at the break with nine points and both Gist and Nelly Junior Joseph had eight points.

The start of the second half was a continuation of the trends from the first. Dylan van Eyck gave Iona a 47-27 lead just minutes into the second half and the advantage swelled to as large as 24. However, that was not the end.

The tension began rising when Niagara went on a 9-0 run to force a Maroon & Gold timeout with the score at 51-36 and 13:39 left on the clock. van Eyck buried a couple of free throws to end the Purple Eagles run, but its struggle for offense would not relent.

The last field goal Iona would make in the game came from Gist at the 9:30 mark and maintained a 15-point advantage. From that point on it was a fight to the finish.

Niagara started jabbing Iona and got within ten, 60-50, with 6:54 remaining. The Gaels committed three turnovers within a three-minute stretch and saw its lead dwindling down to single digits. Niagara got it to within five via a Raheem Solomon three pointer with 6:16 remaining.

The Purple Eagles had the Gaels against the ropes. Iona responded by locking down defensively and getting important defensive stops. Solomon's three-pointer was Niagara's last field goal till there were 15 seconds remaining. The two MAAC foes stood toe-to-toe trading free throws. Iona lost a pair of reliable charity stripe shooters when both van Eyck and Gist fouled out of the game, putting pressure on underclassmen Ryan Myers and Tahlik Chavez.

The Purple Eagles had a few glimpses at haymaker moments, but Iona escaped unscathed. Niagara had a chance to put the Gaels on the mat but missed baskets by Solomon and Justin Roberts kept Iona on its feet. The Maroon & Gold focused on the perimeter, and its determination paid off. The Purple Eagles took seven three pointers in the final four minutes and missed all seven.

Despite Niagara's efforts, Iona never let Niagara get closer than three points over the final 2:54. Free throws from Ross, Chavez, Myers and Junior Joseph allowed Iona to remain upright and continue its season with a 70-64 victory.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Gist finished the game with a team-high 19 points. Playing 34 minutes, Gist shot 5-for-8 from the floor and 3-of-5 from deep. He also led the team with five assists.
Junior Joseph closed out with 13 points and nine rebounds. It's his first double-digit scoring game of the MAAC Championship and first since February 19 against Monmouth when he had 19 points and 11 rebounds.
van Eyck scored 14 points and made all five shots he took from the floor. He also had five rebounds.
Iona only had three steals in the game: one apiece from JeanLouis, Ross and Junior Joseph.
Niagara's Solomon finished with a game-high 21 points on 6-for-12 shooting. He also had a team-best eight rebounds.
Marcus Hammond scored 11 points for the Purple Eagles and had five assists and five rebounds.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

Iona is making its eighth straight appearance in the MAAC Championship game; 2013-2019 and 2021. There was no MAAC title game in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Maroon & Gold attempted 45 field goals in the first half. In the second half Iona attempted 17 shots. The Gaels finished the game shooting 51.1% from the floor despite hitting only 29.4% in the second half.
Iona took advantage of extra possessions when they turned Niagara over. The Gaels scored 19 points of 10 Purple Eagles turnovers.
Iona's first half assists total (11) matched its game totals from its first two MAAC Championship games against Quinnipiac and Siena. The Gaels passed out one assist in the second half against Niagara.
Iona is the first nine seed to reach the MAAC Championship game in the event's history. The lowest seed to reach the MAAC final was Fairfield as the No. 8 seed in 1997. Iona broke the barrier this season as a number nine seed for the first time.
The Gaels improve to 10-1 all time against fifth-seeded teams in the MAAC Championship.

UP NEXT

Iona is playing in the MAAC Championship game which is scheduled for Saturday, March 13 at 4 p.m. in Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. The game is being aired on ESPNU and fans can also follow along via live stats and Iona athletics social media.

At the time of this article's release, Iona is awaiting the winner of the remaining semifinal matchup: No. 3 Saint Peter's vs. No. 7 Fairfield. The Gaels split the season series against the Stags and did not play the Peacocks during the regular season.