Iona Gaels Hold Off Bryant Bulldogs 69-63 in Low-Possession Battle

NEW ROCHELLE, NY (December 10, 2025) — The Iona University men’s basketball team defeated Bryant 69-63 in non-conference action at the Hynes Center.

The game featured a methodical pace with 67 possessions, the lowest total of the season for Iona.

Iona trailed 5-4 early before a 14-0 surge built an 18-5 lead with 12:02 left in the first half. Bryant responded with a 15-5 run to pull within one at 2:22, then tied the score at 32-32 before graduate Toby Harris hit a three-pointer at the buzzer for a 35-32 Iona halftime lead.

The second half saw ties at 40-40 with 16:52 remaining and 48-48 with 13:24 left. Iona went on a 9-2 burst to lead 57-50 at 9:32. With Iona ahead by three in the final seven minutes, senior Lamin Sabally hit two free throws, followed with a dunk after a defensive stop and assisted on a transition lob for a 65-56 advantage at 5:05. Bryant closed within four at 2:18 but got no closer as Iona forced six missed shots in the final 101 seconds.

Graduate CJ Anthony and Harris each scored 18 points to lead Iona. Anthony shot 7-for-13 with 16 points in the first half, five assists, two rebounds and two steals. Harris went 6-for-10 from three-point range with nine points in each half, five rebounds and one steal.

Sabally added 10 points, all in the second half, with eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Alliou Fall contributed six points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals off the bench.

Junior Denver Anglin scored five points and dished six assists.

For Bryant, Aaron Davis led with 18 points, three rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Timofei Rudovskii posted 17 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals. Keegan Harvey had nine points. Ashley Sims scored eight points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. Ty Tabales added eight points and seven assists.

Iona shot 41.0% from the field and 44.0% from three-point range, compared to Bryant’s 39.3% overall and 41.7% from deep. Iona hit double-digit three-pointers for the seventh time in 11 games.

Bryant held a 38-31 rebounding edge, including 9-6 on the offensive glass, but Iona led 10-7 in second-chance points.

Iona recorded 18 assists and eight turnovers, while Bryant had 20 assists and 17 turnovers.

Iona dominated points in the paint 28-12.

Iona improved to 8-3 overall and 1-1 in the MAAC, while Bryant fell to 3-8 overall and 0-0 in the America East.

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.