Iona overcomes grind, fends off Manhattan to sustain momentum

Wheza Panzo (1) led Iona with 21 points as Gaels defeated Manhattan Friday. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — One thing Tobin Anderson has learned on more than one occasion these past several months is that patience is a virtue.

Anderson, now coaching his third school in as many years as he has begun the task of upholding the winning tradition at Iona, has expressed — and outwardly at times — frustration as his Gaels roster learns how to play and win as a team, not necessarily doing so at the desired speed or up to his lofty standards.

Friday’s rivalry game with longtime adversary Manhattan proved that even while watching a finished product develop could be as tedious as extracting blood from a stone, the end result can still be one where all parties walk away satisfied.

Iona had to endure Manhattan grinding the uptempo Gaels into a game of basketball quicksand in the first half, a struggle from which the Jaspers emerged with a two-point lead at the intermission. But an 11-0 run and the efficient shooting of Wheza Panzo helped Anderson’s unit stem the tide, controlling the final 20 minutes in a 73-63 victory, the seventh in Iona’s last nine contests and 13th in its last 16 against Manhattan.

“It was good,” Anderson reflected, citing his players’ ability to handle playing at a slower pace. “Part of that is how our teams play. We’re trying to get them to understand we’re going to have to give some stuff up sometimes to get the tempo faster. We’re going to make some mistakes. In the first half, I thought we were tentative trying to make plays and in the second half, we played a little bit looser, but we were a little bit better with adjusting to what they were trying to do.”

Panzo played a huge part in the role reversal during the final stanza. The Canadian sharpshooter appeared to break out of a supposed cold spell, displaying a noticeable confidence as seven of his ten attempts — all from 3-point range — splashed through the Hynes Athletics Center nets en route to a team-best 21 points Friday.

For Anderson, who has mentioned the need to get Panzo into a groove alongside Greg Gordon and Idan Tretout as the Gaels’ primary offensive options, the outburst was encouraging. However, the coach still wants his wing to develop more of a killer instinct, referencing the newly minted all-time leading scorer in women’s basketball history as an example.

“I was watching Caitlin Clark (Thursday),” Anderson prefaced. “She’s got that unbelievable swagger, like she’s going to make every shot. Sometimes I wish Whez had a little more of that swagger. He’s very streaky, he can’t be hesitant, can’t be tentative. He’s a great shooter, he just hasn’t been consistent enough. We talked about having a Caitlin Clark mentality.”

While the consistent shooting may not yet be there for Iona (13-11, 8-5 MAAC), the ball movement reached an apex Friday. The Gaels recorded 21 assists on their 25 made field goals, including a helper on each of the first 12. The synergy may still be a work in progress, but the dual point guard attack of Joel Brown and Jeremiah Quigley continues to lead the way in the backcourt. Together, the pair tallied 14 dimes — seven apiece — and their ability to complement one another has been a driving force behind Iona’s resurgence.

“It’s like a two-headed snake,” Gordon said of Brown and Quigley. “You can come for either one and it’s kind of like they’re always in sync. One of them attacks the basket and one of them dishes the ball out. You normally don’t see two point guards play well together, but they’re never stepping on each other’s toes. They’re just making it work, like tango dancing.”

“They’re both pass-first point guards, but we wish JQ would be a little more aggressive,” Anderson admitted. “He’s more of a scorer than JB is, but they mix well together. That’s why we’re trying to get Wheza and Greg and Idan to understand that if they move, those guys will get them shots. Sometimes we don’t have the patience to do that.”

Tretout made his return to the lineup for the first time since an ankle injury suffered during a January 21 loss at Quinnipiac. The Harvard transfer poured in nine points in somewhat limited action off the bench, but after feeling confident enough to give it a go Friday, will reclaim his status as an indispensable piece moving forward.

“He just calms things down,” Anderson said of Tretout. “He knows how to play, he’s smart, and I thought he looked good. He played 22 minutes, but those were a good 22 minutes. He’ll get back eventually, but it was great to have him back.”

Coincidentally, Tretout’s comeback is most opportune for Iona, who hosts Saint Peter’s on Sunday. The Peacocks received a boost of their own Friday when Corey Washington made his return to the lineup from a shoulder injury, making an immediate impact with 29 points in a dominant win over Siena. Saint Peter’s defeated Iona in the lone meeting between the teams this year, a convincing 69-57 victory in Jersey City on January 5 that still sits on the minds of the Gaels, who insist revenge is at the forefront of a pivotal clash in which the winner will have a favorable track toward a first-round bye in next month’s MAAC tournament.

“Definitely,” Gordon proclaimed. “We don’t often talk about games we’ve lost, but we know the majority of our conference games, we’ve given them away. Saint Peter’s is a team that beat us. Now it’s a big difference, and I feel like that’s something we want to prove won’t happen again.”