NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Iona College men’s basketball team used an 18-2 second half run to pull away from Quinnipiac in a 78-59 win in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action at the Hynes Center. Senior A.J. English scored all 16 of his points in the second half to lead the Maroon & Gold while classmate Isaiah Williams posted his third double-double for the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
After being held scoreless over the first 20 minutes, English exploded for 16 points in the second half as the Gaels outscored Quinnipiac 41-25 in the frame. Williams and senior Ibn Muhammad had 15 points apiece. Both were 6-for-12 from the field. Williams connected on three three-point field goals while Muhammad had two and matched his career-high point total. Rookie Jahaad Proctor provided a spark off the bench with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting and also collected a career-high seven rebounds. Junior Jordan Washington had eight points and six rebounds and graduate Aaron Rountree posted seven points, four rebounds, four assists, four blocked shots and two steals.
Quinnipiac sophomore Chaise Daniels had 12 points and seven rebounds and rookie Abdulai Bundu posted 12 points and six boards in the loss. Junior James Ford recorded 10 points and seven rebounds.
Iona shot 41.7% from the field and held the Bobcats to just 31.7% including a 7-for-29 (24.1%) in the second half. After hitting its first four field goal attempts in the second half, Quinnipiac was just 3-for-25 (12.0%) over the final 16:29. It was that stretch where the Gaels started to take advantage. Iona scored 13 straight points to kick off an 18-2 run over a 3:40 span. The Maroon & Gold was 8-for-9 from the field during the run while the Bobcats went 1-for-7 with three turnovers. Iona led by as many as 20 points before the final margin of 19.
Quinnipiac held a slight 43-41 advantage on the boards, over taking the Gaels in the waning moments of the contest. For the second straight game and third in the last four, Iona recorded 20 assists.
Iona is back in action Friday night for a highly anticipated rematch with MAAC-leading Monmouth in West Long Branch, NJ. Tip-off between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the league is slated for 10:00 pm on ESPNU.
