Pickett, Siena get it going in second half, beat Iona
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- Jalen Pickett scored all 17 of his points in the second half and Siena rallied to defeat Iona 56-54 on Saturday.
Siena trailed 46-39 with 9:56 left in the second half before Pickett found his touch. He scored the game's next 10 points, including a 3-pointer for a 49-46 lead with 5:45 to go.
Siena led 54-46 with 3:24 remaining but the Gaels had their own rally to come. E.J. Crawford hit a layup then his two free throws made it 54-50 with 1:08 to go. After Siena committed a turnover, Crawford drew another foul and made both free throws. Trailing by two with 22 seconds left, Iona sent Pickett to the line and he made both for a 56-52 lead.
After the Gaels' Rickey McGill made two free throws to draw within 56-54 he stole the inbound pass and Iona missed four shots, three of them from 3-point distance, in a hectic final 15 seconds.
The final miss was a 3-pointer by Andrija Ristanovic, who was 0 of 7 from distance and 0 of 9 overall. He did grab eight rebounds.
Crawford led Iona (7-14, 5-5 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) with 19 points and Perez, who scored 14 points in the first half, finished with 17. He made 5 of 7 3-pointers. The Gaels have lost three straight after a 5-2 start to conference play.
Evan Fisher added 12 points for Siena (10-12, 5-4). The Saints are 5-6 on the road.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Kevin Ferguson
- Sean Campbell
- Michael Fortunato
2023-24 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Quinnipiac | 15-5 | - | 24-10 |
Fairfield | 14-6 | 1 | 24-13 |
Marist | 12-8 | 3 | 18-13 |
Saint Peter's | 12-8 | 3 | 19-14 |
Rider | 12-8 | 3 | 15-17 |
Niagara | 11-9 | 4 | 16-16 |
Iona | 10-10 | 5 | 16-17 |
Mount St. Mary's | 9-11 | 6 | 13-19 |
Canisius | 8-12 | 7 | 14-18 |
Manhattan | 4-16 | 11 | 7-23 |
Siena | 3-17 | 12 | 4-28 |