Emmitsburg, Md. (December 29, 2025)--A strong second half propelled Mount St. Mary's past Iona, 66-59, on Monday night at Knott Arena in a rematch of last year's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship game.  Luke McEldon led the Mountaineers with 18 points while Justin Amadi chipped in 14 and Anthony Arrington 10 in the victory.  The Mount improves to 5-9 overall and 1-2 in the MAAC with the victory.

Iona used an 8-0 run early in the second half to build its biggest lead of the game, 41-32, with 16:10 remaining.  Mount St. Mary's responded by scoring the next 10 points to pull ahead, 42-41.  Anthony Arrington hit 1-of-2 at the line to start the run ahead of an Amadi bucket in the paint.  Arrington then scored seven consecutive points to give the Mount the lead, capping the run with a three-pointer with 13:02 left for a 42-41 advantage.

With the score tied at 46-46, the Mount scored the next 12 points to take control of the game.  Amadi started the run with an emphatic dunk off a steal by Arlandus Keyes for a two-point lead.  McEldon followed with a strong move in the paint, and Abdou Khadre Kebe brought the home crowd to a roar with an alley-oop dunk on a feed from Keyes to make it 52-46, forcing the Gaels (9-5, 1-2 MAAC) to call timeout.  Trey Deveaux scored in the paint, Amadi on a lay-up off a Kebe steal, and Keyes a turn-around jumper to cap the run for a 58-46 advantage with 6:09 left in the contest.  The Mount was able to close out the victory from there.

McEldon went 9-of-12 from the field en route to his 18-point night while adding five rebounds in the win.  Amadi was 7-for-12 from the field for his 14 points while chippping in four boards, two blocks and two steals.  Arrington added 10 points off the bench with Kebe adding eight points.  Xavier Lipscomb had a solid game with five points and a team-high nine rebounds while Deveaux finished with four points and seven boards.  Denver Anglin led Iona with 15 points while Lamin Sabally had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

The Mount shot 46.6 percent in the game while holding Iona to 21-of-65 (.323) shooting.  Iona shot just 9-of-35 (.267) from the field in the second half, including 1-of-15 (.067) from beyond the arc.  The Mount held a 43-36 edge on the boards.

GAME NOTES

• The game was a rematch of the 2025 MAAC Championship game won by the Mount, 63-49, on March 15 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.
• Mount St. Mary's improves to 1-8 this season when trailing at the half.
• Iona holds a 7-4 lead in the all-time series, but the Mount has won three of the past four matchups.
• It is the first time this season the Mount has won consecutive games.

UP NEXT:  The Mount heads on the road for a two-game swing with games at Merrimack (January 2) and Quinnipiac (January 4).  The Mount's next home game is Friday, January 9, against Saint Peter's.