With a few games left in the season, the Gaels are looking to clinch a spot in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship Tournament in March.
They started off this stretch against Canisius University in Buffalo, N.Y. on Feb. 13, where they came up victorious with a final score of 69-63.
The Gaels needed this win to give them back the confidence they needed, especially after having three consecutive losses in the last three.
Lamin Sabally played a crucial role, putting up 17 pts and being the leading scorer this game for the Gaels. But the game was not all Iona, as the Griffs dominated lots of parts of this game, especially at the beginning. Iona made sure to stay right behind them, even getting a lead at half-time. Canisius cut the deficit early in the second half, but Iona answered with a quick seven-point burst before the Griffs surged back to pull within one. Even though the Griffs outscored them in the second half, the Gaels were still able to come out on top.
Next, the Gaels played on the road against Niagara University on Feb. 15. The Gaels battled to the very last moment, but lost the game 68-70.
Iona had a difficult start to kick off the game, not being able to surpass Niagara’s success. But in the second half, Iona was able to outscore the Purple Eagles.
Key players throughout the game were Toby Harris and CJ Anthony, both being vital reasons why the game was close between both players. They scored a combined 33 points.
Finally, the Gaels played St. Peter’s University at the Hynes Athletic Center, which saw the Gaels come up on top in overtime, 72-64.
Both Anthony and Kosy Akametu had 18 pts to lead the team, putting it on their backs. This win was not an easy one for the Gaels. They fought hard, but St. Peters struck first, taking an early 8-2 lead. St. Peters also took the first half, going up 31-29. But, Iona used this as fuel and came back to tie the game, adding 32 points to make it 61-61 and were forced to go to overtime. The Gaels would end up pulling the victory in overtime, and would clinch a spot in the MAAC Championship Tournament with that win.
With a postseason spot already clinched, the Gaels will spend their last two games fighting for a higher seed. The team will be facing last-in-the-MAAC Rider on Feb. 27, which is also the team’s Senior Night (which will see Luke Junger, Anthony, Harris, and Lamin Sabally honored), and ninth-placed Manhattan on the road on Mar. 1 to finish out the season.
