Clayton’s 23, strong team defense lead Iona past Manhattan, clinching MAAC tourney bye

Walter Clayton, Jr.’s dunk in second half was dagger for Iona as Gaels wrapped up season sweep of Manhattan and first-round bye in MAAC tournament. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Iona’s shocking 23-point loss to Quinnipiac nearly six weeks ago served notice to every Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference program that the parity that has been a longstanding trademark of league play was at an all-time high.

It also served as a catalyst for Rick Pitino to foment a change in tactics as a wakeup call of sorts for a Gaels team that was the consensus pick to win the MAAC in the preseason, as the Hall of Fame mentor sought a higher competitive balance within his roster.

Winners of five straight entering Friday's contest with longtime rival Manhattan, Iona returned home after a Western New York swing where Pitino lamented his team’s lack of defense despite sweeping Canisius and Niagara. But a strong start on both ends of the floor, with Walter Clayton, Jr.’s three early 3-pointers complementing stifling full-court pressure, the Gaels provided Pitino with more answers than questions in a 71-60 defeat of the Jaspers.

“What was happening was we played our first team versus the second team, and it was lopsided like you couldn’t believe,” Pitino remarked after Iona became the first MAAC team to clinch a first-round bye in next month’s conference tournament. “Now we’ve moved Walt to the maroon team, Oz to the maroon team, Nelly and DJ are on the gold team, and the practices are highly, highly competitive. We’ve gotten better.”

“We didn’t play our best basketball, but Manhattan can do that to you because they’re always trapping, always changing defenses. We played really good defense in the first half, and our defense matched theirs.”

The reengagement on the defensive end was a jolt for Iona (19-7, 12-3 MAAC), who frustrated Manhattan into 14 turnovers and moved the ball well against the Jaspers’ matchup zone defense with 20 assists on 27 made field goals. Offense was no issue for the Gaels, as Clayton drew first blood for Iona on a 3-point field goal just 16 seconds into the contest. Six minutes later, the sophomore had drained two more triples en route to a game-high 23 markers that drew praise from his coach, who challenged the second facet of his game to raise its profile.

“Walt, I feel, if his defense catches up to his offense, he has NBA potential,” Pitino intimated. “Now that’s a big statement whether his defense can catch up to his offense, because at that level, you gotta guard the great players in the league. Walt’s 6’3”, he shoots it, he uses his body going to the rim, he can pass, he can rebound. When his defense catches up to his offense, he’s going to be a pro in my opinion. But he’s gotta get to that level defensively.”

Clayton’s backcourt partner, who now guards the dynamic shooter in practice, has embraced the challenge leading up to games, and has already noticed the profound effect it has had on the team since the aforementioned 81-58 thrashing in Hamden on January 8.

“I think the biggest thing was in practice, we switched up the teams,” Daniss Jenkins said of the renewed focus on Iona’s defense. “Now me and Walt are going against each other. Our practices are competitive, the most competitive they’ve ever been. We don’t want to lose another game because of our defense. That’s the main point we’re trying to fix. If we fix our defense, we could be even better.”

“I think we came out strong, we were attacking and as the game went on, we kind of stopped attacking for layups and open threes, things like that. But our defense was there, and it helps that that’s the thing we’re trying to preach around this time of year. As long as we can keep our defense there, I think our offense will come along and we’ll be fine.”

Iona now stands atop the MAAC following Rider’s upset loss to Canisius, and will carry a one-game conference lead into the final quarter of the regular season, which begins Sunday at Saint Peter’s. A month ago, losses in three of five following a 4-0 start to league play prompted many to wonder whether injuries and youth had taken their toll on the Gaels. As it turned out, the skid was more an eye-opener than anything else, allowing the team to look within itself and begin to improve at an opportune time.

“Sometimes it takes a couple of losses just to wake everybody up and understand what we need to do and what we need to fix,” said Clayton. “We took the losses and I feel like it really helped us as a team wake up and refocus. We haven’t fixed it completely yet, but we’re well on our way.”