After going 3-3 to start the New Year, the Gaels stared down two important games last week, both at home. They had to face the Merrimack Warriors and the rival Manhattan Jaspers.
The Iona men’s basketball team played against Merrimack on Jan. 22 and with just a second left, while trailing behind one of the top teams in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference by just two, Graduate student Toby Harris hit a saving grace shot.
Following an Ernest Shelton missed free throw, C.J. Anthony caught the rebound, drove up the court, passed it to Lamin Sabally in the paint, who then dished it out to Harris with the opportunity to make the shot that ended the game with a win for the Gaels.
“After a horrible first half by myself my teammates trusted me to still hit shots and I was lucky enough to be in a position to win the game for our team,” Harris stated in a sit-down interview. “As a shooter it’s always the next shot mentality and to keep shooting. Shoutout to Denver for keeping us in the game and that’s the performance people should be hyping up!”
After speaking with Harris in previous interviews, he expressed that he also wanted to “shout out DA, man kept us in the whole game.”
The victory meant the Gaels were 5-5 in the MAAC going into one of their biggest games of the year.
Jan. 24 saw the Gaels play their rival, the Manhattan University Jaspers, in the annual “Gold Rush” game. In addition to the sea of gold in the Hynes Athletic Center, the Gaels were able to pick up the win, defeating Manhattan, 66-57.
Kosy Akametu had himself a career game by scoring 23 points. He also shot 7 for 12 from the line and 3 for 6 from beyond the arc. Additionally, Denver Anglin scored 12 points and contributed to his team’s victory. Iona controlled most of the game; the success was a team effort, and every player played a vital role. While Iona dominated most of the game, taking the first half of the game, Manhattan did step up in the second game, outscoring the Gaels in the second half, but Iona still was able to put up 34 points to still have leverage on Manhattan.
The Gaels look to continue their winning streak over the next few games, playing Fairfield at home on Jan. 30, Siena on the road on Feb. 5, and Mount Saint Mary’s at home on Feb. 7.
