NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College men's basketball team took a lead three minutes into the contest and never looked back in a 70-62 win over Monmouth in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action at the Hynes Center. The Gaels snapped a two-game slide, earned their 20th overall win of the season and improved to 10-0 at home. Graduate Elijah Joiner scored his 1,000th career point in the victory.

THE RUNDOWN

Monmouth's Walker Miller scored the game's first points 70 seconds into the contest. A minute later, graduate Tyson Jolly knotted the score at 2-2, and 45 seconds after that junior Quinn Slazinski gave Iona the lead for good. An 17-4 run over a near five-minute span midway through the first half created separation for the Maroon & Gold. Graduate Dylan van Eyck and sophomore Ryan Myers connected on four straight three-pointers to put Iona ahead 26-12 with 9:32 remaining, its largest of the first half. Monmouth got within seven points with three minutes to play. The Gaels regained its double-digit advantage heading into halftime, scoring seven of the frame's final nine points.
 
A three-pointer by freshman Walter Clayton Jr. gave Iona its largest lead of the game at 18 points at the 16:13 mark with the score 51-33. The advantage was 14 points with 5:05 left following two Jolly free throws. Monmouth stormed back with nine straight points to cut the deficit to five with three minutes remaining. After two Iona free throws and a Monmouth layup, Joiner connected on a huge three-pointer to put the Gaels up eight points and seal the win.

IONA PERFORMERS

• Joiner led four double-digit scorers with 15 points. He added seven assists and six rebounds, also team-highs.
• Jolly posted 13 points and two rebounds with two steals and a block.
• Slazinski added 12 points, two rebounds and two steals, hitting all six free throw attempts.
• Myers had 11 points with three three-point field goals.
• Sophomore Nelly Junior Joseph had eight points, five rebounds, two blocks, two steals and an assist in the win.

THE OPPONENT

• Monmouth was led by 11 points from junior Jarvis Vaughn, who was 4-for-4 from the field including two three pointers. Vaughn added four rebounds in the loss.
• Iona held the Hawks top two scorers, graduates George Papas and Walker Miller to a combined 12 points on 2-of-20 shooting. Papas had a game-high 10 rebounds and added three assists. Miller had six boards.

TEAM STATS

• The Gaels out shot Monmouth 39.2% - 38.6% for the game. After a 6-for-10 effort from deep in the first half, Iona shot just 3-for-16 in the second.
• The Hawks had a 43-31 advantage on the boards including 12-5 on second chance points.
• Iona had 15 assists and 15 turnovers while Monmouth recorded 12 assists and 20 giveaways in the loss.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• With 20 wins, the Iona men's basketball program recorded its 23rd 20+ win season and first since the 2017-18 campaign. Twenty of the efforts have come while a member of the MAAC, seven more than Siena, and 11 more than Saint Peter's and Manhattan as members of the league.
• Joiner recorded his 1,000th career point with his first of two free throws with 2:37 left in the contest.
• Iona remains two games in the loss column ahead of second place Siena and Saint Peter's, with a matchup with the Peacocks looming on Tuesday evening.

UP NEXT

The Gaels square off with Saint Peter's in two nights at the newly renamed Run Baby Run Arena in Jersey City in a makeup for a previously postponed contest in early January. Following a loss in its last contest and a win by Siena on Sunday, Saint Peter's is tied for second place in the MAAC standings.

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