NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Iona College men’s basketball team never led in a 98-91 defeat at Fairfield in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action at Webster Bank Arena. The Stags jumped out to an 18-2 advantage and held off a second half charge from the Gaels.
Junior Jordan Washington recorded 22 of his career-high 33 points in the first half and completed his third double-double of the season with 12 rebounds. Senior Isaiah Williams added 22 points and eight rebounds and his classmate A.J. English scored all 16 of his points in the second half while adding seven rebounds in the loss. Graduate Aaron Rountree posted four points, five assists, five rebounds, four steals and two blocks.
The Stags were led by a 32-point, 10-rebound double-double by senior Marcus Gilbert. Sophomore Tyler Nelson added 22 points and senior Scott King had 11 points to round out Fairfield’s double-digit scorers.
Fairfield’s largest lead came with 16:48 to play in the second half at 62-45 on a Nelson layup. The Gaels used a 20-6 run over the next five minutes to get within three points. Williams hit a three-pointer from the wing to ake the score 68-65. The Stags followed with a 12-2 run of their own to regain a 13-point advantage. The Maroon & Gold got within five points with less than 30 seconds to play but it was close as they would get before two Gilbert free throws made the final margin 98-91.
Iona was out shot 54.7% – 46.2% but held a 43-34 advantage on the boards. The Gaels shot just 22-of-37 from the free throw line.
The Maroon & Gold is back in action Friday night when they host Manhattan at the Hynes Center for a 7:00 pm tip on ESPNU.