The Iona Gaels look to keep building momentum for next week’s MAAC Tournament when they face the Manhattan Jaspers in a conference clash on Thursday night. The Gaels have already clinched the regular-season MAAC crown and are looking for a sixth straight win.
Manhattan has dropped three in a row and sits in 10th place in the conference standings heading into this one. This is the regular-season finale for the Jaspers, who are among five teams with seven conference wins entering Thursday’s action.
Iona at Manhattan Stats
Looking at the Iona Gaels stats
The Gaels have dominated the MAAC this season, holding a 16-2 record in conference play and leading the second-place Saint Peter’s Peacocks by 3.5 games going into the final games of the regular season. Iona is 7-3 on the road this season, including winning its last two contests away from home.
Senior Tyson Jolly is the reigning MAAC Player of the Week after averaging 16.0 points, 4.0 assists, and 3.5 three-pointers in the Gaels’ last two wins. Jolly leads the Gaels with 14.7 points per game and is shooting 39.8 percent from the three-point range this season.
Forward Nelly Junior Joseph has been solid in the paint, averaging 12.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game. He ranks third in the MAAC in rebounds per game and second in blocks per game.
Elijah Joiner is averaging 11.8 points and a team-high 3.4 assists per contest. He’s scored in double figures in each of his last three games and has grabbed six rebounds in each of the last two contests.
Iona is the top-scoring team in the MAAC at 75.4 points per game. Coach Rick Pitino’s squad is also second in the league in field-goal percentage at .443.
Looking at the Manhattan Jaspers stats
The Jaspers are looking to get back in the win column, but they’ll need their offense to be clicking against the Gaels as well as get some work done on the defensive end. Manhattan is scoring 70.9 points per game this season, but it gives up 72.4 points to opponents, which ranks last in the MAAC.
Senior forward Jose Perez is the leading scorer in the MAAC with 18.5 points per game. He’s able to get to the free-throw line and cash in when he gets there, easily attempting the most free throws in the league with 206 and hitting 80.1 percent of those.
Senior guard Ant Nelson is the other double-figure scorer for the Jaspers, scoring 11.0 points per game. Nelson missed the first meeting with Iona this season and is coming off a three-point performance against Saint Peter’s in Manhattan’s last game, so he’ll be looking for a breakout game in this one.
Manhattan must hang onto the ball in this one. The Jaspers rank 10th in the MAAC in assist-to-turnover ratio, sitting at 0.77.
Betting Trends for Iona at Manhattan
- Despite its gaudy overall record, Iona is just 15-14 ATS this season.
- The Gaels are 5-5 when favored by 9.5 points or more in 2021-22.
- Iona has seen its games hit the under in 17 out of 29 games.
- Manhattan is 13-15 ATS this season.
- The Jaspers have gone over in 18 of 28 games this season.
Iona at Manhattan Prediction
The top sportsbooks odds have the Gaels as overwhelming 9.5-point favorites on the road in this one. Iona has dominated the MAAC this season, and there’s no reason to think they won’t continue that in this one.
The first meeting between these two teams was a 12-point Iona victory, though Manhattan was coming off a nearly four-week hiatus due to postponements. The Jaspers were also without Nelson, though that might not matter the way Iona is playing right now.
The Gaels want to take care of business and continue their roll into next week’s conference tournament. Look for Pitino’s bunch to win and cover on the road.
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