Panzo’s six second-half threes carry Iona past Fairfield

Tobin Anderson and Iona continue to rebuild gradually, with latest high point coming in Friday’s win over Fairfield. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

By Pete Janny (@pete_janny)

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Iona needed a change of scenery to get back on track after Wednesday’s grueling loss to Marist that will be remembered for the 55 fouls committed by both teams before the action eventually wrapped up.

Friday night didn’t bring a trip to Florida or Colorado either — also associated with growing pains — but instead a trip to the edge of the Long Island Sound in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Iona, who entered with a 2-5 record, got the right customer at the right time in a Fairfield team whose only win to date had come against Division III Mount Saint Mary College, battering the Stags with its pressure early to take an early lead in this game before a lights-out shooting performance in the second half from Wheza Panzo delivered a 78-67 final for Tobin Anderson’s first MAAC win, which also coincided with his 52nd birthday.

Panzo had six threes in the second half alone, the fifth one kick-starting an 8-0 run which increased the Iona lead to 11. The Gaels would lead by as much as 18 the rest of the way and depart the Nutmeg State in quicker fashion than they did just two days prior against Marist.

“It has been a long 48 hours since Marist,” Anderson said after the game. “Right now we’re still building, so any win and chance to make progress and get better is huge for us.”

Iona hit 10 threes, led by Panzo’s seven, which added an extra gear to the offense to go along with the regular opportunities the Gaels get in transition from turning their opponents over. Iona forced Fairfield into 17 turnovers using its swarming full-court press, cashing in with 20 points off turnovers. 

The ball was moving freely too, especially on a few possessions in the second half where the guards sought out the hot hand of Panzo. Anderson liked what he saw in terms of sharing the ball after not getting enough of that in the early going this season.

“We had 17 assists,” Anderson said of Iona’s more communal play in their motion offense. “That had been a major issue for us.”

Getting Panzo his looks was big too. The Stetson transfer is just shy of 40 percent in his career from 3-point range, and already has five games this season with at least four threes made. Against Fairfield, Anderson made sure his team didn’t take its best weapon from long distance for granted.

“There were possessions against Marist where Wheza didn’t touch the ball and it was addressed pretty harshly over the last 48 hours,” Anderson said. “I thought they responded well.”

The total team effort, which included a performance of seven points and five rebounds from freshman Sultan Adewale, who continues to impress according to Anderson, was illustrated by the 10 Iona players who logged minutes. That depth was too much for Fairfield to overcome on a night where the Stags didn’t have to see Osborn Shema. However, guys like Idan Tretout, who chipped in 12 points, and Jean Aranguren, who added nine, provided some additional fuel for the offense. According to Anderson, Shema has done some light conditioning and shooting drills but won’t be rushed back for the remainder of non-conference play if he’s still not ready.

“He’s itching to get back,” Anderson said about Shema. “We have to be smart and don’t want to force him back.”

With their opening MAAC trials out of the way, the Gaels will go back to the drawing board and prepare for fellow mid-major Hofstra, who will make the trip to the Hynes Center on Wednesday night. For now, Anderson has learned to temper his expectations of his squad while embracing steps forward like the one on Friday night.

“It’s been slower than I thought it would be,” he admitted. “Maybe my expectations are too high, but it’s been slow. When the ball moves, the scoreboard moves. Everything gets better when you touch it better.”