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Iona University Athletics

Nelly Jr. Joseph vs. Fairfield
Bob Dea - Daly Dose of Hoops
69
Fairfield Fairf 6-10,2-4 MAAC
75
Winner Iona Iona 12-5,5-1 MAAC
Fairfield Fairf
6-10,2-4 MAAC
69
Final
75
Iona Iona
12-5,5-1 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Fairfield Fairf 34 35 69
Iona Iona 32 43 75

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

Iona MBB Holds Off Fairfield, 75-69

NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona University men's basketball team continued its success on its home floor as it held off Fairfield 75-69 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play at the Hynes Center. The Gaels earned their 21st straight home win as junior Nelly Junior Joseph led five Gaels scoring nine or more points with a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double.

THE RUNDOWN

The two teams battled in a first half that saw 15 lead changes and six tie scores in the 20 minutes. While the Gaels led for more than 12 minutes and the Stags for just under five, it was a three-pointer by the visitors as time expired that led to the final lead change and a two-point, 34-32 advantage at the break for Fairfield. Iona's largest lead was 4-0 and 6-2 early in the frame and the game stayed within one possession for the final 15:54 seconds of the half.
 
In the second, the score was tied twice by the Gaels in its first two possessions and the final lead change came at 17:59 on a senior Berrick JeanLouis three-pointer that sparked an 8-0 Iona run and a lead it would not relinquish. Fairfield cut it to two points with 10:55 on the clock. Sophomore Anton Brookshire scored six straight points, converting 3-of-4 free throw attempts and burying a huge three-pointer with 7:57 left to make it 59-51. After Fairfield scored five straight to cut it to 63-60 at 5:20, the Gaels netted eight of the next 10 points to go ahead by nine with just under two minutes remaining. Iona hit just enough free throws to withstand a hard charging Stags' team and earned the six-point win at home.

IONA PERFOMERS

  • Junior Joseph recorded his fifth-straight double-double with the 17 points and 10 boards. He added two assists and a steal.
  • Junior Daniss Jenkins - without his starting backcourt mate Walter Clayton Jr. for the third straight game - battled to score 16 points with seven rebounds and two assists.
  • Brookshire posted his second straight double-digit effort with 12 points, shooting 4-of-5 from the field. After scoring 11 total points in his previous nine appearances, he has poured in 26 in the last two games, nearly doubling his total on the season.
  • JeanLouis stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.
  • Rookie Cruz Davis posted nine points in 21 minutes.  All came in the second half as he was limited to just three minutes in the first due to two early fouls.
  • Senior Osborn Shema led Iona with a career-high six assists.

THE OPPONENT

  • Fairfield had three-players in double figures led by TJ Long's 18-point effort.
  • Jake Wojcik had 16 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
  • Supreme Cook posted 14 points, three rebounds and three blocks.
  • Allan Jeanne-Rose led with eight boards.

TEAM STATS

  • Iona outshot Fairfield 49.1% - 45.2% from the field and 40.0% (6-for-15) - 25.0% (5-for-20) from long distance.
  • With a flurry of offensive rebounds in the waning moments, the Stags held a 34-31 advantage for the game and 11-10 on second chance points.
  • The Gaels posted 14 assists and 12 turnovers while the stags had 18 and 17.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

  • Junior Joseph became the first Gael to record five straight double-doubles since David Laury from Jan. 20-Feb. 4, 2013. Another one Sunday and he becomes the first to have six since Mike Glover had eight early in the 2010-11 campaign.
  • The Gaels improved to 6-0 at home this season with 21 straight wins and a 19-0 record at the Hynes Center with fans in the stands under Rick Pitino.
  • 21 straight is the fifth longest active streak in NCAA Division I, behind Gonzaga (75), Auburn (27) and Tennessee (26) and tied with Jacksonville (21).
  • It is also tied for the second longest home winning streak in program history, behind 2014-16 (26) while matching the efforts from 1979-80 and 1951-53.

UP NEXT

Iona hosts Rider Sunday at 1 p.m. With tickets for the remaining home games going fast, log on to IonaTickets.com and secure your seats today.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Be sure to follow Iona University 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)





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