NEW ROCHELLE, NY – Jordan Allen (Dover, DE/Dover) scored 13 of his team-high 15 points in the second half, but the Rider University men's basketball team fell to Iona, 77-71, Friday night at the Hynes Athletic Center. The Broncs (10-8, 5-1 MAAC) erased a 12-point deficit at the half, but the Gaels (7-11, 5-2 MAAC) held on for the victory.

In spite of 10 quick points off the bench from Dimencio Vaughn (New York, NY/Callaway/The Masters School) in the first half, Iona used a pair of 9-0 runs in the period to take a 41-29 lead into halftime. Iona outshot the Broncs, 47.2 percent (17-36) to 34.4 percent (11-32) from the floor and took a 27-14 edge on the glass in the first 20 minutes.

Early in the second half, the Broncs used a 10-0 run, including seven points from Frederick Scott (Munster, IN/Simeon [DePaul]), to pull to within two. Allen later scored five-straight points on a three-pointer and a pair of free throws to give Rider its first lead of the game, 52-51, with 11:02 remaining. The two teams traded the lead, with Allen's second three-pointer giving Rider a 55-53 advantage at the 9:51 mark. But Iona would respond with the next five points and didn't trail again.

Rider cut the deficit to one on four occasions, including with 16.4 seconds left on 1-of-2 Stevie Jordan (Bensalem, PA/Conwell-Egan/API) free throws. But the Gaels held on for the victory. A pivotal play came with 3:20 remaining and Iona maintaining a one-point lead. With two seconds remaining on the shot clock and Iona in possession, Rickey McGill's inbounds pass was knocked directly back into his direction, where he grabbed the ball and connected a the 15-foot jumper. On the court, officials ruled a shot-clock violation. But the call was overturned, giving Iona the first two points in an 8-0 Gaels run.  

Quotes & Notes
"When we had chances to take hold of the game, we became undisciplined and started going one-on-one."

"Anytime you get down by that far, it's hard to come back. And then, when you come back and take the lead and you fight that hard to get back, then you've just got to execute and be disciplined and do what I'm asking you to do."

"We missed a lot of lay-ups and didn't have an inside presence consistently for the entire game." – Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett

"That's been our Achilles heel, slow starts, all season. I think that if we start off the way we finish the most of the games, we'd still be undefeated." – Rider junior guard Stevie Jordan

- The game was the 64^th in the all-time series with Iona. The Gaels now lead the all-time series, 38-26.
- Iona has won seven of the last eight in the series in New Rochelle.
- Rider was 5-0 in MAAC play for just the second time in 22 years in the league. The first time came in 2000-01, when the Broncs began league play with a program-record six-straight wins. 
- Rider returns to action Sunday, when it plays host to Marist at 2 p.m. on ESPN3.    
 
Broncs by the Numbers
- Allen led four Broncs in double figures with 15 points, including three three-pointers. He also added a season-high eight rebounds.
- Jordan added 14 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Scott had 14 points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks.
- Vaughn finished the game with 11 points, six rebounds and three assists.
- Anthony Durham (Philadelphia, PA/Abington/Putnam Science) made 3-of-4 attempts from the floor, continuing to hit on 75.0 percent (18-24) of his attempts over the last four games.  
- Rider was outscored in the paint for the first time in six MAAC games. The Broncs had taken a 228-144 edge through five games, but were outscored, 40-24, in the paint tonight.
- Jordan's five assists push his career total to 419, two behind Jerry Johnson for fifth all-time at Rider.
- Iona finished the game with a 42-41 edge on the glass.