Iona will meet Seattle in the loser's bracket of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii tomorrow. Iona was upended by SMU in their opening round matchup to fall to 7-4 on the season. Meanwhile, Seattle lost just their third game of the season after being blown out, 84-56, by the Utah State Aggies. Game time is scheduled for 4:30pm EST.
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Iona was upended by a determined SMU team in their opening round matchup. Iona was led by Walter Clayton Jr. and Nelly Junior Joseph in the loss. Clayton Jr. had 22 points while Joseph had 20 points to go along with eight rebounds, three steals and three blocks. Daniss Jenkins chipped in with 18 points. Iona shot the ball well, connecting on 48% of their shots and a red-hot 59% from 3pt range. Defensively, however, allowed the Mustangs to shoot 60% from the floor and 46% from 3pt range. SMU also dominated the glass with a 29-21 advantage.
??????????????: Aloha from the Honolulu!
??: @SMUBasketball
??: TODAY
?: 3 p.m. ET
??: @ESPNU and Streaming live on the @ESPN app
??: Stan Sheriff Center
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??: https://t.co/LeCnVKdrqa#MAACHoops @MAACHoops #GaelNation pic.twitter.com/5N8WZ0Bgzx— Iona Men's Ba sketball (@IonaGaelsMBB) December 22, 2022
Iona didn't disappoint offensively in the opener as the 52nd ranked scoring team in the country pumped in 81 points. The key to the loss was a breakdown in their 68th ranked scoring defense and their usually pinpoint ball protection. The Gaels rank 11th in the country in turnovers per game but coughed it up 18 times against the tenacious Mustangs defense. They will have to find their defense again if they want to pick up a win in their second game.