JERSEY CITY, NJ - The Iona College men's basketball team grinded out a 70-61 victory over Saint Peter's in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action on the road at Run Baby Run Arena. Sophomore Nelly Junior Joseph posted a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double and graduate Tyson Jolly added 17 points in the win.

THE RUNDOWN

Iona missed its first eight field goal attempts and 10 of its first 11 to start the contest but only trailed 6-1 just over five minutes into the contest. Trailing 10-5 with 12:45 remaining, the Gaels stormed out to a 20-4 run and led 25-14 following a junior Quinn Slazinski three-pointer at 5:38. After Slazinski made it 28-17 two minutes later, Saint Peter's made up five points as the Gaels went cold again from the field hitting one of their last five field goal attempts.
 
Iona never trailed in the second half and fought off a Peacock run on multiple occasions. The home team got within two points at 38-36 following a Hassan Drame layup with 13 minutes to play. The Gaels responded with a 13-3 run to regain a double-digit cushion with 8:49 left. With Saint Peter's chipping away in the final three minutes, graduate Elijah Joiner hit a three-pointer with 99 ticks left to put Iona ahead 62-52. The Peacocks cut the deficit to five with 45 seconds left, but Iona got stops and made enough free throws to earn the nine-point victory.

IONA PERFORMERS

• Junior Joseph shot 5-for-9 from the field and 7-of-9 from the charity stripe.  He added a career-high six blocks while also recording two steals an assist in the double-double effort.
• Jolly was 6-of-14 from the field with four rebounds and two assists.  He hit big shots when the Gaels needed it most, helping to squash Saint Peter's runs and Iona scoring droughts.
• Freshman Walter Clayton Jr. had 12 points, six rebounds and three assists.  He was 6-for-6 from the charity stripe, converting two and-ones and all four attempts in the final 40 seconds of the game.
• Slazinski added 11 points and four boards in the win.
• Though not necessarily shown in the box score, Joiner, graduate Dylan van Eyck, senior Berrick JeanLouis, junior Osborn Shema and sophomore Ryan Myers each had a tremendous impact on the game during their time on the court.  Myers was +16 in his 14 minutes of play while Shema posted a +10.

THE OPPONENT

• Preseason MAAC Player of the Year KC Ndefo led his team with 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.  He shot just 5-for-14 from the field.
• Rookie Jaylen Murray added 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field.
• Matthew Lee posted eight points, five boards and four assists.

TEAM STATS

• Saint Peter's held a slim lead in the shooting column, 40.0% - 39.0%.
• Iona out rebounded its opponent 41-36 and outscored them 19-12 on second chance points.
• Each team had 12 turnovers while the Gaels recorded a 13-9 advantage in assists.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• With the win, Iona clinched an opening round bye and can finish no lower than fourth in the MAAC standings.  The Gaels have five regular season games remaining and will open MAAC tournament play in the quarterfinal round on March 9 or 10.
• The decisive 20-4 run in the first half saw seven different players in the scoring column, led by five from Slazinski.  Iona shot 8-for-14 with three three-pointers and had just one turnover.  The Peacocks were 2-for-9 with three turnovers in the 6:33 stretch.
• A streaky first half for the Gaels saw the team shoot 12-of-33 (36.4) from the field. Discounting the 1-for-10 start and 1-for-5 finish, the Gaels shot 10-for-18 (55.6%) in the 10-minute stretch between the 14- and four-minute marks of the frame.
• The all-around defensive effort for Iona accomplished a team goal of making it difficult for its opponent's top players.  Ndefo, Darryl Banks III and Doug Edert combined for 7-of-23 shooting from the field.

UP NEXT

Following the completion of its three-games-in-five-days stretch tonight, Iona is off until Sunday (Feb. 20) when they host Fairfield at the Hynes Center at 1 p.m.

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