JERSEY CITY, NJ – The Iona College men’s basketball team won its sixth straight game in a 73-59 win over Saint Peter’s in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play at the Yanitelli Center. The Gaels (19-10, 12-5 MAAC) maintained their second place standing and are tied with Rider entering the final regular season contest on Sunday.
The offensive-minded Iona squad used a solid defensive effort and a 54-34 rebounding advantage to defeat the Peacocks (17-12, 11-6 MAAC). The rebounding total was the highest since the squad recorded 51 vs. Sacred Heart on Nov. 15, 2006 in the NIT Season Tipoff. It was also the second highest single-game total in the last 10 seasons for the Gaels. Senior Alejo Rodriguez (New York, NY) and junior Mike Glover (Bronx, NY) led the charge on the boards with 13 and 11 rebounds respectively. They combined for nine of Iona’s season-best 20 offensive caroms.
Sophomore Kyle Smyth (River Edge, NJ) led the Gaels in scoring for the second straight game with 14 points. He shot 4-of-6 on three-point field goal attempts. His fifth bucket came with a foot on the line. Junior Jermel Jenkins (Union, NJ) added 12 off the bench. The duo combined for 17 of Iona’s 36 second half points. Junior Scott Machado (Queens, NY) had 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Glover and Rodriguez netted nine and eight respectively while sophomore Sean Armand (Brooklyn, NY) also posted eight points in the win.
After a slow scoring start saw Saint Peter’s gain a 7-6 advantage just under four minutes into the contest, the Gaels picked up the pace. A three-pointer by Peacock sophomore Steven Samuels put the home team ahead 10-8 at the 15:20 mark. Iona scored the next 11 points over the next three-plus minutes and commanded a 19-10 lead on a Glover layup with 11:49 on the clock. After Saint Peter’s cut the lead to four 90 seconds later, the Maroon & Gold scored seven in a row and 13 of the next 15 points, gaining its largest lead of the half, 32-17, on a Glover free-throw at 7:21. Saint Peter’s chipped away and trailed by eight points at the break. Sophomore Yvon Raymond’s coast-to-coast dunk was the final field goal of the half and made the score 37-29.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Smyth and a Machado layup to start the second stanza gave Iona a double-digit advantage it wouldn’t relinquish. Junior Randy Dezovre’s (Montreal, Quebec) steal and layup with 13:21 to go stretched the Gael lead to 21 points. A Jenkins layup with 3:07 to play put Iona ahead 73-49, giving the visitors its largest lead of the contest. The Peacocks scored the final 10 points of the ball game.
Senior Jeron Belin posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Darius Conley pitched in 13 points while senior Ryan Bacon added nine rebounds. The Gaels held senior leading scorers Wesley Jenkins and Nick Leon to a combined 11 points in the win.
An uncharacteristic number for the Gaels was its assist-to-turnover ratio in the win. Iona’s nine assists and 21 turnovers marked the first time in 10 games and just the second time in the last 24 that the squad had more turnovers than assists. The nine assists were a season-low for the Gaels who came into the contest at No. 5 on the NCAA assist leader board.
With the regular season finale looming against the regular season champion Fairfield at home on Sunday, the Gaels can finish no lower than the No. 3 seed in next weekend’s MAAC Championship. If Saint Peter’s defeats Rider on Sunday on the road, the Gaels clinch the No. 2 seed regardless of its outcome vs. the Stags. Should the Broncs win, Iona would need to beat Fairfield and Loyola to lose at Canisius for the second spot in the standings. A Gael win on Sunday coupled with a Rider and Loyola win would result in a coin-flip to break the tie between Rider and Iona and determine the No. 2 and No. 3 seed. Iona would be No. 3 with a loss to Fairfield and a Rider win at home vs. Saint Peter’s.
The Gaels are slated to tip-off with the Stags at 3:30 pm, following the women’s contest vs. Manhattan at 1:00 pm and a senior day presentation honoring Rodriguez and classmate Rashon Dwight (Newark, NJ) prior to the game. Both Saint Peter’s/Rider and Loyola/Canisius tip off at 2:00 pm on Sunday.
–ICGAELS.COM–