KANSAS CITY, MO – The Iona University men's basketball team ran past Kansas City, 105-91, in non-conference action at the Swinney Center. Junior
Kosy Akametu and graduate guards
Keshawn Williams and
Toby Harris each poured in 20 or more points to pace the Gaels. Akametu and senior
Lamin Sabally also recorded double-doubles as Iona improved to 2-0 under first-year head coach
Dan Geriot.
THE RUNDOWN
Iona pushed the tempo from the start during a high-scoring opening half that finished with a 52-47 Gaels lead. Akametu connected from long distance to put Iona ahead 15-12 at the 14:47 mark, sparking a 9-2 run for a 21-14 advantage.
Kansas City responded and took a 31-29 edge on a three-point play by CJ Evans, but Iona answered quickly. Four different Gaels scored during a decisive 12-0 run over a span of 2:14, building a 41-31 lead with 5:47 to go. The Roos trimmed the margin to three in the final minutes before Iona reestablished an eight-point cushion. A dunk by former Gael
Kernan Bundy just before the horn made it a five-point game at the break.
Iona came out firing in the second half with seven straight points in the first 96 seconds to push the lead to 59-47. The run grew to 16-4 after freshman
Alliou Fall hammered home a dunk for a 68-51 advantage at 14:43. The Gaels maintained control from there and led by as many as 23 points while closing out the win.
IONA PERFORMERS
- Akametu scored 22 points and dished out 10 assists on 8-for-15 shooting, including 3-for-5 from long range.
- Williams added 20 points on a 9-for-13 effort from the field with two three-pointers.
- Harris contributed 20 points in 19 minutes off the bench, shooting 7-for-10 with a poster dunk on an inbounds play late in the second half.
- Sabally posted 15 points and 10 rebounds with seven assists, three steals, and two blocks on 6-for-10 shooting.
- Graduate CJ Anthony totaled seven points, five assists, and four steals.
- Junior Denver Anglin recorded seven points along with two rebounds and two assists.
THE OPPONENT
- CJ Evans led the Roos with 23 points, five assists, and three steals.
- Jayson Petty scored 18 points and added five rebounds and three steals.
- Kasheem Grady posted 14 points in the contest.
- Jerome Palm had 11 points and a team-best nine rebounds.
- Bundy chipped in six points in his first appearance against his former program.
TEAM STATS
- Iona outshot Kansas City 56.4 percent to 48.6 percent, including 61.8 percent in the second half.
- The Gaels converted 41 field goals with 14 makes from beyond the arc, while limiting the Roos to 4-for-25 from three.
- Kansas City held a 39-36 advantage on the glass and a 13-9 edge in second chance points.
- Both teams finished with 18 turnovers, with Iona posting 17 assists and Kansas City recording 14.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Iona reached 100 points for the first time since January 3, 2019 in a 103-84 win over Monmouth, snapping a streak of 205 games without hitting triple digits.
- The 86 possessions logged via KenPom.com mark the fourth-highest total in regulation for Iona since 2010–11 and the most since recording 93 in a 110-102 game vs. Monmouth on February 15, 2016.
- Head coach Dan Geriot became just the fourth coach among 16 in program history to start his career 2-0, joining Gene Roberti, Jim Valvano, and Jeff Ruland.
UP NEXT
Iona returns home to host Fordham on Friday night at the Hynes Center, welcoming the Rams to New Rochelle for the first time since December 2, 2004. The matchup marks the first meeting between the programs since the 2006–07 season.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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