Iona comeback falls short as Columbia holds off Gaels at MSG

E.J. Crawford's 17 points led Iona, but Gaels fell three points short Sunday against Columbia. (Photo by The Ionian)

By Vincent Simone (@VTSimone)

NEW YORK -- Iona erased a 13-point first-half deficit, but could not get over the hump against Columbia, falling to the Lions 74-71 Sunday afternoon in the Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden.

Columbia (3-6) kicked off the game on a 9-0 run and pushed its advantage to 13 on a Quinton Adlesh triple midway through the period. It took the Gaels 4:33 to put points on the board when Rickey McGill connected on a short jumper, but Iona seemed stuck in neutral for much of the first half.

“I thought the beginning of the game we came out extremely lethargic,” head coach Tim Cluess said of his Iona team. “I think some of our guys came out – I’m not going to say not ready to play – but not with the intensity they needed to start the game with. We dug ourselves a hole right away. I was proud of our guys for fighting back and giving ourselves a chance, but we’ve got to make better plays.”

Iona (2-6) began to wake up in the final five minutes of the opening stanza when its defense kicked in and held Columbia scoreless for a stretch of 4:25. During that time, the Gaels rattled off an 11-0 run to knot things at 30 before Patrick Tape put Columbia back on top with a layup just before the final horn. With momentum seemingly in their favor despite not holding a lead at any point in the first half, the Gaels failed to capitalize after the break. Asante Gist kicked off the period with a three-point play, but Columbia punched back with a 13-5 run during which junior forward Jake Killingsworth connected on a trifecta of three-pointers, pushing the Lions’ lead back to seven.

“I’ve been shooting the ball well lately,” Killingsworth said. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in my shot. The ball got a little stagnant in the first half and we came out in the second half with an emphasis on moving it around. I wasn’t trying to hunt them or anything, they were just coming to me.”

Iona was able to respond with a number of miniature runs, including a five-point swing from junior E.J. Crawford which gave the Gaels a one-point lead with 3:43 remaining, but turnovers down the stretch held Iona back and Columbia was able to head back uptown with the victory.

“We’re having turnovers that I’ve never been a part of,” Cluess said after his team committed another 18 giveaways after suffering a season-high 23 last Saturday against VCU. “I think guys are probably trying to do a little more than they need to. I think they just need to let the game come to them a little bit.”

The Gaels have committed double-digit turnovers in each game this season, with its season low of 13 coming in the season opener against Albany. Sunday’s game marked the seventh in a nine-game stretch away from New Rochelle for the Gaels. They have not played a true home game since that Albany contest to start the year, and will not return to the Hynes Athletics Center until a December 30 contest against Holy Cross to wrap up non-conference play.

“Imagine being in a room with the same people for like 30 days. I don’t care how much you love them, it’s not an easy thing,” Cluess joked about the long stretch away from home. “I think it will eventually help these guys want to play for each other more and get to know each other better. It’s been a rough road, but that’s no excuse. We had a chance here tonight and we were home for a week and should have played a little better.”

Crawford led the way for Iona with 17 points along with seven rebounds. Tajuan Agee picked up his first career double-double with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting with 11 boards. Robert Morris transfer Isaiah Still pitched in with 14 points. Killingsworth paced Columbia with a season-best 14 points and career-high seven rebounds. Tape and freshman Maka Ellis followed with 13 apiece.