Iona Beats Rider, Will Play for MAAC Title Monday

BRIDGEPORT, CT—In the last few weeks of the regular basketball season it was Iona, not Fairfield, that looked like the best team in the MAAC. The Gaels entered the Tournament on a seven-game win streak, including a victory over Fairfield to close out the regular season. Their average margin of victory over that stretch was more than 16 points.

So while it was certainly a surprise that top-seeded Fairfield lost on its home court to Saint Peter’s in the first semifinal game at the Arena at Harbor Yard Saturday, it shouldn’t be a shock that Iona defeated Rider, 83-59 Sunday, on the other side of the bracket to advance to Monday’s championship.

The Gaels were able to run their winning streak to nine thanks to outstanding outside shooting. Iona converted 14 of their 28 three-point attempts (50 percent). Senior Rashon Dwight was the star of the first half, hitting four of his five threes and scoring 14 of his 19 points in the opening frame. Junior Jermel Jenkins came off the bench in place of an injured Kyle Smyth and caught fire, hitting five of his six three-pointers in the second half to finish with 20 points.

“Being that a lot of attention is going to [Mike] Glover and Scott [Machado] and [Kyle] Smyth, usually I’m left open,” Dwight said.

The Gaels never trailed. They led 38-30 at halftime. Rider cut the deficit to four a few minutes into the second half, but Iona responded with a 12-2 run to go up 58-44. During that stretch, Dwight and Jenkins hit back-to-back threes to quickly double Iona’s lead, and on the next possession Mike Glover scored on a fast break. The common theme on all those baskets was an assist from Scott Machado, who tallied 12 assists in the game (as many as Rider’s entire team). The Gaels finished with 26 assists on 30 of their made field goals.

“You can’t limit Glover’s touches, keep Machado out of the lane, and guard the three. You really have to pick your poison,” Rider head coach Tommy Dempsey said. “The reason they’re a good team is they’re very well balanced in their approach offensively.”

After the 14:31 mark of the second half the Broncs never got closer than nine points. The exclamation point came on a Chris Pelcher dunk (which drew a foul) with 3:32 left to put Iona up 18. Glover, usually on the receiving end of such a play, was the one who found Pelcher cutting to the hoop.

Rider had played the late game on Saturday night, one that ended past midnight. Iona head coach Tim Cluess thought that didn’t help the Broncs. “I always think that has an effect,” he said, before going on to note that it is hard for any team to keep up with Iona’s up-tempo style. “Our guys are conditioned to do this and play every day hard because it’s the way they work from Day One. One thing that’s going to favor us no matter who we play is our conditioning.”

With the victory, Iona earns its 11th appearance in the MAAC final, its most recent coming in 2006, when it also faced St. Peter’s, and won. Iona won both its meetings with the Peacocks this season—by 18 points at home in early January and by 14 on Feb. 25. If the Gaels can make it three for three, they’ll get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The game can be seen on ESPN2 at 7 pm.