HONOLULU, HI - The Iona University men's basketball team finished 2-1 at the at the 2022 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic following a 76-66 win over Pepperdine and claimed fifth place in the event at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Gaels used a late first half run to create separation and held off a second half Waves charge. Junior
Nelly Junior Joseph was named All-Tournament following his 20-point, 13-rebound double-double. Junior
Daniss Jenkins recorded a near triple-double with 11 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
THE RUNDOWN
The two teams over the first 10 minutes of the contest. After senior
Quinn Slazinski hit a three to put Iona up 16-11 with 13:38 to play, Pepperdine answered with six straight points to take a 17-16 advantage with just over 10 minutes remaining. Junior Joseph's hook shot on the next possession gave Iona the lead for good. It started a 13-3 Iona run. The Gaels outscored Pepperdine 19-8 in the final 10 minutes and took a 35-25 advantage.
The Maroon & Gold led by as many as 19 points in the second half following seven straight points. Sophomore
Walter Clayton Jr.'s bucket at 13:36 put the Gaels ahead 55-36 with 13:37 remaining. Pepperdine trimmed off seven points with an 11-4 run and trailed 59-47 with 8:05 remaining. The Waves got as close as 10 points on two occasions, with 2:49 on the clock and the final margin.
IONA PERFORMERS
- Junior Joseph's 20 points came on 9-of-13 shooting his 13 rebounds completed his fourth double-double of the season. For the tournament he averaged 22.0 points, the third best total among competitors), 9.3 rebounds (second most) and led all performers with a 60.5% field goal percentage. He also finished first with 1.7 blocks and second with 1.7 steals.
- Clayton Jr. poured in 18 points, 16 in the second half. He had two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
- Slazinski posted 12 points and an assist.
- Jenkins added three steals to his 11/9/8 stat line in 35 minutes.
- Senior Osborn Shema scored nine points with four rebounds and three assists.
THE OPPONENT
- Pepperdine's Maxwell Lewis scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds. He was 6-for-17 from the field and 10-for-12 from the charity stripe.
- Jalen Pitre added 11 points and six boards.
- Mike Mitchell Jr. led with seven assists.
TEAM STATISTICS
- Iona outshot Pepperdine 49.2% - 38.7% and held a 7-5 advantage on three-point makes.
- The Gaels led on the boards 38-36 but trailed 12-7 on second chance points.
- Iona posted 16 assists and 14 turnovers while the Waves had 13 assists and 12 turnovers.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Two other teams in Iona's bracket finished 2-1 with SMU falling in a buzzer-beating stunner to host Hawaii in the championship game and Utah State earning third place in the consolation matchup. Seattle also won its contest today defeating George Washington.
- Iona completed it non-conference gauntlet with a 7-4 mark and restarts MAAC play on New Year's Day at the Hynes Center.
- It was the program's first time playing on Christmas Day in its 78-season history.
UP NEXT
Iona takes on Saint Peter's at the Hynes Center on New Year's Day at 4 p.m. on ESPN3.
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)
