Iona Uses Big Second Half To Post 83-72 Victory Over Blue Hens

Tuesday, December 21

Elmont, NY

7:30 PM

University of Delaware

9-4,0-0CAA

Iona

10-2,2-0MAAC

Delaware

Iona

Photo by: Mark Campbell

Iona Uses Big Second Half To Post 83-72 Victory Over Blue Hens

12/21/2021 10:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

ELMONT, N.Y. – Delaware took a seven-point lead into the break but Iona used a big second half effort to come back and defeat the Blue Hens, 83-72, Tuesday night at UBS Arena.

The Gaels shot 60.7 percent during the final 20 minutes, including 8 of 12 from three-point range, outscoring Delaware by 18 points to pull away. Walter Clayton, Jr. came off the bench to score 21 points for Iona, while Nelly Joseph added 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Jameer Nelson, Jr. scored a career-high 29 points and grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds for the Blue Hens, who had their five-game winning streak snapped. Kevin Anderson added 17 points and five assists, while Dylan Painter contributed nine points and seven boards.

Delaware played without Ryan Allen, who was suspended for the game due to a failure to meet program expectations, and Jyare Davis, who missed his second straight contest with a chest injury.

The Blue Hens scored the first seven points of the game, and after an Iona layup, Delaware added six straight points to go in front 13-2 with 13:24 left in the opening half.

Nelson, Jr. buried a triple to extend the margin to 24-14 five minutes later, but the Gaels responded to pull with 31-28 with four minutes on the clock. However Nelson, Jr. answered with another triple, while two Ebby Asamoah free throws in the final seconds gave Delaware a 39-32 cushion at the half.

Iona scored the first 10 points of the second half, taking its first lead of the night at 42-39 on a Clayton, Jr. three-pointer at the 17:43 mark. Nelson, Jr. answered with a three-pointer to pull UD even, while a Wes Peterson layup gave the Blue Hens a 46-45 edge with 14:12 to play.

But the Gaels scored eight of the next 10 points, going up 53-48 three minutes later. Nelson, Jr. countered with a layup, before Iona used an eight-point spurt to extend the margin to 61-50 with 9:14 on the clock.

The Gaels went up 69-55 before the Blue Hens scored seven consecutive points to get within 69-62 with five minutes to play, but Delaware would not get closer the rest of the way.

Martin Ingelsby
"We had a tough second half against a very good Iona team. I thought we did some really good things in the first 20 minutes, especially on the defensive end, but that didn't carry over to the second half. Jameer and Kevin did a great job handling their pressure and controlling tempo for most of the game. But tip your hat to Iona, they made some big threes to get back into the game and sustain their lead."

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