Cassell Leads Iona MBB To Sixth Straight at Rider, 95-76.jpg

Cassell Leads Iona MBB To Sixth Straight at Rider, 95-76

Written By: Talk of the Sound News

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Behind a career-high 29 points from Sam Cassell Jr., the Iona College men’s basketball team won a sixth straight game by upending Rider 95-76 on the road in MAAC action this evening.

Cassell knocked down a career-best seven 3-pointers on the way to his career-high 29 points, adding six rebounds and three assists. Off the bench, Jordan Washington added 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting to go along with three blocks and two steals. Jon Severe shot 7-of-10 from the field towards 17 points and five assists.

After trailing by one early, a 21-9 run from the Gaels (16-8, 9-4 MAAC) pushed the score to 26-14 with 11:36 left in the first half. Building a lead to as large as 17 points on two occasions, Iona was able to go into the break with a 45-31 lead despite not scoring for nearly a six-minute stretch in the later stages of the opening period.

Severe pushed the halftime margin to 14 points with a 3-pointer off a Rickey McGill assist, one of his six of the night, with 19 seconds remaining. Severe finished the half with 10 points while Washington led all scorers with 13 and Cassell added 11. Rider (13-11, 6-7 MAAC) was unable to hit a 3-pointer in the first half, however, held a 22-12 advantage in points in the paint.

Cassell capped off a 12-2 run in the second half to push the lead to 21 points, one of five times the advantage reached that total. For the remainder of the game, the Maroon & Gold never let the margin slip below 15 points. Cassell helped push the pressure with 18 points in the final 20 minutes.

Iona finished the game shooting 13-of-22 (59.1 percent) from beyond the arc, the 15th time the Gaels have reached 10 or more 3-pointers in a game. The Maroon & Gold are 14-1 in such games. In the effort, the Broncs finished with a 45-36 rebounding advantage. However, the hosts were only able to shoot 3-of-16 (18.8 percent) from long distance.

The Gaels return home on Tuesday before three straight road games, the final three of the regular season. Before the stretch, Iona hosts Siena at 7:00 pm on Tuesday. NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Behind a career-high 29 points from Sam Cassell Jr., the Iona College men’s basketball team won a sixth straight game by upending Rider 95-76 on the road in MAAC action this evening.

Cassell knocked down a career-best seven 3-pointers on the way to his career-high 29 points, adding six rebounds and three assists. Off the bench, Jordan Washington added 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting to go along with three blocks and two steals. Jon Severe shot 7-of-10 from the field towards 17 points and five assists.

After trailing by one early, a 21-9 run from the Gaels (16-8, 9-4 MAAC) pushed the score to 26-14 with 11:36 left in the first half. Building a lead to as large as 17 points on two occasions, Iona was able to go into the break with a 45-31 lead despite not scoring for nearly a six-minute stretch in the later stages of the opening period.

Severe pushed the halftime margin to 14 points with a 3-pointer off a Rickey McGill assist, one of his six of the night, with 19 seconds remaining. Severe finished the half with 10 points while Washington led all scorers with 13 and Cassell added 11. Rider (13-11, 6-7 MAAC) was unable to hit a 3-pointer in the first half, however, held a 22-12 advantage in points in the paint.

Cassell capped off a 12-2 run in the second half to push the lead to 21 points, one of five times the advantage reached that total. For the remainder of the game, the Maroon & Gold never let the margin slip below 15 points. Cassell helped push the pressure with 18 points in the final 20 minutes.

Iona finished the game shooting 13-of-22 (59.1 percent) from beyond the arc, the 15th time the Gaels have reached 10 or more 3-pointers in a game. The Maroon & Gold are 14-1 in such games. In the effort, the Broncs finished with a 45-36 rebounding advantage. However, the hosts were only able to shoot 3-of-16 (18.8 percent) from long distance.

The Gaels return home on Tuesday before three straight road games, the final three of the regular season. Before the stretch, Iona hosts Siena at 7:00 pm on Tuesday.