Dragons Late Rally Comes up Short at Iona, 77-70

Monday, December 28

New Rochelle, N.Y.

7:00

Drexel University

2-9

Iona

5-6

Drexel

Iona College

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Dragons Late Rally Comes up Short at Iona, 77-70

12/28/2015 9:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – Iona shot 61 percent in the first half to open up a big lead and held off a furious Drexel run to defeat Drexel, 77-70, in the Dragons' final non-conference game of the season. Sammy Mojica led the Dragons (2-9) with 20 points, which tied a career high.

The Dragons, who trailed by as many as 19 points in the game, kept chipping away at the Iona lead and got it down to a manageable five points with just under five minutes to play. Drexel then cut the lead to two points with just 1:38 to go on a pair of Tavon Allen free throws. After Iona made one of two at the line, Drexel had a chance to tie it. Allen missed a three-pointer, but Drexel secured the offensive board and Allen had one more three attempt but it went wide. Iona then sealed the game from the line and escaped with the win.

Iona led by as many as 19 points midway through the half. The Gaels made six three-pointers in the half. Isaiah Williams and Deyshonee Much each had a pair of three-pointers and had 10 points. On the other end, Drexel's offense struggled in the early going. The Dragons missed their first seven shots of the game and were 1-for-13 at one point. Drexel finally got the offense going late and made it a 41-28 game at intermission. The Dragons defense also got it together late and held the Gaels scoreless the last four minutes of the half. Mojica was the lone bright spot offensively, scoring 11 of the team's 28 points.

The Dragons were able to trim the lead down to to eight points with 17 minutes to play on a Mojica three-pointer, 43-35. Iona responded, though, going on a 12-2 run over the next five and a half minutes to take a 55-37 lead. The Gaels would extend that lead again to 19, holding a 60-41 advantage with 10:21 remaining. Drexel then chipped into the Gaels' lead, holding them without a field goal for three minutes to aid a 13-2 run to cut Iona's lead to 72-70 with just over a minute left. The Gaels hit their free throws over the final minute, and the Dragons missed their final seven field goal attempts, to ultimately fend off the comeback bid from Drexel.

Both sides struggled to keep the ball secure all night. The Dragons forced 17 Iona turnovers, while the Gaels forced 14 in their favor. Freshman point man Terrell Allen had 10 points and four steals, but did have five turnovers for Drexel. Iona was able to turn Drexel's turnovers into 21 points on its end, while the Dragons turned the Gaels' miscues into 11 points.

Ta. Allen scored a bucket nine minutes into the game and became the 35th Dragon to score 1,000 points in his career. Allen, who had 16 points on the night, now has 1,015 career points, enough to pass Robert Battle (1,009) for 34th all-time at Drexel. Greg Norman (1,016), who played from 1971-74, is 33rd on the list.

The Dragons open up Colonial Athletic Association play on New Year's Eve when they play at UNCW. The game will be played at 1 p.m. Drexel will then drive across the state and play Elon on Jan. 2 before heading back to Philadelphia.