ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (March 5, 2026) — Sacred Heart used a strong offensive second half to defeat the Iona University men’s basketball team, 91-80, in the opening round of the 2026 Air Force Reserve MAAC Championship at Boardwalk Hall.
Graduate student Luke Jungers led five Iona players in double figures with a season-best 20 points in the loss.
The Gaels jumped out to an early 21-14 advantage through the first 12 minutes of the contest, limiting Sacred Heart to 5-for-19 shooting from the floor and 2-of-4 from three-point range during that stretch.
Sacred Heart responded over the next seven and a half minutes, shooting 7-for-11 from the field and hitting 6-of-10 attempts from beyond the arc while closing the half on a 20-8 run to take a five-point lead into the break.
Iona battled back to tie the score twice in the second half. The last tie came on a Jungers three-pointer that evened the game at 45-45 with 14:54 remaining.
Sacred Heart answered with an 8-0 run, taking the lead for good with all eight points coming at the free-throw line. Iona was unable to cut the deficit to fewer than three points the rest of the way.
Jungers scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half, finishing 7-for-15 from the floor and 4-for-11 from three-point range while adding six rebounds.
Lamin Sabally scored 16 points, including 10 in the final 20 minutes. He finished 8-for-9 from the field and led the Gaels with eight assists and seven rebounds.
Khalil Badru added a season-best 14 points and three rebounds. CJ Anthony and Kosy Akametu each scored 11 points. Anthony also had five assists and a steal, while Akametu grabbed six rebounds.
For Sacred Heart, Nyle Ralph-Beyer led all scorers with 25 points, connecting on six three-pointers. Yann Farell and Anquan Hill each scored 19 points, with Farell recording a double-double with 10 rebounds. Mekhi Conner finished with nine points and 12 assists.
Sacred Heart shot 50% from the field compared with 46.2% for Iona and finished 13-for-37 from three-point range.
The Gaels held a 35-33 rebounding edge, including a 13-8 advantage on the offensive glass that led to a 12-7 margin in second-chance points.
Both teams committed seven turnovers. Sacred Heart had a 21-17 edge in assists, while points off turnovers were even at 12-12.
The Pioneers converted 20 of 24 free-throw attempts, while Iona went 12-for-18 at the line.
With the loss, Iona finished the 2025-26 season with an 18-14 overall record in its first season under head coach Dan Geriot. The game marked the final appearance for graduate students Lamin Sabally, CJ Anthony and Toby Harris.
This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.