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Iona University Athletics

Wheza Panzo
Ryan Murphy - Iona Athletics
78
Winner Iona Iona 3-5,1-1 MAAC
67
Fairfield Fairf 1-6,0-1 MAAC
Winner
Iona Iona
3-5,1-1 MAAC
78
Final
67
Fairfield Fairf
1-6,0-1 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Iona Iona 35 43 78
Fairfield Fairf 31 36 67

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

Iona MBB Surges Past Fairfield 78-67

FAIRFIELD, Connecticut - The Iona University men's basketball team's second half surge led to a 78-67 victory over Fairfield in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action at Mahoney Arena. Graduate Wheza Panzo scored 18 of his game-high 23 points in the frame to lead the Gaels to its first road win and conference victory of the season.

THE RUNDOWN

The first half stayed within two possessions either way until the final minute. Fairfield took its largest lead of the game at the 15:36 mark on a Caleb Fields layup that made the score 6-2. Iona gained the lead with a 7-0 run and led for the remainder of the half for all but one possession. Back-to-back layups in the final minute for the Gaels by freshman Jean Aranguren and graduate Joel Brown gave the visitors a seven point advantage with 36 ticks remaining. Fields' three-pointer as time expired made the margin 35-31 at the break.
 
Fairfield struck with five points to start the second half and again took the lead for just a single possession. Panzo put Iona ahead for good at 18:36 on the first of six second-half three pointers. The graduate guard gave the Maroon & Gold its largest lead to that point at 12:35 when his third trifecta gave Iona a 50-41 advantage. The Stags crawled back to within three points just over three minutes later as their 8-2 run was punctuated by a Brycen Goodine dunk that made the score 52-49 at 9:05. Sixteen seconds later Panzo's fourth three-pointer sparked an 8-0 run which gave Iona its first double-digit advantage. The run extended to 20-5 as the Gaels led comfortably, 72-54, with 2:48 to play. Three Stag three-pointers and a layup in its final turn made the final margin 11 points in favor of Iona.

IONA PERFORMERS

  • Panzo shot 8-of-15 for the game and 7-of-13 from long distance and added four rebounds to his 23-point effort. The seven daggers were a season-best for the first-year graduate transfer and matched an Iona season-high in 2023-24.
  • Graduate Idan Tretout had one of his most efficient games in his Iona career, posting 12 points with a season-high six rebounds and career-high seven assists. He shot 5-of-8 from the field with two three pointers.
  • Aranguren had nine points, four rebounds and three steals.
  • Brown, junior Greg Gordon and freshman Jeremiah Quigley each had eight points. Brown posted four rebounds and four assists, Gordon had six rebounds and Quigley was a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.
  • Rookie Sultan Adewale added eight points and five boards in 15 minutes.

THE OPPONENT

  • Fields led the Stags with 21 points, with three boards and three assists.
  • Jasper Floyd had 17 points and Jalen Leach added 12.
  • The Gaels held Goodine, the Stags' leading scorer, to just seven points on 3-of-9 shooting.

TEAM STATISTICS

  • Iona outshot Fairfield 50.0%-43.3% and held a 55.6%-30.8% advantage beyond the arc.
  • The Gaels also outrebounded their opponent 39-32, though had a 19-12 deficit on second chance points.
  • The Maroon & Gold posted 17 assists and 15 turnovers while Fairfield had 12 assists and 17 giveaways. Iona's advantage on points off turnovers was 20-8.

UP NEXT

The Gaels return to non-conference play Wednesday when they host Metro area rival Hofstra at the Hynes Center.

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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