ST. THOMAS, USVI (November 21, 2025) — The Iona University men’s basketball team fell 96-75 to Akron in its opener at the 2025 Paradise Jam presented by Basketball Travelers at the University of the Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center.
The Zips took control early in the non-conference matchup and never trailed after responding to Iona’s brief 3-2 lead with 10 straight points.
Akron built a 25-point advantage with 4:38 left in the first half, but the Gaels closed the period with an 11-0 run to trail 47-33 at halftime.
Graduate Keshawn Williams opened the second half with a conventional three-point play to pull Iona within 11, but Akron answered with a nine-point burst to extend the lead again.
Junior Kosy Akametu led Iona with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including 3-of-4 from three-point range, and added a team-high seven rebounds.
Graduate CJ Anthony contributed 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting with one three-pointer, six assists and three rebounds.
Williams finished with 12 points and three rebounds.
Sophomore Khalil Badru scored nine points in the second half off the bench and added two steals.
Senior Lamin Sabally had seven points, five rebounds and two assists.
For Akron, freshman Eric Mahaffey led all scorers with 20 points on 8-for-9 shooting, eight rebounds and three assists.
Senior Tavari Johnson added 19 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Senior Evan Mahaffey scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Graduate Shammah Scott had 14 points and a team-high five assists.
Senior Bowen Hardman contributed 10 points.
Akron shot 53.8% from the field compared to Iona’s 43.5%, and hit 9-of-21 (42.9%) from three-point range while the Gaels went 8-of-25 (32.0%).
The Zips held a 40-31 rebounding edge, with offensive rebounds tied at 11-11, and led 15-14 in second-chance points.
Akron recorded 20 assists against 11 turnovers, while Iona had 12 assists and 17 turnovers. The Zips held a 26-14 advantage in points off turnovers.
Iona fell to 4-1 overall and 0-0 in the MAAC, while Akron improved to 4-1 and 0-0 in the MAC.
This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.