Iona finding its footing under Pitino
LAWRENCEVILLE » Isaiah Ross and Asante Gist were determined to finish the sweep this time.
Iona’s senior leaders learned the hard way how difficult it is to beat the same team on backto-back nights when a listless performance resulted in a 15-point loss at Fairfield last weekend.
When a 13-point lead disappeared on Saturday night and Rider surged in front, the Gaels’ most experienced players got them over the finish line and to that coveted sweep.
“The younger guys piggyback off of our energy and what we do on the court and we wanted to led by example this game,” said Ross, who scored 25 points in a 72-64 victory. “(Against) Fairfield, we can’t let that happen again. We let that game slip. We had to make sure we grab the game and take it home with us.”
Gist finished with 15 points and 10 assists one night after coach Rick Pitino elected to bring him off the bench.
If the Hall of Fame coach was sending a message, it was received.
“Coach tells me all the time to give guys shots and let the game come to you,” Gist said. “I can basically get to my spots and get to where I need to get too and score whenever I want to. Me getting guys shots and me getting everybody else their confidence first before I get mine, that’s the job of the point guard and that’s my job for the team to facilitate.”
Pitino is operating with a shorthanded roster as Iona (4-3, 3-1) navigates the most unusual season ever. The Gaels are already down two big men after Rob Brown suffered a season-ending knee injury against Fairfield and 7-footer Osborn Sherma is yet to play due to a groin issue.
“We have to play six guys which is something I’ve never done in my life,” Pitino said. “I’ve always played 10 and sometimes 11, but we have to do it right now and we have three good seniors who are capable of doing it.”
Iona got key contributions from freshman center Nelly Junior Joseph (19 points in the first game vs. Rider) and junior forward Berrick Jeanlouis (excellent on-ball defense). In fact, you can say the Gaels won both games thanks to their defense, something you wouldn’t have said even when they were winning league titles under the great Tim Cluess.
“We were really trying to finish the game strong,” Ross said. “As seniors, we were like let’s do the little things, lock in on defense, grab the rebounds and the rest of the game will take care of itself.”
Of the four MAAC back-to-backs played on the first weekend of league play, three of them ended in splits. Of the four played this past weekend, three ended in sweeps.
Marist (5-1, 3-1) is off to its best start in nearly two decades after it swept Manhattan with a 72-67 overtime victory on Sunday.
Siena and Quinnipiac are yet to play league games as both programs remain paused to deal with Covid concerns. Siena hasn’t played at all and is paused for the third time.
The Rider women are 0-8 overall and 0-4 in the league after getting swept by Iona. The Broncs had to replace four starters from last season’s MAAC regularseason championship team, including the nation’s leading scorer, and points have been hard to come by.
With junior point guard Amanda Mobley slowed by injury, Rider is averaging just 45.2 points per game.