Iona Beats Niagara for Fifth Straight Win

The last time these two teams met, Niagara ended Iona's season at the MAAC Tournament in Albany. The Purple Eagles were the veteran team with the big game experience, getting the best of the young Gaels. Much has changed since then — Niagara graduated four of its top five leading scorers, for example — making Iona's 82-58 dismantling of Niagara earlier today not all that surprising.

The Gaels posted 94 points against Canisius on Friday night and picked up right where they left off at Hynes Athletics Center. Iona's only deficit of the game lasted less than 30 seconds. Down 7-6, Iona reclaimed the lead at the 16:59 mark of the first half and never trailed again, turning a 16-2 run into a 26-5 run to take a 32-12 lead. The Gaels were shooting 72 percent when the media timeout arrived just under eight minutes remaining in the half.

Iona's lead at the half was 14, but a 17-9 run to start the second half put the Gaels up 60-38 with just over 13 minutes left and it was never close after that.

Junior forward Mike Glover continued his dominance, scoring 30 points on 14-of-17 shooting. He also added 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double in his last five games. Glover has scored 89 over his last three contests.

"The funny thing is I thought it was more of a silent 30," Iona head coach Tim Cluess said. "I didn't realize he had done that. You saw him scoring, but it was more within the flow."

Glover certainly made it look easy, as most all of his points came on lay-ups and dunks. Hard to say it was silent though, as he threw down several rim-rattling jams. His prowess in the paint provided opportunities for Iona's outside shooters. Sophomore Kyle Smyth took advantage, draining 5-of-7 from three-point range en route to a 17-point performance.

In Iona's aforementioned first half run, Smyth connected on all three of his outside shots and added two steals. Last year's All-MAAC Rookie Team performer has gotten off to a great start this season. He has hit 20-of-35 (57 percent) from beyond the arc over his last four games. "Coach really instilled it in my head to continue to be aggressive," Smyth said. "Once there's a good shot, let it fly."

Chris Pelcher had an impressive performance as the first player off the bench for the Gaels. The 6'10 sophomore scored a career-high eight points, converting all six of his free throw attempts. "For us to get better as we go on, we need to get more out of Chris, " Cluess said. "He was here for a couple of days of practice now, so I felt a little more confident putting him in and giving him a chance early and he responded."

Point guard Scott Machado also had another solid game, just missing out on his second double-double of the weekend with his nine-point, 11-assist performance. He also added seven rebounds. Senior forward Alejo Rodriguez tallied 11 points and seven boards.

"They've got it together," said Niagara head coach Joe Mihalich, the winningest coach in MAAC history. "Tim's done a great job. Clearly he came in with the cupboard full and then added maybe the MVP of the league [in Glover]. Timing is everything. We played maybe the best team in the league at a time when they're hot and really confident."

While Iona starts four upperclassmen, Niagara (2-6, 0-2 in MAAC) started two freshmen and a sophomore against the Gaels. Six of the eight Purple Eagles who saw more than a minute of action are underclassmen. It's a completely different team from the one that eliminated Iona from the postseason back in March.

"We're really, really young and we've had to deal with some injuries, but those are just excuses," Mihalich said. "That's not why we're playing so poorly. We have to take a little ownership. We can be a good team, there's no doubt about that. We're going to learn the hard way — by getting thumped."

Iona, meanwhile, earned its fifth straight victory and is 2-0 in conference for the first time since 2005. The win gave the Gaels a 34-33 advantage in the all-time series with Niagara.

Iona's 0-3 start at the World Vision Classic in Cleveland may seem like a lifetime ago, but it is still fresh in Cluess' mind.

"I wear that shirt [from the Cleveland tournament] all the time," he said. "I wear it to practice to remind us of how bad we can be on certain days and that we need to keep working hard and improving."