NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona University men's basketball team grinded out a 69-63 victory over Bryant in non-conference action at the Hynes Center. The Gaels and Bulldogs played to a methodical pace of 67 possessions, the lowest total of the season for Iona. Graduates
CJ Anthony and
Toby Harris each finished with 18 points to lead the Maroon and Gold.
THE RUNDOWN
Iona trailed 5-4 through the first four minutes before Harris and rookie
Alliou Fall entered shortly before the 16-minute mark. The Gaels responded with a 14-0 surge to build an 18-5 lead with 12:02 to go. Bryant slowly chipped away and used a 15-5 run to get within one with 2:22 remaining in the half. The Bulldogs tied the score at 32-32 on their final offensive trip, but a Harris three at the buzzer sent Iona into the break with a 35-32 edge.
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Iona never relinquished the lead in the opening 10 minutes of the second half but could not create more than a two-possession cushion. The game was tied at 40-40 with 16:52 left and again at 48-48 with 13:24 remaining. A 9-2 Gael burst capped by two
Kosy Akametu free throws put Iona up 57-50 at the 9:32 mark, but Bryant answered with one of its 15 made threes to trim the margin.
With Iona ahead by three entering the final seven minutes, senior
Lamin Sabally delivered the spark. He knocked down two free throws, then followed a defensive stop with a soaring lane drive for a highlight-reel dunk that ignited the Hynes Center crowd. Another quick stop led to a transition lob from Anthony to Sabally for a nine-point lead at 65-56 with 5:05 remaining. Bryant continued to battle and closed within four with 2:18 left, but never drew closer. The Gaels forced six missed shots in the final 101 seconds to secure the win.
IONA PERFORMERS
- CJ Anthony delivered 18 points, including 16 in the first half. He shot 7-for-13 and added five assists, two rebounds and two steals.
- Toby Harris scored nine points in each half, all from beyond the arc, and finished 6-for-10 from three with five rebounds and a steal.
- Lamin Sabally scored all 10 of his points in the second half and led Iona with eight rebounds while also adding two assists and two steals.
- Alliou Fall provided six points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals off the bench.
- Denver Anglin chipped in five points with six assists and was a key part of Iona's defensive adjustment that slowed Bryant's perimeter attack.
THE OPPONENT
- Aaron Davis and Timofei Rudovskii combined to shoot 11-for-18 from three while the rest of the team went 4-for-18.
- Davis posted 18 points, three rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
- Rudovskii added 17 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals.
- Keegan Harvey finished with nine points.
- Ashley Sims and Ty Tabales each scored eight. Sims grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and Tabales handed out seven assists.
TEAM STATS
- Iona outshot Bryant 41.0 percent to 39.3 percent from the field and 44.0 percent to 41.7 percent from three.
- The Gaels reached double-digit three pointers for the seventh time in 11 games.
- Bryant held a 38-31 rebounding edge and a 9-6 advantage on the offensive glass, but Iona led 10-7 in second chance points.
- Iona recorded 18 assists with just eight turnovers, while Bryant had 20 assists but committed 17 turnovers.
- Against one of the tallest teams in Division I, Iona held a 28-12 advantage in points in the paint.
UP NEXT
Iona heads to its toughest test of the season on Saturday with a noon tipoff against No. 23 St. John's at Madison Square Garden. The game will air nationally on TNT and TruTV.
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)
