ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - The No. 1 seed Iona University men's basketball team used a strong second half to defeat No. 8 Mount St. Mary's, 74-54 in the quarterfinal round of the 2023 MAAC Championship at Boardwalk Hall. After taking leading by three at halftime, the Gaels outscored the Mount 41-26 in the second. Four players recorded 10 or more points including double doubles from sophomore
Walter Clayton Jr. and junior
Nelly Junior Joseph.
IONA PERFORMERS
- Clayton Jr. posted a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double, his second of the season. Fresh off a MAAC Player of the Year honor earlier in the day, he exploded for 18-points in the second half alone. After a 1-for-3 shooting effort in the first half, Clayton was 8-for-11 in the final 20 minutes. He added an assist, two steals and a block.
- Senior Osborn Shema posted a career-high 17 points, scoring nine in the second half. He added five boards and an assist in 29 minutes.
- Junior Daniss Jenkins stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals in an all-around effort.
- Junior Joseph had a 10-point, 11=rebound double-double.
- Senior Berrick JeanLouis netted six points, six assists and five rebounds in the win.
THE OPPONENT
- Mount's Jalen Benjamin earned all 27 points he scored, hitting tough shot after tough shot as he accounted for 16 of his team's 26 second half tallies.
- Dakota Lefew scored eight points and had a team-best seven rebounds.
TEAM STATS
- Iona rebounded from a 33.3% first half shooting effort to post a 58.1% in the second frame and a 45.3% number for the game. Mount St. Mary's shot 38.2% for the contest, and discounting Benjamin's 11-for-22 performance, the rest of the team was 10-for-32 (30.3%).
- The Gaels dominated the boards 42-30, and posted 17 offensive rebounds for a 16-8 second chance point advantage.
- Iona had 17 assists and 10 turnovers, its 17th contest of the year with 10 or less giveaways. Mount posted six assists and 13 turnovers.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Iona advances to the semifinal round of the MAAC Championship for a league-record 26th time in the 42-year history of the event. It is also the 11th time in the last 12 completed tournaments.
- Saint Peter's, the No. 10 seed this season, reached the semifinal round for the 21st time, the second most in MAAC history. No. 4 Siena has a chance to equal that number Friday night in a semifinal round contest vs. No. 5 Niagara Thursday night.
- The Gaels' 12 straight wins is the fourth longest active streak in NCAA Division I behind Oral Roberts (17), Toledo (15) and Vermont (14).
- Iona improved to 7-1 all-time vs. the No. 8 team when holding the top seed.
- The program earned its 25th win of the season, the eighth time in history it accomplished the feat. It is the Gaels' second straight season earning 25 wins, just the second time it has occurred in back-to-back seasons (2010-11, 2011-12).
UP NEXT
Iona awaits its semifinal round opponent as it takes on the winner of Thursday's 4/5 battle between Siena and Niagara. The semifinal round takes place at 6 p.m. Friday (Mar. 10). Tickets in the Iona section can be purchased through IonaTickets.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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