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Iona University Athletics

Daniss Jenkins
Eric Alcantara - Hawa'ii Athletics
80
Winner Iona Iona 24-7,17-3 MAAC
78
Rider Rider 16-13,13-7 MAAC
Winner
Iona Iona
24-7,17-3 MAAC
80
Final
78
Rider Rider
16-13,13-7 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Iona Iona 34 46 80
Rider Rider 32 46 78

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

Iona MBB Wins 11th Straight, Holds Off Rider 80-78

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - The Iona University men's basketball team completed the 2022-23 regular season with a hard fought, grind-it-out 80-78 victory at Rider in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play in front of a capacity crowd at Alumni Gymnasium. The two teams played 40 minutes in which neither was able to take more than a two-possession lead. The Gaels won their 11th straight contest and enter the MAAC Tournament with a 24-7 overall record and 17-3 in MAAC play. Junior Daniss Jenkins led all scorers with 22 points.

THE RUNDOWN

A 6-0 run over a 2:04 span gave Iona its largest lead of the first half at 14-9 on senior Berrick JeanLouis' layup at the 14:28 mark. JeanLouis scored all six points during the spurt. Rider went on an extended 18-8 run over the next 8:10 including 10 straight to earn its largest advantage of the game. Senior Tyrel Bladen's layup made the score 27-22 with 6:18 left in the half. The Gaels regained the lead with 2:13 to play on a three-ball by JeanLouis. Freshman Silas Sunday scored on the final possession of the half of a nifty feed from sophomore Walter Clayton Jr. that gave the Maroon & Gold a two-point lead at the break.
 
Iona led by six on two separate occasions in the second half but could not gain separation. Jenkins' mid-range jumper at 13:27 made the score 51-45 and later, senior Osborn Shema's put back dunk at 7:55 made it 64-58. Rider cut it to one on a corner two by leading scorer Dwight Murray with 4:01 to play. A three point play by junior Nelly Junior Joseph gave the Gaels a four point advantage on the next play. After a Broncs' bucket, made it a two point game on their ensuing turn, the two teams traded misses. A key possession for Iona followed. After corralling two separate offensive boards, Jenkins found the ball in his hands at the top of the key and drained a huge three pointer to put the Maroon & Gold ahead 76-71 with 1:55 to play. The junior guard was sent to the line on Iona's next two possessions. Up three points with the shot clock still on, the Gaels used the whole possession and was unable to convert. A three-point miss as the shot clock expired fell into the hands of Iona's nemesis, Murray, but the senior's final attempt from well behind half court was too long and Iona escaped with a two-point win.

IONA PERFORMERS

  • Jenkins scored 21 points with the help of four three-pointers and a 6-for-6 effort from the line. He added six assists and two steals.
  • Clayton Jr. had 17 points with three trifectas to go along with four assists and two boards. He scored Iona's first 10 points of the second half over a 4:33 span.
  • Jeanlouis had 12 points, shooting 4-of-5 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line.
  • Junior Joseph had 11 points, six rebounds and four blocks.
  • Shema had his first collegiate double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
  • Sunday played 10 key minutes and set career-highs with six points and seven rebounds.

THE OPPONENT

  • The Rider trio of Zahrion Blue, Mervin James and Allen Betrand each had 15 points in the loss.
  • Blue's career-effort on his senior night came on 6-of-9 shooting, James added five rebounds and two blocks and Betrand shot 6-of-8 from the field and 3-of-4 from long distance.
  • The Gaels held Murray and Allen Powell, who combined to average 27.1 points per game, to just 16 points between them.
  • Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson and Tariq Ingraham had six rebounds to lead the Broncs while Murray had a team-high three assists.

TEAM STATS

  • Rider out shot Iona 54.1%-44.6% with the help of a 20-for-27 (74.1%) effort in the second half.
  • The Gaels held a 47.8% (11-for-23) - 38.5% (5-for-13) advantage from long distance.
  • Iona out rebounded Rider 33-29 and held an 18-12 advantage on second chance points.
  • The Maroon & Gold dished out 15 assists and committed eight turnovers while the Broncs had eight assists and seven giveaways. The home team held a 12-5 advantage on points off turnovers.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

  • Iona matched its program record with 17 MAAC wins for the second straight season and the fourth time in history, all coming in the last 10 seasons.
  • The Gaels finished in first place by four games, matching the largest advantage in league history by Fairfield in 1985-86, Siena in 2009-10 and Monmouth in 2016-17. The Stags and Saints went on to win the MAAC tournament while Hawks were upset in the semifinal round.
  • Iona's 11 straight wins ar tied for the fifth longest current streak in Division I, behind Oral Roberts and Toledo's 15, Vermont's 13 and Bradley's 12.  The Gaels are tied with Hofstra and one ahead of No. 1 Houston.

UP NEXT

Iona's first contest at the MAAC Championship next week is Wednesday (Mar. 8) at 7 p.m. in the quarterfinal round at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The Gaels will face the winner of No. 8 Mount St. Mary's and No. 9 Canisius which takes place Tuesday night.

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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