The Gaels outrebounded the Bobcats, 40-35, and the Iona bench outscored Ohio's, 37-14. Ohio shot . . .
The game was tied at 83-all with 2:45 to go in the second half. Junior forward Doug Taylor made a layup assisted by junior guard/forward Gavin Block to cut Iona's lead to 87-85 with 42 seconds left to play.
Kirk was able to pick up a huge steal on the ensuing inbound and was fouled on the play, but was unable to convert the one-and-the-bonus free throw attempt. Block was fouled on a three-point attempt on Ohio's next possession, converting one of his three free throws.
Freshman guard Teyvion Kirk scored Ohio's last basket with two seconds remaining in the game, but a pair of made free throws shot by graduate guard Zach Lewis sealed the win for Iona.
"That was a hell of a November 28 basketball game," said fourth-year head coach Saul Phillips. "I don't think you can get much better than that. Came out on the wrong side of it.
“They came out in the first half and shot the ball so, so, well. Offensively, hard to bicker with 88 points against a good team like that, but I question a few decisions against their big shot-blocker. It cost us some turnovers and shots. This game will do us well moving forward, I think this group has proved that they're never out of a game. We made so many plays to get back into the game, it's a tragedy a few missed free throws cost us a chance to get the job done."
Senior guard Mike Laster had a game-high 23 points, making 10 of his 19 shots while totaling four rebounds, a block and a steal in 36 minutes of action. He posted his third-straight contest with at least 20 points.
Block scored 18 points in his 34 minutes of play. He also added four assists, three rebounds, and a steal. Junior guard Jordan Dartis totaled 15 points, knocking down four triples and sinking all three of his free throw attempts. He also logged five assists to tie for the team lead in addition to three rebounds over 38 minutes.
Kirk finished the contest with 14 points, five assists to tie for the team lead, four rebounds, a block and a steal in 29 minutes of action. Taylor totaled double-digit rebounds for the third game in a row, piling up a game-high 13. He also notched four points, four assists and a game-high three blocks over 32 minutes.
Sophomore guard/forward E.J. Crawford and graduate forward TK Edogi each tallied 20 points to lead the way for the Gaels. Edogi achieved a double-double with a team-high 12 rebounds. Lewis and junior guard Rickey McGill also finished in double figures in points with 16 and 15, respectively.
"They hit a lot of tough shots," said Laster of Iona. "Most of the shots we were there for, they just hit a lot of hard ones. They like to push the ball a little bit. They just hit more shots than we did."
Ohio closes out its current three-game homestand by welcoming Coppin State (0-6) to the Convo for a 7 p.m. ET contest on Friday (Dec. 1).