Iona Gaels Basketball: Back To Winning With 85-67 Victory Over Jaspers

The Iona Gaels had lost four straight by a total of 11 points, so they went out fast 12-0 Monday night over Manhattan and held up against an early second-half rally by the Jaspers to win 85-67.

Junior forward Mike Glover led the Gaels with 20 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.  Point guard Scott Machado had 14 points and 10 assists.  Coming off the bench, hot-shooting freshman Sean Armand had 17 points.  Senior Alejo Rodriquez, improving with each game coming off offseason hip surgery, had a very strong game with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Manhattan's Michael Alverez, who sunk a 65-foot buzzer-beater versus Marist on Sunday afternoon, led all scorers with 25 points. 

The win improves the Gaels to 14-10 on the year and 8-5 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.  Also Monday night, Loyola defeated Sienna, 76-69, leaving the two Monday night victors tied for fourth place in the MAAC. 

Currently leading is Fairfield, 11-2, then St. Peter's and Rider are tied for second at 9-4 followed by Loyola and Iona, tied for fourth.

Iona next plays at home against Sienna on Friday night at 7:30 PM then heads to Marist on Sunday afternoon for a 4 PM start.

Alejo Rodriquez, from New York, New York, received strong praise after the game from coach Tim Cluess about his 11-point, 10-rebound effort against Manhattan. 

Alejo was noticeably elevating on the offensive boards, grabbing seven rebounds. Coming back from offseason hip surgery, he played 32 minutes for Iona.

Sean Armand, from Brooklyn, NY, continues to impress all the Hynes Center fans with his solid jump shot by shooting 6-for-17 for 35 percent from the field including five three-point shots. 

He played most of the second half, contributing 29 minutes.

Trinity Fields, from Queens, NY, contributed six points and three assists in nine minutes of action against Manhattan.

Scott Machado, from Queens, NY, is the on-court game manager for Iona.  He is consistent and smooth in handling the ball at point guard.  He has been averaging eight assists a game this year, which has placed him among the leaders in the entire NCAA.

Against Manhattan, Scott shot 6-of-12 from the field with one three-point shot and 1-of-1 foul shots made for 14 points.  Additionally, he contributed 10 assists.

Kyle Smyth started the game in Tim Cluess' three-guard lineup and went 3-of-8 from the field including two three-point shots for eight points. 

He added five rebounds to his outing of 20 minutes.

Rashon Dwight started the game, contributing eight points on 3-of-8 shooting with two three-point shots for eight points in 16 minutes.

Junior Mike Glover was 8-of-12 from the field including several hard dunk shots along with 4-of-7 from the foul line for 20 points. 

He added 10 rebounds including eight on defense.  Mike also added two assists and three blocked shots while playing nearly the entire game for Iona.

Jayon James, from Patterson, NJ, played eight minutes versus Manhattan and contributed a defensive rebound and one blocked shot.

Sophomore Chris Pelcher, from Albany, NY, saw limited action against the Jaspers, but was in long enough to snag one defensive rebound.

That's Jermel Jenkins, Kyle Smyth, Chris Pelcher and Trinity Fields after their win against Manhattan.

The Gaels, now 14-10 on the season and 8-5 in the MAAC, take on Siena in New Rochelle on Friday night and travel to play Marist at 4 PM.