Monday marked the beginning of the 2024-25 NCAA college basketball season, with 12 of the 13 teams from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference kicking off their campaigns. Most of these games are “buy-games,” regardless of what side the team was on, but there was one game that stood out on that opening slate. That game saw the 14-time MAAC champion Iona Gaels head down to Princeton, New Jersey, to take on the Princeton Tigers.
The game was overall a back-and-forth contest, with both teams trading baskets at various points throughout the game. However, after an 11-point run put the Gaels up 49-37 at halftime, many thought this game was out of reach.
But after a hot start to the second half, the Gaels went cold, allowing Xavian Lee and Princeton to go on a 16-point run and putting them back in the game.
The game continued to stay close until the final seconds, when a free throw from Lee with three seconds to go in the game, followed by a missed jump shot from Gaels’ guard Dejour Reaves, sealed the fate for the Gaels, losing 81-80.
Despite the loss for Iona, there are many positives that fans can take away from this game.
Adam Nije came out of this game looking like a star for the Maroon and Gold, putting up a team-high 19 points and six assists on 50% shooting from the field and 75% from beyond the arc. This is the second-most points ever dropped by a freshman player for Iona, one behind Schadrac Casimir’s 20-point outing against Cleveland State at the start of the 2014-15 season.
All of Iona’s star players performed well, with Reaves, an All-MAAC Preseason First-Team pick, putting up 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists off the bench. All-MAAC Preseason Third Team pick Clarence Rupert had 15 points and six rebounds, and All-MAAC Preseason Second Team pick James “Biggie” Patterson had eight points, 10 rebounds and three steals.
Iona must do a better job playing up to its ability in the second half. A lot of the team’s turnovers and fouls came in the second half, which allowed Princeton to get back into, and eventually win, the game by one point.
But, despite the loss and second-half collapse from Iona, many positives came from this game that should allow fans to remain optimistic about the team this year.
