NEW ROCHELLE, NY - A second half slump doomed the Iona University men's basketball team in a 70-65 loss to Marist in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play at the Hynes Center. The Red Foxes erased a five-point deficit with a 16-3 run that the Gaels could not overcome. Senior
Dejour Reaves led three Maroon & Gold double-digit scorers with a game-high 17 points.
THE RUNDOWN
Neither team led by more than four points over the first 20 minutes of the contest with seven lead changes and three tie scores highlighting the effort. Iona's largest lead was three points early in the contest on Reaves' second three ball of the first two minutes. Marist led by four points with 11:44 remaining in the half. The Gaels scored the final five points of the frame, holding the visitors scoreless for the last 3:17 to earn a one-point advantage heading into the break.
Â
Early in the second half, the Gaels led 45-40 following a transition bucket from rookie
Adam Njie Jr. followed by a layup from junior
Yaphet Moundi after a steal in the full court press. After calling timeout, the Red Foxes began their decisive run, scoring the next eight points and 16 of the next 19 to lead 56-48 with 11:12 remaining. Marist got its lead up to nine points on three occasions, the last coming at the 6:14 mark. Iona rallied to pull within three points with less than 20 seconds left but could not close the gap.
IONA PERFOMRMERS
- Reaves scored 11 of his 17 points in the first 4:14 of the contest - the Gaels first 11 of the game. He connected on three three-pointers and had three rebounds.
- Moundi posted 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds adding two assists and two steals.
- Junior Christian Winborne - in his third game of the season for the Gaels - reached 10 points for the first time in Maroon & Gold. He had three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
- Rookie Justin Menard posted eight points and a season-best six assists.
THE OPPONENT
- Josh Pascarelli posted 16 points on eight attempts from the field, going 6-for-6 from the line with two three pointers.
- Jason Schofield had 12 points off the bench with five boards and two assists.
- Jadin Collins-Roberts led with five assists and Jaden Daughtry had six rebounds for the visitors.
TEAM STATISTICS
- Marist out shot the Iona 50.0%-33.3% for the game with a second half advantage of 56.0%-21.9%.
- The Gaels held a 35-22 rebounding advantage including 15 offensive boards and a 11-6 lead in second chance points.
- Iona also won the assist/turnover battle, posting 17 assists with 16 turnovers to Marist's 18 assists and 24 giveaways.
UP NEXT
The Gaels travel North to take on Siena at MVP Arena Sunday at 2 p.m. on ESPN+
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)