Sacred Heart Pioneers (13-18, 9-11 MAAC) vs. Iona Gaels (18-13, 10-10 MAAC)
Atlantic City, New Jersey; Thursday, 6 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Iona plays in the MAAC Tournament against Sacred Heart.
The Gaels’ record in MAAC games is 10-10, and their record is 8-3 in non-conference play. Iona is second in the MAAC with 24.4 defensive rebounds per game led by Lamin Sabally averaging 5.6.
The Pioneers’ record in MAAC games is 9-11. Sacred Heart has a 6-10 record in games decided by 10 points or more.
Iona scores 73.6 points per game, 3.1 fewer points than the 76.7 Sacred Heart gives up. Sacred Heart has shot at a 43.4% clip from the field this season, 0.9 percentage points higher than the 42.5% shooting opponents of Iona have averaged.
The teams meet for the second time this season. The Gaels won 81-69 in the last matchup on Dec. 7. CJ Anthony led the Gaels with 15 points, and Yann Farell led the Pioneers with 16 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Anthony is shooting 44.1% and averaging 14.4 points for the Gaels. Kosy Akametu is averaging 15.1 points over the last 10 games.
Anquan Hill is averaging 17.4 points and 6.1 rebounds for the Pioneers. Nyle Ralph-Beyer is averaging 15.2 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Gaels: 5-5, averaging 72.8 points, 32.6 rebounds, 12.8 assists, 6.2 steals and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting 43.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.8 points per game.
Pioneers: 5-5, averaging 75.4 points, 31.1 rebounds, 13.7 assists, 4.4 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 43.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 76.6 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
