Few college hoops teams are more exciting than the Iona Gaels.

The points per game leader in college hoops during each of the last two years, the Gaels found that simply outscoring teams does not necessarily win games.

When Iona (11-8 overall, 8-2 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC)) brought their high scoring act on the road in non-conference play, they found other teams are just as capable of lighting up the scoreboard.

During Iona’s first game at Dayton, they were defeated 96-84 despite a 30 point effort from sophomore point guard A.J. English.

This trend continued during the Gaels remaining two road games in non-conference play. At Nevada, the Gaels lost 80-72. In their final game in 2013, Iona lost 90-78 at Northern Iowa.

Despite these losses, the Gaels had several bright spots from this stretch. Freshman forward Ryden Hines was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week after scoring 19 points at Northern Iowa in what was his first collegiate start.

MAAC play restarted for Iona with a home game against Niagara. In what was the first game at the Hynes Athletics Center in a month, the Gaels won 118-92.

In a game where the Gaels never trailed, Iona had seven players score at least ten points apiece. Senior guard Tre Bowman led all Iona scorers with 23 points off the bench.

The 118 points scored by Iona set a school record for points in a non-overtime game. Iona also set a school record with 34 assists in the contest.

Despite their offensive exploits, the Gaels defense remained porous. This would come to hurt them in their next contest at Quinnipiac.

In what was their first MAAC matchup against the Bobcats, Iona went down by 31-10 just 8:14 into the contest. Quinnipiac hit their first eight shots of the game.

The Bobcats also used a 31-12 rebounding advantage to pull away from the Gaels and hold a 22-point lead at the intermission.

Iona did cut the deficit down to 10 with a little more than two minutes remaining in the second half, but the Gaels ultimately lost 86-74.

With losses in five of their last six games, the Gaels returned to New Rochelle to play Fairfield. Despite having no field goals from senior guard Sean Armand, Iona still prevailed by a score of 84-75.

This win featured the return of sophomore guard Isaiah Williams, who had missed the previous seven games. In 17 minutes off the bench, the Newark native led the Gaels in rebounds with six.

According to Armand, the return of Williams to the team will be an x-factor for the team going forward. “He [Williams] does a little of everything and has the best energy of anyone on the team,” Armand said.

Williams and Iona looked to win consecutive games for the first time in 2014 during an away trip to Siena.

Although the Gaels trailed the Saints with 4:27 remaining in the second half, Iona outscored Siena 17-7 during the final four minutes of the game to win 87-78.

English led the way for the Gaels with a career-high 31 points, while Armand contributed 19 points of his own.

The emergence of English this season has been viewed by Armand as a critical factor. “A.J. is a scorer and is a good player; he is doing what any good player is supposed to do, and he is still learning how to play the point guard position,” Armand said.

With a share of first place in the MAAC, Iona returned to the Hynes Athletics Center to start a three-game home stand against Canisius.

The Golden Griffins and star point guard Billy Baron totaled 50 points in the first half, and held a 15-point advantage with 11:33 remaining in the contest. However, Iona subsequently went on an 18-0 run over the next 4:07 to take a 74-71 lead.

Baron and the Golden Griffins recovered to tie and eventually take an 85-83 lead with 14 seconds remaining. Iona failed to hit a buzzer beater, resulting in their first home loss in conference play this season.

The Gaels recovered in their following home contest with an 86-74 win over Siena. Bowman led all scorers with 25 points, while Williams added 20 points of his own.

Iona was behind for just 22 seconds in the contest, and used a 17-4 run in the second half to secure the win.

In their following contest, the Gaels exacted revenge on the Quinnipiac Bobcats in a 95-73 victory. Armand’s 23 points were the most by the Gaels in the contest, while Bowman and English contributed 20 apiece.

Without junior forward Ousmane Drame in the lineup, Quinnipiac was outrebounded by Iona 45-37. This was the first time the Bobcats were outrebounded by an opponent in 49 games.

With the victory, head coach Tim Cluess became just the fifth Iona head coach to win 80 games.

The Gaels extended their winning streak to three games with a 71-63 victory at Saint Peter’s. English’s 18 points were the most points by an Iona player, while junior forward David Laury contributed 14 points off the bench.

Now at 8-2 in MAAC play, Iona is tied with Canisius on top of the MAAC standings.

Armand attributes the Gaels’ recent success to several key points including “an improved fast break and because we are buying into giving multiple efforts on defense.”

“Different people are scoring and we are sharing the ball,” Armand said. “So we are getting productivity from many people, not just A.J. and I.”

Iona will continue MAAC play on Jan. 31, when it plays Manhattan at the Hynes Athletics Center at 9 p.m. This game will feature the retiring of NBA Hall of Famer Richie Guerin’s number 14. Guerin played for the Maroon & Gold from 1951 to 1954.

The Gaels will then play three straight road games; they travel to Monmouth, Niagara and Canisius before facing Saint Peter’s at home on Feb. 12.