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Iona University Athletics

Jean Aranguren
Ryan Murphy - Iona Athletics
93
Rider Rider 8-14,5-6 MAAC
94
Winner Iona Iona 11-10,6-4 MAAC
Rider Rider
8-14,5-6 MAAC
93
Final
94
Iona Iona
11-10,6-4 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Rider Rider 38 55 93
Iona Iona 38 56 94

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

Iona MBB Holds On At Home vs. Rider, 94-93

NEW ROCHELLE, NY - A rollercoaster second half saw the Iona University men's basketball team gain a 24-point lead only to hold on for a 94-93 victory over Rider in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play at the Hynes Center. Junior Greg Gordon led four double-digit Gael scorers with 28 points, with 22 coming in the final 20 minutes.

THE RUNDOWN

A smaller rollercoaster in the first half set the tone for the wild second half ride as Rider quickly jumped out to an 11-4 lead just 3:20 into the game. Iona answered with eight straight points to gain the lead just over two and a half minutes later. The Gaels' run extended to 14-2 and a five point advantage at 18-13 with 12:08 to play. The Broncs' answered with nine straight points in an 11-2 run of their own. In the Maroon & Gold's turn to take a swing, a second 14-2 run of the half made it 34-26 with 3:55 remaining in the first half. Rider scored the final five points of the frame, including a DJ Dudley jumper from the corner that beat the buzzer and knot the score at 38-38.
 
In building its 24-point, second half advantage, Iona started with a 15-2 run over the first 2:55 and earned the first double-digit advantage of the contest. A Wheza Panzo three-ball at 17:05 made it 53-40. The Gaels later added a 7-0 and a 10-0 run, the latter leading to a 79-55 lead with 8:47 left. After a punctuation mark by Gordon on a steal and a dunk less than a minute later, Rider scored 10 straight points from the free throw line to cut it to 14. A step-back three-pointer by TJ Weeks got the Broncs within 10 points for the first time in nearly 16 minutes. Weeks made it a one-possession game with three free throws with six seconds left to make it 93-90. After rookie Jeremiah Quigley made the first free throw on the Gaels ensuing possession, Rider corralled the rebound and Dudley drained a long three-pointer to make the final margin 94-93.

IONA PERFORMERS

  • Gordon shot 10-for-17 from the field and 7-for-11 from the free throw line, adding a three-pointer to account for his 28 points. In two games at home this weekend he averaged 31.5 points per game. Gordon also had a team-high six rebounds to go along with five assists and two steals with zero turnovers in 31 minutes.
  • Panzo broke out of a shooting slump to shoot 6-for-12 from long distance in an 18-point effort. He added four rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block.
  • Quigley had another impressive performance, posting 17 points with the help of an 11-for-16 effort from the free throw line. He posted seven assists, three rebounds and a steal. In his last three appearances, all starts, he has averaged 18.7 points per game.
  • Graduate Osborn Shema posted 12 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. After posting three games with 2 or more blocks and steals last season, it was his first in the 2023-24 campaign.
  • Rookies Jean Aranguren and Alex Bates IV scored eight and seven points respectively in the win.

THE OPPONENT

  • Dudley, a freshman guard, broke out for a career-best 28-point effort. He hit three long distance tries and was 13-for-14 from the free throw line, all in the second half.
  • Tariq Ingraham had 17 points and 18 rebounds after a 7-for-8 effort from the line in the final 20 minutes.
  • Weeks posted nine points with four three pointers. He added eight rebounds.
  • Preseason MAAC Player of the Year Mervin James was the first to reach double digits and had 10 points. He fouled out with 10:46 remaining before the Broncs' comeback effort.

·TEAM STATS

  • Rider had a 45.9%-44.6% advantage from the field, 41.7%-37.0% advantage from long distance and a 93.1%-68.4% from the free throw line.
  • The Broncs also had a 47-28 lead on the boards and 15-10 on the offensive glass but the Gaels led 16-14 on second chance points.
  • The balance from the shooting and rebounding advantages was on the assist-to-turnover area. The Broncs posted 19 assists and 14 turnovers. The Gaels had 25 assists and just three turnovers and a 25-4 advantage on points off turnovers.
  • Iona's three turnovers in the game were the lowest total in the last 22 seasons. The previous low of four was set in a win over Marist on Dec. 31, 2016, and a loss to Quinnipiac on Feb. 8, 2019.
  • After a combined nine free throw attempts in the first half, the two teams shot 58 in the second, including 52 in the final 12 minutes.

UP NEXT

The Gaels hit the road for two games for their annual Western New York trip at Niagara and Canisius next Thursday and Saturday.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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Iona Men's Basketball: Twitter, Facebook. Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates)





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