Anthony, Anglin shine as Iona men's basketball crushes rival Canisius

NEW ROCHELLE - There was a bit of irony in the fact that Anglin couldn’t find the right angle, despite multiple adjustments. One shot came awfully close, but the others were askew. Miss after miss led to a missed opportunity.

“I thought she was gonna make it!” Denver Anglin said on Jan. 11, sounding as incredulous as he was disappointed. “I won’t bring it up to her right away. I’ll let her sit with it, then talk some smack later.”

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He was talking about his mother.

Diane Anglin was the audience member selected to attempt a long putt across the court during the Iona University men’s basketball game. The prize would’ve been a four-person pass for a day at a local country club.

The family has a miniature golf setup in their backyard, she said, but it’s mostly for Denver and his brother. Her four swings on Sunday were, umm, over par.

And that was just about the only thing that went wrong for the Gaels.

On the strength of a dominant second half, with lights-out shooting, Iona rolled to a 74-48 win over Canisius before an excited crowd at the Hynes Center. It was their second consecutive home blowout of a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opponent.

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“We’re starting to (approach) our peak and find different ways to win,” point guard CJ Anthony said. “It’s a process and we’re learning our teammates better every day, playing the way we know we can.”

Denver Anglin scored 14 points, including four 3-pointers, and had five rebounds and three assists. Anthony hit three from the behind the arc and totaled 12 points, six assists and three steals. That back court helped the Gaels shoot 63% from the field in the second half and turn what was a back-and-forth into a runaway victory.

The Gaels jumped ahead of Canisius in the conference standings before upcoming road games against Rider and Saint Peter’s.

“Going through this weekend was really important for our crew coming off how last week ended,” coach Dan Geriot said, referring to their embarrassing 45-point loss at Marist on Jan. 4. “I was happy to see us progress, even as the game went on.”

Turning point

After the Griffins took a brief 32-30 lead early in the second half, Iona scored 19 straight during a five-minute surge to take control. That run was sparked by excellent interior defense, good passes in transition, and four 3-pointers.

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Lamin Sabally’s baseline floater tied it at 32, then Anglin’s three off a turnover gave Iona the lead for good with 15:52 remaining. Toby Harris’ three-point play — a put-back finished through contact —and Chase Cormier’s corner three on successive possessions put them up 49-32 with 11:54 remaining.

“Spurtability” has become a catchphrase within the program, Geriot joked, but the obvious goal is consistency and not a reliance on those explosions. The Gaels shot 13 for 28 from three, their drives into the paint and fast breaks often resulting in open shooters in the corner.

The Gaels later extended to a 29-point lead during another four-minute stretch in which they stifled a Canisius offense that entered averaging 79 points during a three-game win streak.

“That’s really what gets us going,” Anglin said of their defense. “We make them miss and we get out in transition. Getting those stops in crucial moments kind of fuels our success on the other side.”

Takeaways

The production of their guards, and the balanced output, was especially encouraging for Iona after losing Keshawn Williams to a torn ACL last week. Anglin served as the primary ball-handler for a period in the second half, showing his ability to orchestrate.

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“It’s huge,” he said of the back court stepping up. “Not just for me, but CJ and Kosy (Akametu) also had big games. Having that depth is great for us. It can be anybody’s day.”

The Gaels have almost an entirely new roster, with Luke Jungers as the only holdover from last season, so there was an understanding that this season would be a work in progress and chemistry would develop gradually.

“It’s challenging, but we talked over the summer about ‘radical transparency’ and how we’re gonna be upfront with each other,” Anthony said. “There’s times on the court I’m not doing right and (Anglin) will tell me, and vice versa. We’ve got a relationship with everybody and that makes it easier to communicate.”

Geriot experimented for a few minutes with a “tall” lineup and Iona did have success with the 6-foot-9 Jungers at guard and 6-foot-10 Alliou Fall anchoring the post. That group, the coach said, “was a positive.” It speaks to their versatility and the potential matchup options.

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“Luke is our smartest defender and Lamin (Sabally) can play the four,” he said. “We’re comfortable playing that tall. Jungers and (Toby) Harris can shoot and space well, so you’re able to put some different decision-makers with them.”

The Gaels also adjusted their practice routine this week to have what Geriot described as “high-intensity work with lower volume” sessions the day before games. The team has responded well, he said, and it likely will continue when they visit Rider on Jan. 14.

By the numbers

Iona (12-6, 4-3) — Akametu had 12 points, including two threes, and Harris had nine points, five rebounds and two blocks. Sabally added six points, 13 rebounds and four assists, and Khalil Badru had seven points and five rebounds. Fall had six points, four assists and four blocks.

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Canisius (8-9, 3-3) — Mike Evbagharu had 10 points and six rebounds, and Kahlil Singleton scored nine. The Griffins were outrebounded 42-30 and shot 29.5% from the field.

They said it

“That’s something that kept me up,” Geriot said of their 83-38 loss to Marist a week ago. “None of our guys had failed that badly before. You’ve gotta feel it, revel in that, go home and stare at the ceiling… Then you reflect and find things you can learn from it, and how to get better from it.”

Stephen Haynes covers sports for The Journal News/lohud.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Iona University men's basketball dominates Canisius in MAAC play