NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona College men’s basketball team never trailed in an 86-68 win over Loyola in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action at the Hynes Center. Juniors Mike Glover (Bronx, NY) and Scott Machado (Queens, NY) both recorded double-doubles for the Gaels (10-6, 4-1 MAAC) in the victory.
The Maroon & Gold jumped out to an early 11-3 advantage on senior Rashon Dwight’s (Newark, NJ) first of four three-point field goals in the half at the 16:51 mark. The home team took its first double-digit advantage less than four minutes later on a dunk by senior Alejo Rodriguez (New York, NY) on a nifty Machado feed. Sophomore Chris Pelcher (Albany, NY) put the Gaels up by 10 points for good when his layup made the score 32-21 with 9:28 remaining in the first half. Iona took its largest lead of the half on a Dwight three-pointer with time expiring and went into the break with a 56-37 lead.
In the second half, Loyola senior Jamal Barney hit a three-pointer at the 9:02 mark to get the Greyhounds within 13 points at 73-60. Iona responded with 11 straight points including a three-pointer and a transition layup by sophomore Kyle Smyth (River Edge, NJ) on back-to-back possessions. The Gaels led 84-60 with 5:54 to play.
Glover had a game-high 25 points and completed his 10th double-double of the season with 10 rebounds. He shot 11-for-15 from the field and finished the three-game week with an incredible 85.3% field goal percentage (29-for-34).
Machado had his sixth double-double of the season, posting 13 points and 11 assists. He had four rebounds and shot 7-for-8 from the free throw line.
Dwight scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half to spark the Gaels early on. He missed his career and season-best point total by one point while setting a new standard with his four three-pointers. Rodriguez shot 5-for-7 from the field and had 13 points and seven rebounds. Smyth recorded eight points in the win.
The Gaels dominated the glass, out rebounding Loyola 38-25. The team shot 53.3% from the field, its third straight home contest over 50.0%. Iona also held a significant advantage in points in the paint (46-26), second-chance points (17-4) and points off turnovers (22-13).
Barney scored 21 points off the bench to lead Loyola. Mount Vernon native – junior J’hared Hall – added 17 points with four three-point field goals while senior Bryan Rudolph and freshman Dylon Cormier had 10 points a piece. Rudolph led with five assists and Erik Etherly grabbed nine rebounds in the loss.
The Gaels finished their three-game MAAC week with a 2-1 record. The squad is now 4-0 in the MAAC at home and hit the road for its next contest at Rider on Friday night.
-ICGAELS.com
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
(all photos by Jen Parente)
Great photos!
Photos of Iona’s game are great!