Sophomore Ramone Snowden’s three-pointer on their first possession was the Purple Eagles only lead of the game as the Gaels quickly scored nine straight points and never looked back. Junior A.J. English posted 25 points and senior David Laury added 24 to lead the Maroon & Gold.
Iona led by as many as 28 points in the second half before Niagara gained five points with a 7-2 run to close out the game.
English shot 9-for-12 from the field, was 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and 3-of-3 from the charity stripe. He added eight rebounds and two assists with two blocks. Laury was 11-of-18 from the field and also recorded eight rebounds while dishing out six assists and recording a season-high four blocks. Rookie Vangelis Bebis added 10 points, his second straight double-digit effort in his second start of the season. Rookie Schadrac Casimir had eight points and four assists, while graduate Jeylani Dublin had six points in the win.
Niagara’s Wesley Myers led four double-digit Purple Eagle performers with 18 points. Emile Blackman scored all 15 pf his points in the second half. Snowden had 13 points and nine rebounds while Karonn Davis posted 10 points and five assists.
The Gaels shot a torrid 59.3% from the field while holding Niagara to 34.3%. The Purple Eagles shot 45.8% from beyond the arc and just 12-for-43 (27.9%) on two-point attempts. Iona was out rebounded 39-34 but held an 18-12 assist advantage while committing just eight turnovers.
The Maroon & Gold is back in action Saturday (Jan. 31) at the Hynes Center when they host Saint Peter’s at 7:00 pm on ESPN3.
