NEW ROCHELLE, NY - Iona University men's basketball senior
Kevon Vanderhorst drove the length of the court and converted a game-winning layup with 0.6 seconds remaining to propel the Gaels to a thrilling 56-55 victory over Vermont in non-conference action at the Hynes Center. Vanderhorst led all scorers with 27 points in his Maroon & Gold debut, powering Iona's comeback from a double-digit first-half deficit.
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THE RUNDOWN
Vermont opened the scoring just under two and a half minutes into the contest and built a 7-0 advantage through the first four minutes, with junior Gus Yalden accounting for all seven points. The Gaels finally got on the board at the 13:05 mark when Vanderhorst drove to the basket for the season's first Iona points. The Catamounts maintained the lead throughout the half, although the hosts pulled within one just over nine minutes into the contest. Vermont responded by rebuilding a seven-point cushion at 4:15 on a three-pointer from sophomore Momo Nkugwa, making it 22-15. The visitors extended their advantage to a game-high nine points with six seconds remaining when former Gael
Khalil Badru converted a free throw. Vanderhorst raced the length of the court for a closing basket just before the buzzer, providing an early preview of the game's dramatic finish and sending Iona into the break trailing 29-21.
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The Gaels opened the second half with six unanswered points to cut the deficit to 29-27 in less than three minutes. Vermont pushed its lead back to eight, 38-30, with 13:11 remaining following an offensive rebound and putback by John Broom. Graduate student
Kosy Akametu capped a 7-0 Iona run with a baseline drive off a slick feed from rookie
Oliver Sassella, pulling the hosts within one at 10:57. Just over three minutes later, Vanderhorst evened the score at 41-41, racing ahead of the defense following a defensive rebound and completing a conventional three-point play with 8:42 to play.
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Iona took its first lead of the afternoon at 6:47 on a Vanderhorst three-pointer. Akametu followed with a basket on the next possession to give the Gaels their largest lead, 48-45, with 5:43 remaining. Vermont answered with eight consecutive points to regain control, moving ahead 53-48 at the 2:54 mark. The Maroon & Gold responded with an 8-2 closing run, scoring six straight points to reclaim the advantage. Akametu converted a feed from sophomore
Alliou Fall to put Iona ahead 54-53 with just 21 seconds remaining.
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Yalden answered with a driving layup to give Vermont a 55-54 lead with six seconds left. Following a timeout, Vanderhorst took the ensuing inbound pass and raced the length of the court, finishing at the rim with just six-tenths of a second remaining to put Iona back in front for good. Vanderhorst then recorded a steal on Vermont's final possession to secure the dramatic season-opening victory.
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IONA PERFORMERS
- Kevon Vanderhorst led all scorers with 27 points, shooting 10-for-15 from the field, including three three-pointers, and 4-for-6 from the free-throw line. He also paced the Gaels with six rebounds while adding two steals and an assist in his Iona debut.
- Kosy Akametu finished with 18 points on 8-for-15 shooting, adding three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Akametu and Vanderhorst combined for 45 of Iona's 56 points.
- Oliver Sassella contributed six points in 16 minutes off the bench in his collegiate and Iona debut.
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THE OPPONENT
- Gus Yalden led three Vermont players in double figures with 17 points, adding five rebounds and three assists.
- Momo Nkugwa scored 12 points, connecting on three three-pointers in 23 minutes off the bench.
- Will Davies contributed 10 points and four assists, while John Broom narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
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TEAM STATS
- Iona finished with a 38.6% field-goal percentage, compared to 35.8% for Vermont. The Gaels shot 48.1% from the floor in the second half while limiting the Catamounts to 30.4% shooting over the final 20 minutes.
- Vermont held a 39-34 rebounding advantage, including a narrow 13-12 edge on the offensive glass. Iona turned that around in second-chance production, holding an 8-7 advantage in points following offensive rebounds.
- Both teams recorded nine assists, but the Gaels committed 13 turnovers compared to 15 for the visitors. Iona capitalized on those opportunities, outscoring Vermont 18-11 in points off turnovers.
- The Maroon & Gold dominated in transition, holding a 12-0 advantage in fast-break points.
- The contest featured five lead changes and three ties, all occurring within the final nine minutes.
- Despite the comeback victory, Iona led for just 2:33 of game time and trailed for nearly 34 minutes.
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NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Iona improved to 54-26 in season openers dating back to 1945.
- The Gaels opened the season at home for the second consecutive year and the 44th time in 82 seasons. They own a 39-5 record in those contests, including a 21-2 mark at the Hynes Center, where they have won nine straight season openers dating back to 2008.
- Dan Geriot became the first Iona head coach to win the season opener in each of his first two seasons since Jim Valvano accomplished the feat in 1975 and 1976. Jim McDermott (1945 and 1946) and Gene Roberti (1973 and 1974) also opened their first two seasons with victories.
- Iona improved to 9-3 all-time against Vermont, extending its series winning streak to five games. The Gaels have also won seven consecutive matchups against current America East Conference opponents.
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UP NEXT
The Gaels continue their homestand Tuesday night, hosting NJIT in the first of two games in the America East-Metro Conference Challenge. The non-conference matchup will be streamed live on ESPN+, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Hynes Center.
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FOLLOW THE GAELS
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