NEW ROCHELLE, NY -- The Iona College men’s basketball team used a late 11-0 run to defeat the University of Delaware, 57-52, Friday night at the Hynes Center.

The Gaels, who improved to 1-6 on the season, trailed the Blue Hens 49-43 with 4:43 remaining, but Dexter Gray hit one free throw, Devon Clarke converted a three-point play, and Clarke hit two free throws to tie the game at 49-49 with 1:42 to play. After Clarke stole a Blue Hen pass, Kyle Camper drained a baseline three-pointer with 48 seconds left as the shot clock expired to give Iona a three-point lead. Brian Johnson then had his driving layup blocked out of bounds, and Edwin Santiago missed a three-pointer with 20 seconds remaining.

After the Gaels corralled the defensive rebound Iona’s De’Shaune Griffin hit two free throws with 13 seconds remaining, but the Blue Hens finally stopped the run as Sam McMahon (at right) drained a three-pointer with five seconds on the clock. However Camper sealed the win for the Gaels by nailing two free throws with five seconds to play.

Delaware, which fell to 0-4 on the season, got a team-high 11 points and five rebounds from freshman Alphonso Dawson, while four Blue Hens scored 10 points. Johnson and McMahon each recorded 10 points and four assists, while Santiago and fellow freshman D.J. Boney also finished with 10 points. Senior forward Herb Courtney finished with just one point, his fewest since going scoreless vs. Drexel in the 2006 CAA Tournament First Round, as he saw his 18-game double digit scoring streak snapped.

Iona, which had dropped 10 consecutive games since a 52-50 win at Delaware last February, got 11 points and nine rebounds from Dexter Gray. Milan Pradonavic added nine points and six rebounds for the Gaels, while John Kelly pulled down a game-high 11 boards.

Delaware, which has now lost 10 straight games dating back to last season, hit 9 of 20 three-point attempts but was out-rebounded for the fourth straight game, as Iona held a 41-24 edge on the boards. The Blue Hens, who came into the game ranked third in the CAA by holding their opponents to 27.0 percent shooting from three-point range, limited Iona to just 3 of 17 shooting from behind the arc.

Delaware started slow, as after an opening basket by Dawson, Iona scored nine straight points to take an early 9-2 lead. The Gaels still led 19-11 at the 7:45 mark, but consecutive three-pointers by Johnson, Santiago and Boney gave the Blue Hens their first lead of the game at 21-20 with six minutes to play in the half.

However Iona’s Andre Tarver answered with a three-pointer to put the Gaels back on top, and Iona carried a 31-29 lead into halftime. With the game tied at 37-37, Dawson drained an 18-foot jumper, and following a Herb Courtney block, Santiago went the length of the court for a layup to give the Blue Hens a 41-37 advantage with 10:46 to play.

A free throw by the Gaels’ Devon Clark cut the lead to three, but Santiago nailed a three-pointer to make it a 44-38 game. Five consecutive points by Iona cut the Delaware lead to one, but Boney answerd with a three-pointer to put the Hens ahead 47-43 with 7:02 to play. Dawson then converted a layup to put Delaware up six with 4:34 remaining, but the Gaels responded with 11 straight points to take the lead for good.

“Our defense was good tonight but we didn’t do the things we needed to do at the end of the game,” said UD second-year head coach Monté Ross. “We gave up 16 offensive rebounds, which you can’t do. Their execution down the stretch and our youth were major factors in the outcome. We had some bad turnovers late in the game, and they hit some clutch shots.”

Delaware, which dropped to 1-14 in its last 15 non-conference road games, returns home on Monday, December 3 when the Blue Hens open their Colonial Athletic Association schedule by hosting Towson at 7 p.m. at the Bob Carpenter Center.

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