Following a disappointing loss to Hofstra in their previous game, the Iona men’s basketball team started off the new year by playing on Jan. 3 at the Mecca of college basketball, Madison Square Garden, in their game of the year. In their game at the Garden, the Gaels were paired up with MAAC rival Siena, who was 0-2 in conference play at the time.  The Saints were a MAAC power several years ago, going as far as to beat Ohio State in a NCAA tournament game in 2009, but have slumped in recent years. Siena started off the game strong, even taking a 16-14 lead at one point.  The Gaels offense was not clicking on all cylinders and was missing several key shots. But the Maroon and Gold were able to rebound thanks to the play of sophomore Sean Armand.  Throughout this season, a different player has stepped up their game for the Gaels, and Armand certainly was the key player for Iona on this night. Armand started off by making a jump shot, and then went to the races, hitting six three-pointers to account for all 20 points of Iona’s points for the final six minutes of the first half. The second half did not slow down Armand at all. The sophomore guard hit four more three’s in the second half to set both MAAC and school records for three-pointers in a game.  Armand ended the game with 32 points in only 22 minutes.  Thanks in part to Armand’s exploits; the Gaels were able to run away with the game in the second half.  The Gaels had a lead of 41 points at a point in the second half before closing out a 95-59 win.  With the win, the Gaels went to 3-0 in MAAC play. Armand’s exploits overshadowed several great efforts from his teammates.  Senior Scott Machado nearly had the school’s first triple double in a decade with nine points, nine assists and nine rebounds. Senior Jermel Jenkins, junior Momo Jones and senior Michael Glover all had double-digits in points in the resounding win. The win was made even more special after Siena’s junior forward O.D. Anosike’s said before the game that Siena was the “Cadillac” team of the conference.  After the game, Machado replied to this comment by calling the Gaels the “Bentley” program of the MAAC, saying that “We [Iona] are known, but not very well advertised.” In their next game, Iona will play on Friday, Jan. 27 at Fairfield before taking on Canisius on Feb. 2 at the Hynes Athletic Center.     Notable individual accomplishments middway through the season:   Senior Scott Machado has been recognized with three national honors.  •        A nominee for Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s Bob Cousy Award. He is one of 20 finalists for the award. The honor recognizes the top point guards in college basketball. •       Earned the Lou Henson Award mid-season honors presented by CollegeInsider.com to the top Mid-Major player in Division I college basketball.  •       Was named one of 25 finalists for the John R. Wooden Award.   Senior Mike Glover became the 32nd Iona player to record 1,000 points and just the third in his second season and in under 60 games played. Glover accomplished this on an alley-oop vs. Manhattan on Jan. 12.