Box Score Men's College Basketball
Iona College 67, Rider University 58
NEW ROCHELLE, NY— Hall of Fame basketball coach John Wooden once said “The best competition I have is against myself to become better.”
For the Rider men's basketball team, the best competition this year has made the Broncs become better.
Rider played the third ranked team in the nation, Maryland, and lost by seven points after leading for most of the game. Rider played Providence, currently ranked eighth, and lost by just eight points. And on Thursday night in front of a world-wide ESPN3 audience, the Broncs gave Iona, the perennial top team in the MAAC, all it could handle in a close Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference loss.
“We're right there,” said Rider head coach Kevin Baggett. “We're knocking on the door. I liked the way we played today. Our record says we are 0-4 but I don't feel like we are an 0-4 team. I have not lost confidence in this team. We just have to clean a couple of things up and get better.”
Iona senior guard A.J. English, the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, compiled 24 points and seven assists to lead first place Iona to victory. “I think AJ stepped up and showed why he is one of the best players in this league,” Baggett said. “He willed his team to win.”
Iona (8-6, 5-0 MAAC) has now won 25 consecutive games at home and 41 out of the last 44 games at the Hynes Center. “They are just good,” Baggett said, “and they do a good job here.”
With the score tied at 55-55, Iona out-scored Rider 8-0 to take a 63-55 lead with 1:18 remaining. “Iona did a good job down the stretch,” Baggett said. “They did a better job of executing and taking care of the ball.”
The Broncs (4-11, 0-4 MAAC) held Iona to their second lowest scoring output of the season in a game the Gaels won. “I thought our guys did a better job guarding,” Baggett said. “Defensively we did what we needed to do to give ourselves a chance to be in the game.”
Rider freshman Kealen Ives (Providence, RI/Classical) made two foul shots with 12:55 remaining to give Rider a 44-43 lead. Ives finished with 10 points and three assists in 25 minutes off the bench. “I'm really happy with where Kealen is at,” Baggett said, “what he is getting done for us. He's a good player who has helped us.”
Rider was led by junior Xavier Lundy (Paulsboro, NJ/Paulsboro), who compiled 18 points and nine rebounds. “I think we did a good job of slowing Iona down tonight,” said Lundy, who made eight of 12 shots from the field. “X did what we need him to do,” Baggett said. “Not just take jump shots, he mixed it up. He was a big plus tonight.”
Junior Kahlil Thomas (Parkway, Fla./Blanche Ely) compiled his fourth 'double-double' with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Thomas scored with 4:12 left to tie the score at 55-55, the 10th and final tie of the game.
Iona scored the last five points of the first half, including a three-pointer by Isaiah Williams at the buzzer, to tie the score at 29-29 at halftime. Williams finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.
Rider used an 18-4 run, five points by graduate student Teddy Okereafor (London, England/VCU), to take a 22-16 lead with 8:00 left in the first half.
Iona jumped out to a 12-4 lead, seven points by English. “We slowed the pace down after that and got right back in it,” Lundy said.
Rider hosts Fairfield Saturday evening at 7pm. “We are right there,” Lundy said. “We just need to stay positive and keep our heads up and we'll turn this around. We know we will sooner or later.”
As Coach Wooden said, “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”
-ru-
