WILLIAMSBURG, VA – Five players recorded double-digit points and two had double-doubles in the Iona College men’s basketball team’s 83-65 win at William & Mary and Kaplan Arena. The Gaels (10-2) led wire-to-wire to improve to 6-1 on its current trip away from the Hynes Center.
Junior Lamont Jones and sophomore Sean Armand led the way with 20 points apiece. Jones – a first-year transfer from Arizona – posted a career-best eight assists and had just one turnover while shooting 8-for-16 from the field and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. Armand scored all 20 of his points in the second half, connecting on 6-of-7 three-point attempts. Senior Jermel Jenkins hit three three-pointers and scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half. Senior Mike Glover and junior Taaj Ridley each had 12 points. Glover posted 10 boards and three blocks while Ridley added six rebounds in the win. Senior Scott Machado posted his team-leading seventh double-double of the year, missing a triple-double by just four points. He recorded six points, 10 assists and a career-best 10 rebounds.
Iona jumped out to a 5-0 lead on its first two possessions with a Glover put back and a Jones three. A Quinn McDowell three-pointer at 16:46 got the Tribe within one point at 7-6 but that’s as close as the home team would get. A Jenkins three-pointer at 9:09 and 5:50 gave the Gaels their largest lead of the first half at 11 points. William & Mary battled two within four points with under a minute to play but Machado’s three-pointer as time expired gave Iona a 41-34 advantage at the break.
The Gaels quickly opened up a 13-point advantage in the second half on two Armand three-pointers. The lead expanded to as much as 24 points on back-to-back possessions with another Armand three-ball and a Glover layup.
McDowell led the Tribe with 18 points with the assist of four three-pointers. Matt Rum had 12 points and Kendrix Brown added nine boards the home team.
Iona shot 51.6% from the field for the game and 62.5% from beyond the arc, connecting on a season-high 15 three-pointers, and the third highest single-game total in school history. The Gaels held the Tribe to 41.0% shooting for the game and had a 36-32 rebounding advantage with the help of a 22-12 lead in the second half. Iona’s 21 assists marked the eighth time in 12 games this season they posted 20+ helpers.
After seven straight road games that required the squad jumping on a plane, the Gaels are back in action after the Christmas holiday for a short bus trip to metropolitan area rival Hofstra on Long Island on Dec. 29. Tipoff between the Maroon & Gold and the Pride is at 7:00 pm.
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