Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Iona lowers the boom, defeats Siena 95-59

AP
NEW YORK — The Siena men’s basketball team played at Madison Square Garden for the first time in 11 years on Tuesday evening.

They may never want to go back.

Iona sophomore guard Sean Armand set a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference record by knocking down 10 3-pointers and the Gaels posted an impressive 95-59 victory.

Iona (3-0, 11-3) finished with 17 treys on the night, shooting 43.6% (17-39) from long distance. 

Siena (0-3, 5-8) could never match the offensive firepower, shooting just 36 percent (23-63) from the field and making only four 3-pointers.

It’s the Saints worst loss since four years to the day, when they fell on the road to No. 2 Memphis, 102-58.

The loss leaves Siena at 0-3 in MAAC play for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

The Saints were led by freshman point guard Evan Hymes, who finished with a team-high 22 points.

Armand totaled 32 points for the Gaels, leading for Iona players in double figures. Jermel Jenkins added 16 points, while Lamont “Momo” Jones finished with 14 points.

Armand, who scored Iona’s final 20 points of the first half, hit the record-breaking 3-pointer midway through the second half.

Armand broke the Gaels school record, which was set last season, when Kyle Smyth hit eight 3-pointers against UAlbany, at SEFCU Arena.

The Brooklyn native finished 10-for-19 from beyond the arc and bested his previous career-highs in points (22) and 3-pointers (six).

The Gales led by as many as 39, taking an 89-50 lead, when Jones knocked down a 3-pointer.

O.D. Anosike posted his ninth consecutive double-double, finished with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, on his 21st birthday.

Iona senior guard Scott Machado, who leads the country in assists per game, finished with nine points, nine rebounds and nine assists.  

This game marked the second straight beating handed out by the Gaels. Iona ended Siena’s three-year MAAC championship run, with a 94-64 win in last season’s conference quarterfinals.

Siena returns to the floor on Friday, when they host Fairfield, at 7 p.m.

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