Iona raises $3K in hurricane relief exhibition despite game being called due to floor conditions

Tim Cluess and Iona got off to vintage Gaels start in exhibition against Army, but raising $3,000 to assist in hurricane relief efforts trumped any kind of stats Tuesday night. (Photo by Iona College Athletics)

NEW ROCHELLE, NY -- Returning to their first taste of competitive basketball since last March's NCAA Tournament, Iona came out firing in midseason form through the first four minutes, only to be done in by defensive woes as the game went on. But on Tuesday night, stats did not matter in the grand scheme of things.

Yes, the Gaels fell 63-61 against Army at the Hynes Athletics Center, in an exhibition contest that was called with 15:40 remaining in regulation due to slippery conditions on the playing floor, which players and coaches on both sides attributed to the excessive humidity, a wise decision made by Tim Cluess and his counterpart, Jimmy Allen, to not risk any potential injuries so close to the commencement of the season. And at the end of the day, it was not the points on the scoreboard that made the biggest difference, but rather, the $3,000 raised by Iona to donate toward the relief efforts in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, each of which was ravaged by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.

"Honestly, I think this is something the NCAA should allow us to do every single year," Cluess humbly reflected when asked how much it meant to be a part of the primary purpose between the Gaels and Black Knights taking the court. "We don't do enough of that in college sports, and I think it's something that, with all the funds going to whatever organization you want that's going to help people, why wouldn't you do it every year? It's great that they allowed it this year, and I'm hoping in the future they'll allow it again."

With that said, there were other bright spots for the two-time reigning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champions, such as Zach Lewis scoring 27 points in his Iona debut, making his return to the MAAC as a graduate transfer after beginning his career at Canisius.

"I love it here," said Lewis, who shot 10-of-13 from the floor and made six of his eight three-point field goal attempts. "We keep working hard and as a team, as the season progresses, we're just gonna keep getting better and better, and that's what I like about this team. We're learning every day and even after a game like this, I can promise you Coach will tell me tomorrow 50 things I did wrong in the game."

A former third team All-MAAC selection during his time with the Golden Griffins as a sophomore, Lewis showed flashes of the form that landed him among the MAAC's elite in the game's opening minutes, scoring 11 points in a 23-9 Iona run over the first 3:09. From there, Army took advantage of an Iona front line still adjusting to life without Jordan Washington, ending the night with 32 points in the paint and shooting 59 percent from the floor overall, but for Cluess, the numbers were not as much of a concern as feeling out his roster to see which combinations work best.

"It's not about just going out there -- in a regular game, we might not have changed our own momentum -- but we wanted to see if the guys we had coming in could keep that momentum going," he said. "It didn't work, and credit to them, they executed. Both teams were playing at a very high pace. It was a fun first half if you like offense, but obviously we have to find and figure out who's going to be in our rotation and give guys certain looks. For the first time out, I was encouraged."