Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Events

View Schedule  
  Go Back

Iona University Athletics

Nelly Junior Joseph vs. SMU
Eric Alcantara - Hawa'ii Athletics
81
Iona Iona 7-4,2-0 MAAC
85
Winner SMU SMU 4-7,0-0 AAC
Iona Iona
7-4,2-0 MAAC
81
Final
85
SMU SMU
4-7,0-0 AAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Iona Iona 41 40 81
SMU SMU 35 50 85

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Brian Beyrer / Sr. Associate AD / Athletic Communications

Iona MBB Falls To SMU, 85-81

HONOLULU, HI - The Iona University men's basketball team dropped an 85-81 decision to SMU in its opening contest at the 2022 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center. Sophomore Walter Clayton Jr. and juniors Nelly Junior Joseph and Daniss Jenkins accounted for 60 of the Gaels 81 points in the loss.

THE RUNDOWN

The contest held within two possessions for the nearly 13 minutes before Clayton Jr. buried a three-pointer at the 7:04 mark to make the score 31-24. Iona held a three point lead with under two minutes to play before another Clayton Jr. three-ball and a senior Quinn Slazinski layup on back-to-back possessions gave the Gaels a 41-33 lead with 57 ticks left. SMU converted as time expired to pull its halftime deficit to six points.
 
Iona led by as many as 12 points in the second half, scoring eight straight points in the midst of a 14-4 run. Freshman Cruz Davis' layup at 12:18 gave the Maroon & Gold a 62-50 advantage with 12:18 to play. After trading buckets on four straight possessions, the Gaels maintained a 12-point lead. The Mustangs ripped off 11 straight points over a 2:20 span to cut it to one with 7:48 left. SMU continued its ascent with another strong run, scoring 13 of 15 points and led 80-72 with less than four minutes to play. Iona cut the margin to one, with 1:09 remaining but could not get any closer in the four-point defeat.

IONA PERFORMERS

  • Clayton Jr. led the Gaels with 22 points, scoring 17 in the first half. He matched his career-high with six three pointers.
  • Junior Joseph scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half and added eight rebounds, three steals and three blocks. He finished 6-for-11 from the field and 8-for-10 from the line. The eight free throws converted matched a career high.
  • Jenkins posted 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. He added four rebounds and two assists.
  • Slazinski and Davis had eight points each.

THE OPPONENT

  • Zach Nutall led three double-digit scorers for SMU with 24 points adding four rebounds and four assists.
  • Zhuric Phelps had 20 points and four assists.
  • Keon Ambrose-Hylton netted 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting
  • Samuell Williamson chipped in nine points and eight rebounds.

TEAM STATS

  • SMU out shot Iona 60.0% - 48.3%, converting 19-of-29 (65.5%) in the pivotal second half.
  • The Mustangs also held a 29-21 advantage on the boards and 10-8 on second chance points.
  • Neither team had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. The Gaels had seven assists and 18 turnovers while SMU had 10 assists and 21 turnovers.

UP NEXT

The Gaels play in the 4:30 p.m. ET consolation game against the loser of Utah State and Seattle on ESPNU.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Be sure to follow Iona College athletics on all social media platforms:
Iona Athletics: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates)
Iona Men's Basketball: Twitter, Facebook. Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates)





Print Friendly Version