NASSAU, BAHAMAS - The Iona University men's basketball team earned a 62-51 win over Tarleton State in its first contest at the 2024 Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship at the Baha Mar Convention Center. Senior
Dejour Reaves scored 17 points and rookie
Justin Menard posted a season-high 13 for the Gaels in the win.
THE RUNDOWN
Iona took control of the contest mid-way through the first half taking the lead for good on free throws by junior
Yaphet Moundi with 9:18 to play. The first nearly 11 minutes of the contest saw the game stay within one possession, with the exception of an 18 second stretch following the Texans 6-2 advantage early in the contest. Menard's second three ball of the first half gave a 19-14 cushion, capping a 5-0 run with 8:27 to play. Iona extended its lead to 28-20 at the break with the half's final five tallies. Iona held Tarleton State to just three field goals over the final 12 minutes of the frame.
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A 12-0 run by the Gaels early in the second half gave the team its largest advantage at 44-26 with 10:51 to play. Tarleton fought back with a 20-12 run over the next eight plus minutes but could not get closer than nine points. Back-to-back three pointers by Reaves and rookie
Adam Njie Jr.with less than two minutes to play put Iona ahead by 15 in the final minute. Tarleton State added a free throw and a three pointer as time expired to make the final margin 62-21. Prior to the final three pointer, the Gaels again ratcheted its defense, allowing two field goals in the previous seven minutes.
IONA PERFORMERS
- Reaves scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, draining two three pointers. He added five rebounds and a steal.
- Menard's season-best effort came of 4-of-8 shooting with three long distance connections. He led with four assists and had two boards in 22 minutes off the bench.
- Njie posted nine points, all in the second half, shooting 4-for-8 from the field. He had three assists, a rebound and a steal.
- Moundi posted eight points and six rebounds while junior Kernan Bundy also had eight and a team-best seven rebounds.
- Graduate Jalen Barr earned his first Iona start and recorded five steals to lead the Maroon & Gold.
THE OPPONENT
- Bubu Benjamin had a game-high 22 points, while leading his team with seven boards.
- Izzy Miles had 10 points and three rebounds.
- Jordan Mizell added eight points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
TEAM STATS
- Iona out shot Tarleton State 45.3%-39.5% with the help of a 52.0% effort in the second half.
- The Gaels held a 32-28 advantage on the boards with 10 offensive boards and a 9-5 lead on second chance points.
- The Texans had just five assists and committed 18 turnovers while Iona had 11 and 15, respectively. The Maroon & Gold turned the 18 opponent turnovers into 29 points.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- The 63 possessions in the game tracked by KenPom.com was the fewest in a game this season for the Gaels.
- Down three key players, Iona employed a line change five-for-five substitution pattern for the majority of the contest. All 10 performers played at least 13 minutes and the most was 27 by Reaves and Njie.
- The five Gaels off the bench combined for a +72 plus/minus rating with sophomore Comeh Emuobor leading with a +19.
- With the bench players on the floor together for 11:01 of playing time, the Gaels held an 18-7 (+11). The Gaels were +6 (6-0) in the 1:33 that Moundi replaced rookie Jacob Hogarth due to foul trouble.
- Iona improved to 2-0 against current WAC opponents following its victory over Seattle in Hawaii in 2022.
UP NEXT
Iona takes on Indiana State in the middle game of the Baha Mar event tomorrow (Saturday) at 2 p.m. The game can be viewed live on FloCollege.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)
