It will be a battle between Metro Atlantic Athletic opponents when the Iona Gaels (18-10) welcome the Canisius Golden Griffins (13-17) to Hynes Athletics Center. The game begins at 4:00 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 28 and can be seen on ES3.
The Gaels were victorious over Manhattan 86-73 on Friday. A.J. English was the team’s leading scorer with 23 points on 7-for-12 shooting. The Golden Griffins, meanwhile, are coming off a 65-60 win over Niagara on Thursday. Malcolm McMillan stood out for Canisius, accounting for 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Over the last five games, English has really been playing well for the Gaels, averaging 26.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.4 steals, and 4.6 three-pointers.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Gaels winning the first matchup 84-66. Deyshonee Much had a stellar game with 30 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals, and eight three-pointers.
The Gaels come into this game 18-10 Straight Up (SU) and 13-14 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 2-8 ATS over their last 10 games. The Gaels come into the game with the 32nd-ranked scoring offense in the nation, averaging 79.6 points per game. Iona is excellent from the perimeter with 277 three-pointers made (9.0 per game), the 17th-most in the country. Iona has the 23rd-most assists in Division I, averaging 16.8 per game.
On the other side, the Golden Griffins have records of 10-16-1 ATS and 13-17 SU. Canisius has done particularly well ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 8-2. The Golden Griffins are an excellent long-range shooting team with 254 three-point shots made (8.0 per game), ranking 38th in Division I. The Canisius defense has allowed an average of 70.9 points per game during the last 10 games, lower than their season average of 77.7.
In their previous meeting this season, Iona beat Canisius, bringing its SU record to 7-3 over Canisius in their most recent games. With a 6-4 record, the Golden Griffins have the advantage ATS. Iona and Canisius each held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once over the last five matchups.
Predictions: SU Winner – Iona, ATS Winner – Iona
Notes
Iona averages 79.6 points per game (ranked 32nd). Canisius, on the other hand, allows 77.7 points per game (ranked 229th).
Iona scores 80.2 points per home game (ranked 71st). Canisius ranks a poor 201st in points allowed on the road, allowing 78.1 points.
Ranked 85th, the Iona Gaels have an offensive rating of 110.0. The Canisius Golden Griffins rank 252nd with a defensive rating of just 111.8.
Iona has an average field goal percentage of 45.2%. Canisius is a losing 5-14 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Iona Gaels and the Canisius Golden Griffins both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Iona is 114th and 49th in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Canisius is 275th and 238th in these categories.
The Iona Gaels rank 23rd in assists per game with an average of 16.8. The Canisius Golden Griffins are among the worst in the country with 14.2 assists per game (ranked 119th).
The Canisius Golden Griffins rank 89th in offensive rebounds. The Iona Gaels rank 107th in the nation in defensive rebounds.
On average, Canisius forces a turnover rate of 20.3%. When Iona turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has an outstanding 6-2 record.
