BELMONT PARK — This holiday season, there aren’t many things worse than getting an unwanted gift you can’t return.
For St. Joseph’s, its three-point barrage filled the baskets, with plenty left in Iona’s stockings. The Hawks took a three-point win over the Gaels, defeating them 83-58 Saturday night at Holiday Hoopfest at UBS Arena.
The Gaels kept it close at first until St. Joseph got hot to close out the first half. From there, the Hawks barely looked back and increased their lead to 40 points.
“Tonight is honestly embarrassing for everyone who is a part of this,” Iona coach Tobin Anderson said. “We’re wearing Iona’s uniform, to get beaten like we did tonight is pretty bad across the board. I’m the head coach so I need to take as much responsibility for that. You’d like to think this might be a little bit of a wake-up call, because it hasn’t Don’t be a game in any way.
He added: “We must play with strength, strength and cooperation together to achieve victory, and the situation must change.”
Dylan Saunders scored 13 points to lead the Gaels, and Greg Gordon scored 11 points.
For St. Joseph’s, the Hawks shot 15-of-28 (53.6%) from long range. Eric Reynolds II led the way with 26 points on 7-of-10 shooting, with a 6-of-8 mark from long range. His pro night included four boards and four assists.
Cameron Brown added 17 points and seven rebounds for the Hawks, while Lynn Grier and Kabir Klacik each added 10 points.
Iona is now 4-7, while St. Joseph’s improved to 9-2.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
1. St. Joseph’s will be one of the mid-major teams to watch come NCAA Tournament time
The Hawks are off to their best start under fifth-year coach Billy Lange. They have shown gradual improvement in recent years, but at the rate they are going, they are an Atlantic 10 contender and could be a tough mid-major in the Big Dance in March.
“This is a veteran group that has lost a little bit and wants to win,” Anderson said. “They played hard and their defense was great.”
Their three-point-heavy attack set the stage for a six-game winning streak, which includes a Philadelphia Big 5 title and their first road win over Villanova in more than a decade.
While they had a questionable loss to Texas A&M Commerce, they followed up a strong showing in a loss at Kentucky, pushing the ‘Cats into overtime on November 20. They have won every game since then.
The Hawks entered Saturday’s game shooting 35.7% from deep and 49th in the country for eFG%. They have the sixth-highest three-point shooting rate and rank No. 25 in the country in assist rate, according to KenPom.
Five different players are averaging more than 10 points per game this season, with Reynolds leading the way.
While their offense has been fun to watch with multiple shooters, they also rank in the top 60 teams nationally in defensive efficiency.
“I’m disappointed, but it’s a huge credit to St Joe’s that Billy Lange is a good friend of mine, so I’m happy to see his team doing well,” Anderson said. “I think this is an NCAA Tournament team. They have a chance to win the A-10. It’s good to see guys like Cam Brown, Eric Reynolds and Len Grier, who have been their team for a while now, really matured and playing great.”
2. Big man Iwona Osborne-Chiema’s return from injury was spoiled by the Hawks
Shima was Iona’s only returnee last year, and missed the first 10 games this year due to injury.
He had a promising start in his first appearance of the season, converting a contested corner kick in the opening minutes of the game, but that was all for Shima.
He played 13 minutes, going 1-of-2 from the floor, with those three being his only points of the game. He also had two boards and a steal.
Anderson said: “Aos is great, he gave us some minutes, and he got his feet a little wet.” “He’s not going to solve all the problems, we have to play the way we want to play around him. He’s going to make us a lot better, but I’m disappointed with the way we played overall, because I think his effort to get back and get healthy has been off the charts. “He wants to play and he’s not back to his full level yet, but he’s going to make big strides to get there.”
Due to St. Joseph’s shooting from the perimeter and spacing the floor, as well as Shima’s easing in minutes, the Gaels have had to play a little smaller or have more mobile forwards to keep up with the Hawks down the court.
3. The Hawks turned the game around 34-6
The Gaels kept it close at first. They struggled offensively again, but held their ground with a solid defensive effort.
Greg Gordon scored on a putback layup to cut the deficit to an 18-16 game with 7:18 remaining in the first half. Gordon’s basket ended a four-minute drought, as the Gaels couldn’t get a shot, but kept the Hawks within reach with their defense.
“We kept getting stops, but we missed some layups and a couple free throws, and you can’t let your offense affect your defense,” Anderson said. “The floodgates opened, they started shooting and we didn’t respond. They made big plays, and Reynolds got really hot and buried us a little bit.
“I thought we played hard in the first 10 minutes, I thought we were locked in, but it’s not a 10-minute game and we have to play better longer and harder than that.”
From there, St. Joseph’s went on a 34-6 run that extended into the opening moments of the second half.
The Hawks finished the first half on a 24-6 run, before starting the second half with a quick 10-0 run over the first 2:37 after the break.
Offensively, the Gaels finished shooting 18-of-65 (27.7%) as a team.
Anderson went with five RBIs for Saturday, going 10 of 37 (27.0%).
With the game lopsided, Anderson played a squad full of new players for much of the second half, with Saunders showing flashes of promise, but the Gaels are looking for more long-term solutions as quickly as possible.
“When you change the starting lineup, something happens,” Anderson said. “I hate changing the starting XI. I like to play with a starting five and play with the starting five all the way, so we can get into a routine. If you change things, something won’t go right. It’s a bit of a search. ‘We need some juice.’ On the bench, some juice to start the game. At media time (the first) of every game, we were trailing except for one game, which was the Buffalo game.
“No one is betting on us, but we will keep going. If we don’t, we will give everything we have. I love the players, I love the team, I love the team.” “The characters, they’re good kids, and they want to do well. We just have to tighten things up a lot, and we’ll get it done. Anyone can lose hope in us if they want to, but I’ll do so at your own peril.”
Follow Eugene Rabai on Twitter at @erapay5 And on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
The match between Iona and Saint Joseph was an exciting and intense showdown, with both teams bringing their A-game to the court. Throughout the game, there were three standout points that truly showcased the skill and determination of both teams. From impressive defense to phenomenal offense, the match was filled with memorable moments that kept fans on the edge of their seats. Let’s take a closer look at the three key points from this thrilling showdown.