It will be a battle between Metro Atlantic Athletic opponents when the Fairfield Stags (10-9) welcome the Iona Gaels (10-8) to Arena at Harbor Yard. The game gets underway at 3:30 pm ET on Sunday, Jan. 24.
The Stags beat Marist 88-76 on Friday. Curtis Cobb was the team’s high scorer with 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting. The Gaels are coming off a 64-58 win over Saint Peter’s on Friday. Deyshonee Much stood out for Iona, accumulating 17 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
Over the last five games, Tyler Nelson has been playing at a high level for the Stags. During that stretch, he has averaged 17.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.8 three-pointers.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Gaels won the first game 101-77. A.J. English was a top performer in the victory with 46 points, three rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and 13 three-pointers.
Fairfield is a three-point underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 172 points. The Stags enter the game with records of 10-9 Straight Up (SU) and 6-8 Against The Spread (ATS). Fairfield is excellent from the perimeter with 179 three-pointers made (9.0 per game), the 34th-most in the country.
On the other side, the Gaels head into the game with records of 5-12 ATS and 10-8 SU. Most recently, Iona is a meager 1-9 ATS over the last 10 games. The Gaels are an excellent long-range shooting team with 179 three-point shots made (9.0 per game), ranking 34th in Division I. Defenses have a tough time accounting for every player when up against the Gaels, who are known for distributing the ball with 16.4 assists per game.
Following the Gaels’ latest win over Fairfield, their SU record against Fairfield moves to 8-2 over their most recent meetings. Additionally, with a 7-3 record, Iona has the advantage ATS. Iona held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last five game, while Fairfield wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Iona, ATS Winner – Iona, O/U – Over
Notes
Fairfield is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Fairfield’s last 7 games.
Fairfield is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games at home.
Fairfield is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Iona.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Fairfield’s last 9 games when playing Iona.
Fairfield is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Iona.
Iona sits at 7-2 SU against its conference rivals, while Fairfield is 4-5 SU.
Iona averages 78.9 points per game (ranked 62nd). Fairfield, on the other hand, allows 80.0 points per game (ranked 325th).
The Fairfield Stags average 74.0 possessions per game and 1.064 points per possession, while the Iona Gaels earn fewer possessions (72.5) but more points per possession (1.090).
The Fairfield Stags average an effective field goal percentage of 52.8% this season. The Iona Gaels have a losing record of 2-4 when opponents have an eFG% of 52.8% or greater.
Fairfield attempts an average of 25.0 three pointers per game and Iona attempts 26.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Fairfield Stags have an 8-9 record while the Iona Gaels have a 10-8 record.
Fairfield ranks 94th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.20, while Iona ranks 68th with an A/TO of 1.25.
Iona has forced an average turnover percentage of 18.6% this season. Fairfield has a subpar 2-7 record when its TO% is 18.6% or higher.
