Atlantic City, N.J. (March 8, 2023)--Mount St. Mary's saw its season come to an end with a 74-54 loss to top-seeded Iona in the 2023 Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Tournament quarterfinals.
Jalen Benjamin poured in a game-high 27 points to lead the Mount on Wednesday night at Jim Whalen Boardwalk Hall. The Mount concludes the year with a 13-20 record.
Three-pointers from
Deandre Thomas and
Xavier Lipscomb gave the Mount an early 6-3 advantage, but the Gaels (25-7) went on a 16-to-3 run to take the lead. Daniss Jenkins scored back-to-back buckets to give Iona a 13-to-6 lead, and after the Mount's
Dakota Leffew scored the next three points, Anton Brookshire and Jenkins each hit a three to make it 19-to-9 with 11:34 left in the first half.
Trailing 30-17 after an Osborn Shema basket, the Mount scored the next five points on a
George Tinsley three and a
Malik Jefferson basket to chip away at the deficit. Iona held a 10-point lead before Benjamin scored six of the final seven points of the half to pull the Mount within 33-28 at the break.
After Iona's Berrick JeanLouis scored to open the second half, Benjamin converted a step-back three to cut the deficit to 35-31. The Mount remained within striking range, making in a 44-39 deficit with 13:34 left after a Thomas hook shot in the paint. Iona's Walter Clayton, Jr., the MAAC Player of the Year, then took over, scored seven of Iona's eight points in an 8-0 run that gave the Gaels a 52-39 lead just past the midpoint of the second half. A Benjamin traditional three-point play pulled the Mount to 52-44, but Clayton Jr. countered with a bucket, and Iona led by double figures the rest of the way.
Benjamin led all scorers in the game with 27 points, hitting 11-of-22 from the field. Leffew added eight points, seven rebounds and three steals for the Mountaineers. Clayton Jr. scored 18 of his team-high 21 points in the second half to lead four Iona players in double figures. Clayton Jr. added 11 rebounds, six on the offensive glass, to post a double-double. Shema added 17 points and five boards, Jenkins 15 points, and Nelly Junior Joseph 10 points and 11 rebounds in the win.
The Mount finished the game 21-for-55 (.382) from the field and 5-of-22 (.227) from three-point range. Iona shot 29-of-64 (.453) from the floor and were 8-of-21 (.381) from beyond the arc. The Gaels held a 42-to-30 rebound edge.
