Ross goes off for 33 as Pitino gets first Iona win

 

Isaiah Ross’ 33 points were career-high as Iona rebounded from Monday’s loss at Seton Hall to defeat Hofstra for Rick Pitino’s first win as Gaels’ head coach. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

Five days removed from a season-opening loss to Seton Hall in which his Iona team led at halftime but was unable to keep up with the Pirates in the second half, and after Hofstra scored eight straight points Saturday to send both teams to the intermission tied, Rick Pitino had a simple — yet effective — message to impart to his troops.

“I just told them, I said, ‘Look, guys: You ran out of gas against Seton Hall turning it over, and that’s why we lost,’ the Naismith Hall of Famer recounted. “I said to them, ‘if you don’t learn from that game, then we’re not a team that’s improving.’”

“You had a legitimate reason for running out of gas, because you just came out of quarantine, we weren’t in great shape. But now, we’ve had plenty of time to practice, we’re in great shape. Now you’ve got to turn it up.”

The Gaels did learn, as demonstrated in the final stanza, as Isaiah Ross picked up where he left off in the opening frame, scoring a career-high 33 points to lead a quartet of Iona players in double-figure offensive totals in an 82-74 victory over Hofstra, the first for Pitino since his NCAA Tournament victory at Louisville on March 17, 2017, a span of 1,359 days.

“I think we wanted it more,” Ross said as his magnum opus came on an efficient 10-of-17 shooting display in which the senior connected on six of his dozen 3-point field goal attempts, and complemented his marksmanship with seven rebounds and three assists. “That’s really what it was. The second half, we came out and we played better than the first half and the first game. That’s all it was for our team, we wanted it more and we wanted to win. We knew what was on the line, and that was a W, so I feel like our team wanted to go out there and take it.”

“In the fourth quarter of NBA games, that’s where the cream rises,” Pitino reiterated. “The second half of college basketball is where the cream rises, and they did a very good job.”

Much like Monday against Seton Hall, Iona (1-1) came out firing early on both ends of the floor, using the same combination of defensive pressure and 3-point shooting to rattle Hofstra in the opening stages, taking control of the game with a 16-3 run in which Ross, Dylan van Eyck and freshman Nelly Junior Joseph used their size and length to beat the host Pride to several long offensive rebounds that maximized the Gaels’ possessions and kept a Hofstra team picked to win the Colonial Athletic Association on its heels for much of the first half. The two teams traded baskets for several minutes before the Pride pitched a shutout over the last 3:24 of the period, erasing a 34-26 Iona lead as Jalen Ray and Tareq Coburn pulled both teams even at the horn.

Hofstra (1-2) wrested away a brief lead out of the break, but it was short-lived as Iona scored seven of the next nine points to go back up by three. The Pride would tie the game at 43-all on a conventional 3-point play by Isaac Kante, but Joseph’s ensuing basket spearheaded a 19-7 run that gave the Gaels an 12-point lead with 9:57 remaining in the game. The hosts would creep within four, but a van Eyck three straight away with 4:49 on the clock served as a dagger of sorts, keeping the Iona advantage at three possessions for the remainder of the evening.

“I’m really familiar with this system,” van Eyck — who was lauded by Pitino for his quick study of what Iona is looking to run under his watch — said after a 14-point, 5-rebound effort. “It’s one of the reasons why I was very excited when I heard Coach Pitino got the job. I know the way he plays, because I’ve been following him. It’s the style I’ve played all my life.”

Joseph recorded his first career double-double Saturday, posting 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Berrick JeanLouis tallied 10 points as well. For Hofstra, Coburn led the way with a career-high 28, followed by Kante and Ray with 17 and 15, respectively. However, the main takeaway was Ross, who continues to be a revelation in a system he was already prepared for from his time at UMKC, where he played for former Pitino acolyte Kareem Richardson prior to arriving in New Rochelle two years ago.

“I think it helped me a lot,” Ross said of his experience with Pitino’s system that Richardson learned as an assistant at Louisville. “It helped me prepare for the style of play we want to do, like getting in people’s grills, press, fast-tempo offense. It helped me prepare for that.”

“I told him, ‘This game is not about shooting,’ Pitino — who expressed his disappointment with Ross’ lack of an assist Monday — said while assessing his overall effort. “If you want to play overseas, which he wants to do, I said, ‘you’ve got to rebound, you’ve really got to play great defense.’ And tonight, he played a total game. Obviously he’s a great scorer — he’s automatic buckets — but he did other things, which is really important.”

“As you look out here, you take a freshman like Nelly and then you get Isaiah, who’s improving in many facets of his game, all the guys are getting better, and that’s what we’re trying to do. There’s a lot to teach, but they’re all very excited to be part of the program, which makes me excited.”