Courtesy of GoGriffs.com
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y – Iona junior A.J. English, the nation’s fourth-leading scorer, posted a season-low eight points, but four of those came in the game’s final 29 seconds, as the host Gaels defeated Canisius 79-76 Saturday afternoon in the Hynes Center. The win improved Iona to 11-5 overall and 4-1 in MAAC play while the Golden Griffins slipped to 8-7 overall and 3-3 in league games.
Canisius, which shot 50.8 percent from the field and 45.8 percent from 3-point land for the game, had a chance to tie the game at the end of regulation, but a 3-point shot from redshirt-freshman Jermaine Crumpton was too strong, and Iona grabbed the board to seal the victory. Crumpton was one of three Griffs to register double-figures in the losing effort, as he posted 13 points off the bench. Sophomore Zach Lewis had a team-high 16 points with four rebounds and three assists for the Blue and Gold and senior Josiah Heath added 10 points in the losing effort despite picking up three fouls in the game’s first 20 minutes. Canisius out rebounded Iona 37-33 and closed out the contest with 19 assists on 30 made field goals.
“We shot almost 51 percent, we had 19 assists and turned the ball over just 13 times today, we should have had this one,” Canisius head coach Jim Baron said. “I thought we played pretty good defensively, but we got into some early foul trouble and they got to the free-throw line way more than we did. I told the guys after the game that they can be as good as they want to be. We didn’t back down on the road against a really talented, veteran team.”
For Iona, junior guard Isaiah Williams scored a game-high 26 points, highlighted by six makes from 3-point land. Senior David Laury, the MAAC’s Preseason Player of the Year, added 25 points and 10 rebounds to the Gaels’ effort, as the home team shot 44.3 percent from the floor, 37 percent from 3-point range and 62.5 percent from the free-throw line. Iona went 15-of-24 from the free-throw line for the game and the Gaels out scored the Griffs 34-24 in the paint. Canisius made 5-of-7 from the stripe.
Canisius trailed 72-70 before Heath knotted the game at 72-72 with 1:59 left on the clock after he knocked down a 17-foot jumper. Iona regained the lead on its next possession as Williams got free and drained a 3-pointer from the left corner to give the Gaels a 75-72 advantage. Heath made a pair of free-throws with 1:03 left on the clock to cut into Iona’s hold at 75-74, but then English stepped up for Iona, as the junior knocked down a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down to put the home squad up 78-74 with 28.4 seconds left to play. Lewis got the Griffs within two at 78-76 with a driving lay-up with 12 seconds to play, but he was unable to convert on the free-throw chance after he was hammered to the floor. English was fouled quickly by the Griffs with 8.2 seconds left and he made 1-of-2 charity tosses to make the score 79-76. The Griffs got a good look, but couldn’t connect, and Iona was able to score its third-straight win in the series, dating back to last year.
English added eight assists and five rebounds to his final stat line, while Williams was credited with five helpers for Iona. Canisius redshirt-freshman Kassius Robertson matched a career-high with nine points while dishing out a career-best four assists to go with five rebounds in the loss for the Blue and Gold. Senior Jeremiah Williams also had nine points off the bench for the Griffs, as Canisius’ reserves out scored Iona’s bench by a 34-11 count for the game.
The Griffs will get back to action at home on Friday, Jan. 16, as the team plays host to Siena. Tipoff in the Koessler Athletic Center is set for 7 p.m.
Game Notes: This was the 65th all-time meeting between the schools, with Iona holding a 36-29 lead in the series… The Griffs have now shot 50 percent or better from the field in each of the team’s last two games… Canisius’ 11 makes from 3-point land matches a season high and it marks the 30th time under Baron where the team has made 10-or more 3-point field goals in a game… The 30 made field goals are the most for the team this season… Canisius scored a season-high 43 points in the first half… Lewis now has scored in double-figures in seven of the Griffs’ last eight games… Crumpton’s 13 points gives him double-digits in the scoring column twice in the Griffs’ last three outings… Junior Kevin Bleeker matched a career-high with two blocked shots and he matched a season-high with seven boards… Heath drew two charges in the game to give him 10 this season and 43 in his career… Eight of the 10 players to see time for Canisius had an assist in the loss… The game featured 12 lead changes and eight ties.
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