LEWISTON, NY - A hot shooting first half and a career-high 30-point effort from
Walter Clayton Jr. sparked the Iona University men's basketball team to a 72-55 win over Niagara in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play at the Gallagher Center. By virtue of Rider not playing today, the Gaels drew even with the Broncs at 11-3 in the MAAC standings for first place with three weekends remaining in the regular season.
THE RUNDOWN
The Gaels never trailed in the contest. After surrendering the first eight points of the game, Niagara roared back to tie it at 8-8.
Daniss Jenkins' step back three-ball from the wing gave Iona an 11-8 lead with 14:06 left and it would be the closest margin of the contest the rest of the way. The Gaels built a double digit advantage with 7:12 to play on an
Anton Brookshire three-pointer that made the score 29-19. Up nine, the Maroon & Gold scored the final eight points of the frame in the final two minutes and took a 46-29 advantage into halftime.
Â
After shooting nearly 61% in the first half, Iona was ice cold to start the final 20 minutes. Clayton Jr. buried Iona's first attempt on the team's first possession. The Gaels would miss nine in a row and 12 of its next 13 shot attempts. Despite the offensive struggles, Niagara would not get any closer than 11 points. Jenkins' jumper in the final seconds pulled Iona even for the half and the Gaels came out with a 17-point road win.
IONA PERFORMERS
- Clayton Jr's career-high 30-point effort came on 12-of-23 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 from long distance. He scored 17 points in the first half and added four assists and three rebounds for the game.
- Jenkins chipped in 11 points, with four assists and three steals.
- Nelly Junior Joseph posted a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double, his 12 in the last 13 games.
- Brookshire posted nine points, with three three-pointers.
- Osborn Shema and Sadiku Ibine Ayo had six points apiece, Shema with four assists and Ibine Ayo with four boards.
THE OPPONENT
- Noah Thomasson was the lone Purple Eagle in double-figures with 24 points. He added six rebounds and six assists.
- Sam Iorio led with seven rebounds.
TEAM STATISTICS
- Iona outshot Niagara 44.8% - 41.1%. The Gaels had their second double-digit three-point field goal effort with 11, including nine in the first half.
- Niagara held a 34-23 rebounding advantage but just 8-7 on second chance points.
- Iona had 14 assists and eight turnovers, the 13th time this season with 10 or less giveaways. The Purple Eagles had 10 assists and 16 turnovers and Iona led 12-2 in points off turnovers.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- In the 32 seasons the Gaels have made their MAAC Western New York trip to face Canisius and Niagara, Iona has now won both games eight times, split 18 times and lost both six times. The program is 8-12 in the second game following a win.
- It is Iona's first 2-0 performance since 2015-16. The others include 2013-14, 2011-12, 2008-09, 2005-06, 1997-98 and 1990-91. During the 2005-06 campaign the Gaels made two separate trips.
- Clayton became the second Gael to reach the 30-point mark in a game this season joining Jenkins. Both players recorded the feat vs. Niagara.
- Iona moved into a tie for first place with Rider by virtue of the Broncs' day off. The teams are knotted at 11-3 with six games remaining in the regular season. Rider holds the tiebreaker following its win in New Rochelle in January. The two teams square off again in the regular season finale in Lawrenceville, NJ, on Saturday, March 4.
UP NEXT
Iona takes on archrival Manhattan on Friday night, February 17, at the Hynes Center at 7 p.m. Tickets are going fast, get yours today on
IonaTickets.com.
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)
