HEMPSTEAD, NY - A late second-half comeback attempt fell short in the Iona University men's basketball team's loss at Hofstra in non-conference action at the Mack Sports Complete. Senior
Quinn Slazinski led the way with a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double while junior
Nelly Junior Joseph posted 17 points, nine rebounds and six blocks in the loss on the road.
THE RUNDOWN
Hofstra held a lead for more than three quarters of the game. The Pride went up 22-15 at the 12:02 mark before a 12-0 run by the Gaels erased their deficit and gave the visitors its largest lead of the game. Three pointers by Slazinski and sophomore
Anton Brookshire where complimented with a pair of layups by Junior Joseph and a third by junior
Daniss Jenkins. After trading a three-pointer for a two by Iona on the next two possessions, Hofstra scored 11 straight of their own to regain the seven-point lead with 6:09 remaining in the half. The Gaels cut the halftime margin to three points on a Slazinski jumper with 61 ticks remaining.
The long runs continued in the second half for both teams. Ten straight points by the Pride over a two minute span put the home team ahead 60-51 with 12:08 to play. Down 10 at the midway point, Iona scored nine in a row to cut the deficit to one with 5:16 left. Hofstra answered with a 9-3 run to go up seven with 3:20 to play. The Gaels came all the way back with seven straight and knotted the score at 74-74 on a
Berrick JeanLouis three-ball from straight away with 1:55 left. After a Hofstra jumper and two Slazinski free throws, the game winner came on a three ball from the corner with 33 seconds left by Hofstra's Tyler Thomas. Junior Joseph cut the margin to one on the next possession with under 18 seconds remaining. Aaron Estrada converted two free throws and Iona's game-tying attempt fell short.
IONA PERFORMERS
- Slazinski's 20-point effort came on 6-of-14 shooting from the field. He hit two three-pointers and was 6-for-7 from the charity stripe. Slazinski added a team-high four assists a steal.
- Junior Joseph was 8-for-14 from the field and matched his career-best block total with five of them coming in the final 20 minutes.
- Jenkins added 13 points and three assists.
- JeanLouis had 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting with two assists and a block.
- Sophomore Walter Clayton Jr. had nine points, five rebounds and three assists.
TEAM STATISTICS
- Hofstra out shot Iona 49.1%-47.8% and hit 14-of-29 three-point attempts.
- The Gaels held a 39-28 advantage on the boards.
- Hofstra had 19 assists and nine turnovers while the Gaels had 17 and seven.
- Iona held a 44-18 advantage in the point, but a deficit of 42-18 from distance.
- The Maroon & Gold allowed five offensive rebounds but zero second chance points. On the offensive end, the team grabbed 14 boards with 18 points after their first try.
THE OPPONENT
- Thomas had a game-high 26 points, converting 6-of-10 attempts from distance.
- Darlingstone Dubar had 22 in support of his teammate with six rebounds.
- Jaquan Carlos had 12 points and seven assists, German Plotnikov added 11 points and Estrada posted 10 points, six boards and six assists in the win.
RECAP AND NEXT GAME
The Gaels and Pride have played three years in a row and will continue the series in 2023 in New Rochelle and 2024 in Hempstead. Iona is back in action next Friday (Nov. 18) vs. Vermont in the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena.
