RICHMOND, VA – The Iona College men’s basketball team’s strong second half led to an 88-79 win over Richmond at the Robins Center. The Gaels (8-2) bounced back from their largest defeat in two seasons and improved to 4-1 on its current nine-game stretch away from New Rochelle.
Five Iona players posted double-digit point totals led by senior Mike Glover’s game-high 24 points. Glover added eight rebounds and two steals while shooting 11-for-13 from the field. Senior Scott Machado posted his sixth double-double of the year with 13 points and 15 assists while recording just two turnovers. Machado reached the 15 assist mark for the third time this season, matching his career high. Sophomore Sean Armand came off the bench for a season-best 17 points, shooting 6-of-10 from the field with five three-point field goals. Juniors Ra’Shad James and Lamont Jones each chipped in 14 points. James had six rebounds while Jones dished out five assists in the win.
Richmond jumped out to a 14-6 advantage less than seven minutes into the game, scoring 11 straight points over a four minute span. The lead was quickly erased as Iona went on a 12-0 run over the next five-plus minutes and took an 18-14 lead. Eleven lead changes and three tie scores marked the first half as the Gaels took a 37-35 advantage into the break.
Trailing 42-39 at the 17:23 mark, two Machado free throws and junior Taaj Ridley’s jumper gave Iona a lead it would not relinquish. It sparked another 12-0 run for the Gaels that concluded with a conventional three-point play by Glover at 14:11 and a 51-42 advantage for the visitors. Two minutes later, James tipped in his own miss and Iona took its first double-digit advantage and led 55-44. The Maroon & Gold scored nine straight points capped by a Jones layup that made the score 74-56 at 6:12 for the squad’s largest advantage. A James alley-oop from Machado with 2:03 left put the game away, but a 12-4 run by the Spiders over the 70 seconds made the final margin an 88-79 victory for the Gaels.
Iona shot 58.7% from the field for the game, its second highest output of the season. The percentage was helped by an 8-for-14 effort from behind the arc (a season-high 57.1%) and a 67.7% mark in the second half. After two straight games of missing the 20-assist plateau, the Gaels posted 25 to just 13 turnovers. Iona also out rebounded Richmond 34-30 after being badly out matched on the glass in its last contest at Marshall.
The Spiders had four performers in double-digits led by Cedric Lindsay’s 21 points. He also recorded eight assists but had eight turnovers in the loss. Rookie guard Kendall Anthony scored tallied 18 points, with seven coming in the final 1:10 of the game. Darius Garrett had 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks while Darien Brothers added 11 for Richmond.
The Gaels continue their road trip on Saturday (Dec. 17) when they travel to Burlington, VT to take on Vermont.
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