WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Monmouth University Men's Basketball (10-6, 2-3 MAAC) had three players score 20+ points and forced overtime against the first-place team in the league before falling by a single point, 86-85 to Iona College (15-3, 7-0 MAAC) Tuesday.
 
After Iona scored the first five points of OT, MU got the next four to make it 84-83. The Gaels went back up by three from the line with 34 seconds to go before Marcus McClary cut it back to one with eight seconds left. With Iona up one, Elijah Joiner went to the line and missed the front end of a one-and-one and Shavar Reynolds raced the ball up the floor, but after taking contact was unable to get a shot off and Iona survived with a one-point victory.
 
Iona opened a 61-51 lead with 14:29 to go before the Hawks used a 12-3 run to cut it to one. Iona maintained a slim lead before Reynolds got to the basket with 2:17 to go to give the Hawks the lead. Consecutive Joiner three-pointers with a Walker Miller bucket in between put Iona in front, the latter with just 7.2 seconds to go, but Reynolds drove the length of the floor and was fouled with 2.8 to play, making both to force the extra session.
 
Other than an eight-point lead that lasted 10 seconds, neither team pulled away by more than two possessions in the opening half. MU led in the final minutes of the period, with George Papas knocking in three triples in the period before Iona scored at the buzzer to take a two-point lead to the locker room.

NOTES AND QUOTES
 
"I'm proud of my team. Incredible, incredible college game. They play defense so hard for Coach Pitino that you have to figure some things out when you play them. I thought we figured some things out, but down the stretch we didn't shoot free throws like Monmouth Basketball always does. My kids are ready and my kids will be ready." – Head Coach King Rice
 
-Monmouth had three players (Reynolds, Miller, Papas) score 20+ points, the first time that has happened under King Rice.
-George Papas moved into the top-10 in program history in made threes, passing Micah Seaborn with his 175^th make.
-MU topped the 80-point mark for the fourth time this season.
-George Papas' six assists mark a season high.
-Walker Miller posted his fourth 20+ point game of the season while Shavar Reynolds notched his third and George Papas his fifth.
-This marked Monmouth's first overtime game of the season, and first since a March 4, 2021 win at Rider.
-Papas played 42:16, the most in a game in his career.

NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Each team scored 38 points in the paint.
-Monmouth was better on the move, 17-11.
-MU generated 19 points off turnovers.
-The game saw nine ties and 12 lead changes.
-The Hawks matched a season low with seven turnovers.

UP NEXT
-Monmouth is at Fairfield Thursday night with a 7:30 p.m. tip.