Under Head Coach Tim Cluess, Iona basketball has never failed to win their first game of the season at the Hynes Athletics Center.

This streak continued on Nov. 16, when the Gaels faced Wofford. The Gaels, who started off the season with a 73-69 loss at Cleveland State, looked to open up their newly refurbished gym with a win.

The run-and-gun offense Iona has displayed over the last two seasons did not appear during the first half.

Despite holding a 35-31 lead after 20 minutes, Iona shot just 29 percent from the field. The Maroon & Gold held the lead in large part due to their 13 free throws compared to Wofford’s five.

In the second half, the Gaels returned to their high-scoring ways.

After being held to one field goal in the first half, senior guard Sean Armand scored 15 points, while sophomore guard Isaiah Williams contributed 13 more points to spearhead the Gaels attack.

Due in part to Armand and Williams, Iona shot 68 percent from the field in the second half to propel to a 76-55 victory.

Armed with their first win of the season, the Gaels traveled to Lawrence, Kan. to face No. 2 ranked Kansas.

This matchup between the Maroon & Gold and the Jayhawks was set up in part because Iona President Dr. Joseph E. Nyre is a Kansas alum.

Although Kansas had a 64 game winning streak against non-conference opponents at Allen Fieldhouse, the Gaels did not give into the aura of the Kansas gym.

Iona led Kansas by as many as five points in the first half. The Gaels went in to the half down 41-36 despite shooting at a 44.8 percent clip compared to the Jayhawks, who shot 58.6 percent from the field.

Leading the way for the Maroon & Gold in the half were sophomore guard A.J. English, who had 11 points, while Armand had 10.

In the second half, the Jayhawks displayed why they are a preseason national championship favorite.

Fueled in part by a 10-0 run over a 3:16 stretch in the second half, the Jayhawks were able to pull away to win 86-66.

Kansas was able to pull away in large part due to their 55.2 percent shooting percentage in the second half, while Iona shot just 32.1 percent from the field.

Leading the way for Iona was English, who scored a career-high with 21 points in the contest. Armand scored 14 points, while junior David Laury had 13 points and nine rebounds.

The Gaels were able to slow down freshman guard Andrew Wiggins, who is a projected top pick in the 2014 NBA draft. Wiggins scored just 13 points and had seven rebounds in the game.

Despite the result, Armand believes the Gaels can contend against top-ranked opponents.

“It is still a regular game,” Armand said. “Playing the way we did showed we can compete with anyone.”

With a 1-2 record, Iona returned to New Rochelle to play George Mason on Nov. 23. The Patriots came into this contest with a 4-0 record.

Despite being undefeated, the Patriots did not display they were a top team in the Atlantic-10 Conference (A-10) with their performance in the first half.

Fueled in part from their game against Kansas, the Gaels started the contest on a 14-0 run over the first four minutes of the game. After the first 11:05 of the first, the Gaels led 33-5.

The Iona defense would lead at the half 44-25, thanks to a 50 percent shooting performance from the field, while George Mason made 33 percent of their shots.

Not only did Iona out-rebound George Mason 22-15, but they also had six steals to the Patriots’ one.

Iona’s strong offensive performance continued in the second half. Behind Armand’s 21 second-half points, the Gaels were able to complete an 89-73 victory.

Armand was also able to break Steve Burtt’s school-record for career three-point field goals with a trifecta with 9:19 remaining in the contest. The three-pointer was the 264th in Armand’s career.

The senior guard finished the game with 30 points, the most points in a game by any Iona player this season.

“I feel honored to have broken such a record,” Armand said. “Moments like these make me happy that I came to Iona and are unforgettable.”

Aside from Armand, four other Gaels finished the game with double-digit scoring totals. English had 18 points; Laury had 14, while seniors Tre Bowman and Mike Poole had 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Armand was proud of his team’s effort following the win.

“It was how we should come out every game; this came over from the Kansas game; being ready for the first minutes of the game,” Armand said. “We are building chemistry and having fun at the same time. We are sharing the ball and everyone is happy.”

The Gaels continued their non-conference slate, taking on last season’s NCAA Cinderella team, the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. It was a tight match-up in the opening 10 minutes, which featured four lead changes.

Iona went on a 15-5 run to give themselves a 15 point lead, their largest in the first half. The Gaels went into the locker room ahead 52-40. Much of Iona’s success came from behind the arc, where the Gaels shot 8 of 15.

The Maroon & Gold continued their shooting clinic in the second half, nailing six more threes, for a game total of 14. The Gaels cruised to any easy 90-72 victory, improving to 3-2. Iona was led by Bowman, who scored a game-high and career-high 29 points. Armand had 20; Laury had 11 and English scored 13.

The Gaels were scheduled to return to New Rochelle to play Marist on Dec. 4. The results were not available at press time.