Michael Glover, Scott Machado Lead Iona Past Rider, 91-71

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, January 20, 2012

Until tournament time comes around in March, Friday nights are reserved for smaller schools and that's where we found the Iona Gaels, playing in one of just five NCAA games on the slate.

The Gaels, seeking a return to the NCAA tournament, a place they haven't been since 2006, when they lost to LSU in first round, 80-64, know they'll likely have to capture the MAAC tournament to receive the automatic bid.

On Friday, they took a step in the right direction, with a 91-71 win over Rider, the team they beat in last season's conference semi-final, only to lose the final to St. Peter's, 62-57, landing them a berth in the Collegeinsider.com tourney.

Leading the charge for Iona was their top scorer and rebounder, senior forward, Michael Glover, who had another superior effort, hitting 8 of 9 shots from the field for a game high 21 points, to go with nine boards and three assists.

Scott Machado, the senior guard who leads the nation in assists (10.6 per game), chipped in with 11 points, nine boards and 15 assists.

The combination of these two leaders with assorted role players has the Gaels atop the MAAC, with a 7-1 record and a 15-4 mark overall, putting them in position to earn a spot at the Big Dance come March.

One part of the Gaels' strategy has been to play a ton of road games. In December, the Gaels spent the entire month on the road, playing eight straight contests in opponents' facilities. They've already played 10 away games and will embark upon a three-game road trip to Sienna, Fairfield and St. Peter's, last year's NCAA entrant, beginning Monday, January 23.

Iona Tops Niagara on 19 Points from Michael Glover

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, January 6, 2012

With very limited action on Friday nights (only 4 games this Friday), the opportunity to focus on some of the better, less-publicized programs across the country is afforded. One such team is the Iona Gaels, currently leading the MAAC with a 4-0 conference record and a solid 12-3 mark overall after taking down the Niagara Purple Eagles by a 73-61 score.

The Gaels didn't overpower Niagara, leading by only four points at the half, but managed to pull away late, establishing themselves as a contender in the conference that includes only a few perennial small-college powerhouses, such as Fairfield (3-1 in the MAAC) and Loyola of Maryland (also 3-1).

Iona's defense did the trick against Niagara, limiting their opponent to just 36% shooting, including 4-for-19 on three-pointers. Meanwhile, the Gaels' leading scorer, senior forward Michael Glover, provided efficient offense, hitting 6 of 7 shots from the field and making 7 of 8 free throws for a game high 19 points.

Glover also inhaled six rebounds, and provided two steals.

Iona lost to St. Peter's in last season's MAAC tournament championship and made it through three games of the of the CIT Tournament before falling in the final to Santa Clara, 79-69. Missing out narrowly on making the cut for the NCAA tourney last year seems to have provided the Gaels with some added motivation this time around and they are blazing a trail that may land them a spot at the Big Dance come March.

Scott Machado and Michael Glover Each Record Career Highs in 104-99 Double OT Win over St. Joseph's

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Teams from the Metr Atlantic hardly ever get much respect, normally sending just one team to the NCAA tournament, but this season, seniors Scott Machado and Michael Glover are making folks stand up and pay attention.

Machado, a 6'1" guard scored nine of his career high 33 points in the second overtime to lead Iona past Saint Joseph’s 104-99. Glover, a 6'7" forward from the Bronx, also set a career mark with 34 points as the game high scorer, making 15 of 26 shots and pulling down 15 rebounds, nine on the offensive end.

Machado hit on 10 of 18 shots, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range and was 9-for-10 from the foul line. The Queens native also dished 10 assists, the 4th straight game in which he recorded double figures in both scoring and assists.

High-flying Carl Jones led St. Joseph's with 25 points. Jones is tied for fifth nationally in scoring, at 23.8 points per game.

Last season, the 25-12 Gaels missed out on both the NCAA and NIT tournaments, opting to play in the third annual CollegeInsider.com tournament (CIT), despite winning eight games in a row to reach the Metro Atlantic conference finals where they lost to St. Peter's, 62-57, but won three straight before falling in the CIT final to Santa Clara, 76-69.

Gaels' Glover hits for 25 with 17 Boards in OT Win at Rider

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, January 14, 2011

with the major conferences idle Friday nights, it provides CBD a peek at some of the better teams from small conference, like the Metro Atlantic, the eventual champion of which will receive an automatic NCAA Tournament invitation.

At the top are Fairfield, which suffered its initial loss in the conference on Friday, losing a heartbreaker, 66-65, at Loyola which snapped an 11-game winning streak. The Stags are 5-1 in the conference, 12-4 overall and tied with Iona for the Metro lead.

Iona was pushed to the limit at Rider College, finally escaping with a 100-96 win in overtime. Topping both scoring and rebounding stat columns for the game was Michael Glover, the Gaels' 6'7" forward who dropped in 25 points and ripped down 17 boards in the win.

Averaging a double-double (21.5, 10.5), Glover accomplished the feat for the 11th time this season and equalled his career best in rebounding. While the Gaels improved to 5-1, Rider dropped to 4-2 in the Metro, so there's more drama to come from this mostly Northeast urban conference.

The Gaels play at Fairfield on February 4 and finish their regular season at home with a visit from the Stags on February 27. Those two games are likely to go a long way toward providing a regular season champion unless Rider rises and continues to compete.

Michael Glover Gives Gaels Upper Hand

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, December 5, 2010

After losing their first three games, the Iona Gaels had to be wondering if the whole season was going to be a bust. Playing in the Metro Atlantic Association, the Gaels are normally one of the better clubs, and since two of the three losses were close (one point to Kent State and two points at Bryant), the worries would fade as soon as the Gaels found some help for their leading scorer and rebounder, Michael Glover.

Iona won their first game of the season on November 18, beating Richmond - a very good team - and haven't looked back, their winning streak now at five games, including the last two over conference foes, Canisius and Niagara, whom they absolutely bombed, 82-58, Sunday.

Glover, a Bronx native and JuCo transfer, led in both categories, hanging up 30 points and ripping down 11 boards. It was a solid follow-up to his first conference game in which he scored 39, with 14 rebounds. In the win over Niagara, Glover was on the money, hitting 14 of 17 shots, mostly from within five feet of the bucket. He also leads the Gaels in shooting percentage, at 60.8, which is third best among the top 50 scorers nationally. Glover is tied for 19th in scoring, at 21.6 points per game.