NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona University men's basketball team jumped out to an early lead and led for the final 35+ minutes of the contest in a 78-56 win over Niagara in its Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opener at the Hynes Center. Junior Daniss Jenkins poured in a career-high 31 points to lead the Gaels.

THE RUNDOWN

After a slow scoring start, with each team managing just four points apiece through the first 5:30, Iona scored 10 straight to earn the lead for good. The run was sandwiched between a pair of sophomore Walter Clayton buckets, a jumper from the corner with 16:10 on the clock and a conventional three-point play at 13:01. The run extended to 19-5 with 8:16 to play as Jenkins scored seven straight to give the Gaels a 21-9 advantage.  The Maroon & Gold led by as many as 24 points in the final 97 seconds of the frame, helped by a 12-0 run over a 3:31 span.  Niagara scored the final basket of the half to make the margin 38-16 at the half.
 
Iona's largest lead of the contest was 29 points, at 74-45 with 3:45 remaining.  The Purple Eagles outscored the Gaels 11-4 the rest of the way to make it a 22-point Maroon & Gold victory.

IONA PERFORMERS

• Jenkins shot 12-for-18 from the field and was a perfect 3-for-3 from distance and 4-for-4 from the line.  He added a team-best five assists, three blocks and three steals to go along with four rebounds and zero turnovers.
• Clayton Jr. had 13 points in 21 minutes, shooting 5-for-8 from the field and 3-for-3 from the charity stripe.
• Junior Nelly Junior Joseph posted a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double in 21 minutes before fouling out for the first time since his rookie campaign with just under seven minutes to play in the contest.
• Senior Osborn Shema earned the start, scored seven points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots, filling in for his injured classmate Quinn Slazinski.
• Senior Berrick Jeanlouis had five points, four rebounds and three blocks and matched Jenkins with a +26 +/- scoring margin to lead the Gaels.

THE OPPONENT

• Aaron Gray led Niagara with 14 points and six rebounds.
• The Gaels held leading scorer Noah Thomasson under his season average with just 12 points on 6-of-15 shooting in the game.
• Rookie big man Harlan Obioha had 10 points and six rebounds off the bench.

TEAM STATISTICS

• Iona out shot Niagara 45.6%-35.8% for the game and held the visitors to just 26.9% shooting in the first half.
• The Gaels held a slight 38-36 advantage on the boards but had a 12-8 deficit on second chance points.
• The Maroon & Gold had 12 assists to nine turnovers, the fourth time in five games it has committed less than 10 in a contest.  Niagara had seven assists and 14 turnovers in the loss.
• Iona was particularly stingy defending the three-point line as it held its opponent to just 2-of-11 shooting from distance.  Niagara missed its first eight attempts, before connecting on two of its last three in the final three minutes.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Iona extended its home winning streak to 17 straight games in the win.
• Jenkins was the first Iona player to score 30 or more in a game since Isaiah Ross on Feb. 20, 2021, against Monmouth at the Hynes Center, a span of 43 games.
• Junior Joseph posted his second double-double of the year and 17th in his career.
• The Gaels won their first MAAC contest of the season for the third straight season under head coach Rick Pitino.

UP NEXT

Iona continues a three-game homestand on Sunday when they host Canisius at the Hynes Center at 1 p.m.  The stretch concludes Tuesday against Atlantic 10 powerhouse Saint Louis.

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