Rider squeaks past Iona, extends win streak to five

Lawrenceville, NJ, United States (4E Sports) – Tommy Pereira scored 14 points and Daniel Stewart racked up 13 points and 10 boards as the Rider Broncos grinded out a 67-62 win over Iona Gaels Sunday at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Broncos galloped their way to their fifth straight victory after surviving a back-and-forth duel with the resilient Gaels.

The Gaels, on a six-game winning streak heading into Sunday big MAAC showdown, opened up like a runaway train as Sean Armand and Lamont Jones powered a 25-14 start.

But the Broncos were just starting to heat up Pereira knocked down two treys to spark a 19-7 run before the end of the first half.

Clinging to a 35-30 lead at the start of the second half, the Broncos stumbled after intermission and even trailed before unleashing an 8-3 run to take a hard-earned win.

Rider shot 42.4 percent from the field and hounded Iona to just 33.9 percent shooting. The Broncos also controlled the battle for the boards, outrebounding the Gaels 41-28.

Jones scored a game-high 20 points and Armand tallied 15 for the Gaels, who dropped to 12-7 (6-2 MAAC). The Broncos’ hot streak improved their record to 11-9 (6-2 MAAC).

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