WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ - The Iona College men's basketball team came out on top in overtime, 86-85, in a classic MAAC battle with Monmouth on the road at OceanFirst Bank Center. Both teams converted on their final possession in regulation to force the extra frame, and the Gaels held on in overtime for the one-point road win. For the first time in 41 seasons in the MAAC the Gaels are 7-0 to start the season.

THE RUNDOWN

Iona held an eight-point lead early in the first half when sophomore Nelly Junior Joseph put his team ahead 15-7 with 15:22 to play. Monmouth battled back and took a lead at one point before a transition layup at the buzzer by graduate Elijah Joiner gave Iona a two-point advantage at the break.
 
The Gaels jumped out to a 10-point, 61-51 advantage in the second half on a three-pointer by junior Quinn Slazinski at the 14:39 mark. A 12-3 Hawks run narrowed the deficit to one with less than 10 minutes to play. Iona led by as many as five points the rest of the way, on a Joiner dunk with 5:16 to play. Monmouth answered with seven straight points to take a lead for the first time since late in the first half. Joiner answered with his first of two massive three-pointers in the final 2:10 of regulation to put the Maroon & Gold ahead by one. The Hawks' Walker Miller's second-chance bucket changed the lead again. The Gaels missed opportunities to regain the advantage and pull ahead on back-to-back possessions. Monmouth could not extend the lead as they missed three straight free throws in the final 73 seconds.
 
Down one, in its final possession, Joiner calmly drilled a three pointer from the top of the key with 7.2 seconds remaining. Monmouth equaled the score and forced overtime following two Shavar Reynolds free throws with under three seconds left.
 
Joiner continued to stay hot, converting a layup on the opening possession of overtime and a three-pointer on the next. The Hawks chipped away and trailed 84-83 with 1:45 remaining. The two teams traded three-point misses. Iona got the ball inside to Junior Joseph leading to a foul and two free throws for the sophomore big man for a three-point lead. The Maroon & Gold guarded against a potential game-tying three and Monmouth scored on a layup to cut it to one. After a missed Iona free throw, the Gaels picked up a stop on the defensive end as time expired and a game-winning attempt fell short.

IONA PERFORMERS

• In his 130th career collegiate contest, Joiner set a career-high with a 24-point effort. He was 9-for-17 from the field and 4-of-6 from long distance and added five rebounds, four assists and a blocked shot.
• Junior Joseph posted 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe. He had four rebound, two assists and a block.
• Graduate Tyson Jolly had 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a block.
• Senior Berrick JeanLouis filled the stat sheet again with eight points, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal in 18 minutes of play due to foul trouble.
• Slazinski added seven points and three assists, graduate Dylan van Eyck posted six points and three assists with a team-high eight boards.
• Junior Osborn Shema had three points, eight rebounds and three assists in the win.

THE OPPONENT

• Monmouth's trio of Walker Miller, Geroge Papas and Reynolds combined for 64 of Monmouth's 85 points, each scoring over 20.
• Miller led with 22 points and eight rebounds
• Papas had 21 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Reynolds also scored 21.

TEAM STATS

• Iona out shot Monmouth 47.0%-45.5%
• The Gaels held a 46-35 rebounding advantage including 11-8 on second chance points.
• The Maroon & Gold matched a season-high with 23 assists (set two games ago vs. Manhattan) on 31 made field goals.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Iona is 7-0 for the first time in their 41-year history in the MAAC. The last time Iona was 6-0 was spoiled by the Hawks in another epic contest between the two squads on Jan. 16, 2016.
• The Gaels led for 33:15 of the 45 minutes, Monmouth held an advantage for 6:33 and the game was tied the other 5:12.
• Only four teams in NCAA Division I have more wins than the 15 currently earned by Iona: Auburn, Baylor, Houston and Kansas. Several teams are tied with 15.
• Iona and Oakland (Horizon) are the 7-0 teams in conference play thus far.

UP NEXT 

After playing four games in eight games, the Gaels will have four days off before returning to action at Quinnipiac on Sunday (January 23) at 2 p.m.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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