NEW ROCHELLE, N. Y. - Rookie
Adam Njie Jr. 's fall away 12-footer from the corner with less than nine seconds left propelled the Iona University men's basketball team to a 90-88 win in a thriller at the Hynes Center. Njie hit his second game winner on the team's final possession in Iona's last three contests. The Gaels clinched a first round by in next week's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship in Atlantic City. Sharing a 12-8 record with Manhattan and Mount St. Mary's, the Maroon & Gold hold the tiebreaker and will compete as the No. 4 seed in the tournament. Junior
Yaphet Moundi scored a game-high 24 points while grabbing 14 rebounds and three steals to lead four-double digit scorers for the Gaels. Senior
Dejour Reaves ad 19, sophomore
Comeh Emuobor posted 16 and Njie had 15 in the win.
SENIOR DAY
Iona honored its program's two seniors,
Jalen Barr and
Clarence Rupert, in a ceremony prior to their last contest in New Rochelle. Reaves, also a senior, announced he will be postponing his senior day to 2026 as he intends to return to the program for a final season of eligibility in 2025-26.
THE RUNDOWN
With both teams vying for the final bye in the MAAC Tournament, each side came out on a torrid scoring pace. Sacred Heart raced out to a 16-point advantage following a 15-2 run that made the score 29-13 with 10:32 left in the first half. Trailing 35-22 with 6:26 remaining, Iona chipped away and scored 14 straight to take a one-point lead with a minute remaining. The Pioneers scored the last field goal of the half on their next possession and led 37-36 at the break.
Sacred Heart also started the second half strong, building a nine-point advantage less than four minutes into the frame. Iona trailed 58-50 with 14:04 and went on a 9-0 run to regain the lead after a Reaves three-pointer with 11:46 left. The Pioneers again found themselves on the brink of being able to separate by more than two possessions after a long three by Griffin Barrouk made it 68-63. A 7-2 run by Iona capped by another Reaves' three ball made it 70-70 with 7:22 left. The next three minutes saw five tie scores and six lead changes. Down two with 4:24 to play, Iona scored seven straight to lead 87-82 following two Moundi free throws. The Pioneers chipped away and scored six of the next seven points and tied the score at 88-88 with 37 seconds remaining. After running the shot clock down, the game winning shot from Njie came after Sacred Heart defended the Gaels' play call and forced the tough fallaway jumper from the right side by the rookie. The Pioneers' final shot attempt from 24 feet away fell short and the Maroon & Gold held on to the thriller.
IONA PERFORMERS
- Moundi's 24-point, 14-rebound effort was his fifth double-double of the season. He shot 10-for-12 from the field with his three steals, two assists, a block and seven offensive boards.
- Reaves' 19 points came attached two a seven-rebound, four-assist, and three steal effort.
- Emuobor shot 6-for-11 from the field with two three pointers and four rebounds.
- Njie had 15 points with a team-high eight assists with two rebounds and two steals.
- Freshman Justin Menard added eight points with seven assists and no turnovers in 25 minutes off the bench.
THE OPPONENT
- Tanner Thomas led four double-digit Pioneers with 20 points, connecting on four three pointers.
- Bryce Johnson had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists.
- Barrouk posted 17 points with five long distance connections.
- Anquan Hill added 13 points.
- Iona held the dynamic Sacred Heart freshman tandem of Mekhi Connor and Nyle Ralph-Beyer to nine combined points and 3-of-15 shooting from the field.
- Connor led all performers with nine assists.
TEAM STATISTICS
- Both teams shot 50.8% from the field with Iona recording one more field goal than its opponent. Sacred Heart posted a balanced 51.9% and 50.0% in each half while the Gaels used a 60.7% effort in the second to bolster their performance.
- Iona out rebounded the Pioneers 39-30 and 17-13 on the offensive glass. It also held a 16-5 advantage on second chance points and 40-28 in the paint.
- Iona had 23 assists and 15 turnovers while Sacred Heart posted 26 assists and 16 giveaways. The visitors led 27-18 on points off turnovers.
- There were 13 lead changes and nine tie scores in the contest.
UP NEXT
With the No. 4 seed, Iona faces archrival and No. 5 seed Manhattan in the quarterfinal round of the 2025 MAAC Championship on Thursday, March 13 at 6 p. m. at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Tickets are available through Iona's ticket site, IonaTickets. com. The game can be seen live on ESPN+
SOCIAL MEDIA
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