WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Ray Salnave (Elmont, NY/Benjamin N. Cardozo) drove the length of the floor and banked in the game-winner with 1.1 seconds to go, giving Monmouth University men's basketball an 83-81 win over Iona College on Sunday afternoon. Salnave finished with 19 on the game, capped by his second game-winner of the season to improve Monmouth to 6-14, 5-2 in the MAAC. The Gaels fall to 6-11, 4-2 in league play.

Salnave took the ball out of bounds and went end-to-end, eventually banking in a falling away shot from the left block with 1.1 seconds to go to give Monmouth the 83-81 lead. Iona turned it over when EJ Crawford stepped on the sideline with 0.4 seconds to go, allowing the Hawks to inbound and run out the remaining clock, securing MU's fourth win in a row.

Monmouth led by six in the final 30 seconds but Iona's Rickey McGill got fouled from three and made the trio before a turnover allowed McGill to knock in the game-tying triple with 14 seconds to go. Monmouth only trailed in the second half for 18 seconds, with Ben Perez putting Iona up before MU ripped off a 9-0 run to regain the advantage. Marcus McClary (Linden, NJ/The Patrick School) knocked in his first two triples of the season in the second half to build the MU lead, which was as many as seven in the period. 

A pair of runs opened the game, with Iona scoring the first seven points before MU netted six in a row and eventually tied the game at nine on Deion Hammond's (Mitchellville, MD/Riverdale Baptist School) jumper. After Iona led 11-10 at 13:29, they didn't lead again in the half, with the Hawks gradually putting together an eight-point lead as Sam Ibiezugbe (Simsbury, CT/The Masters School) hit his first four shots to lead the way to a two-point lead at the break.

NOTES AND QUOTES
"I'm really happy with my guys because we kept fighting. We kept fighting and it's kind of like when you're trying to get better and make yourselves a rival with one of the schools, it's a hard thing. Lots of credit to these guys for being able to finish this game today. That last play that Ray made was tremendous." – Head Coach King Rice

"My thought was that I can't have two mess ups in a row, so let's just try to get out of here. I;m happy Coach Rice didn't call a timeout, when it's games like this and Coach puts the ball in my hands, it means that he trusts me. Not calling timeout showed me how much he really trusts me to make a play for the team. Melik came and set the screen, we got the switch we wanted. I had him, put my head down, put the shot up and it went in." – Guard Ray Salnave on the game-winner

-Ray Salnave netted his second game-winner of the season, scoring with 1.1 seconds left. 
-Monmouth has now won four in a row to jump to second place in the MAAC.
-Salnave's 19 put him in double digits for the fifth game in a row.
-Sam Ibiezugbe collected a career-high 12 points, tying a career mark with four made field goals. 
-Ibiezugbe has now scored in double digits twice this year.
-Deion Hammond's perfect 9-for-9 from the foul line was the most by a Hawk this season without a miss.
-The Hawks tied a season-best with 17 assists.
-11 of the 12 Hawks who saw time scored in the game.
-Hammond has now scored in double digits 12 times this year after 15 points today.
-Marcus McClary tied a season-high with eight points, and knocked in his first two three pointers of the year.
-MU scored 80+ points for the third time this season, and second time vs. Iona.
-It marked the first time in McClary's career that he made multiple threes in a game.
-MU splits the season series with Iona, with each home team earning wins.

NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Monmouth outrebounded Iona 39-30.
-The Hawks outshot the Gaels 43.3% to 41.1%.
-The game featured eight ties and three lead changes.
-Monmouth led for 29:41 of the 40 minutes.
-Iona was led by Asante Gist's 21 points.

UP NEXT
-Monmouth heads to Buffalo to take on Canisius on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m.