Princeton and Iona squared of in the first game of the first game of the Air Force Reserve Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational, held at the Barclays Center.
The basketball tripleheader that was spearheaded by the Basketball Hall of Fame as a way to showcase not only great baseball but to also promote one of the greatest Sports Museums.
For Iona College and Princeton the College have met each other eight times in the programs great history, with the Tigers taking the first seven meetings.
Things started out in favor of Iona as the Gaels were able to play a very strong First Half, but Princeton kept grinding away and grinding away to propel themselves into overtime and eventually the 90-86 overtime victory. For fans of the Gaels this has been the trend lately that they have been able to play a strong First Half, but unable to finish out games.
For the Tigers, they have been playing tough all season long and were rewarded for the fact that they have stayed strong and grinded. Leading the way for Princeton was Ryan Schwieger who had 16 points, followed by Richmond Aririguzoh who had 14 points and Jaelin Lleweliyn who had 11 points.
For Iona they are going to be a fun team to watch as the season goes along. They are a team that tends to gel and play better as the schedule goes along, and they will be one to watch in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Leading the way in the scoring for the Gaels was Asante Gist who had 23 points also having an outstanding performance was EJ Crawford and Tajuan Agee who both had 21 points each.
Gist had himself an outstanding shooting performance for Iona going 8-13 from the floor. The majority of the shots that he was able to take were of the highlight reel variety and he is going to be a tough person to guard for any team defensively.
At the Half the Gaels held a 42-30 lead, as they dominated most of the frame. Leading the way in scoring was Gist who had 14 points, Crawford who had himself some highlight style shots followed with 12 points. Princeton had two players with 10 points each as Ethan Wright and Aririguzoh led the way in the scoring for the Tigers.
It was at the 5:07 mark of the Second Half when Wright hit a three-pointer to cut the Iona lead to 64-62 at the time. Princeton kept grinding and making opportunities for themselves to eventually get the lead. That lead came with 1:59 remaining as Llewellyn hit a layup to make the score 71-69.
Iona who had been so solid on defense the entire night saw a steal by Isaiah Washington that lead to a free throw by EJ Crawford that tied the game up by 71. Princeton answered back with a beautiful jumper in the paint by Llewellyn with 40 seconds left to tie up the game in regulation.
Both teams fought hard during the Overtime stretch, but it was a clutch three-point shot by Drew Friberg the 83-82 that really gave Princeton the momentum. The Tigers kept building on that lead and were able to secure a huge victory in a thrilling basketball game at the Barclays Center.
1495 Sports is proud to bring the following Post Game Video Press Conference:
Featuring Princeton Head Coach Mitch Henderson and Drew Friberg and Iona Coach Tra Arnold and Asante Gist
For more information on Princeton University fans are encouraged toc lick on the link seen here:
https://goprincetontigers.com/index.aspx
For more information on Iona College fans are encouraged to click on the link seen here:
For more information on the Air Force Reserve Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational Fans are encouraged to click on the link seen here:
http://www.hoophall.com/events/basketball-hall-of-fame-invitational/