Martin Kheil scored 12 points off the bench and the Iona Gaels beat the NJIT Highlanders 72-49 on Thursday night at Hynes Athletics Center.
NJIT led by as many as 6 early and was up 15-11 in the first half. Iona then scored 28 straight points to go ahead 39-15, its largest lead of the night at 24. The Gaels took a 39-19 lead into halftime. The game had two lead changes and one tie.
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NJIT outscored Iona 30-33 was not the story after the break. The Gaels won the second half 33-30 and kept the margin above 20 most of the way.
Kheil made 4 of 5 shots, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range, in 20 minutes. Kevon Vanderhorst had 10 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists, and Sadiku Ibine Ayo added 10 points and 5 rebounds.
Victor Vanderstraeten led all scorers with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting and grabbed 7 rebounds for NJIT. David Bolden had 8 points and 5 assists but made 2 of 11 shots. Brandon Stores Jr. scored 7 on 3-of-12 shooting.
Iona shot 55% (29 of 53) and outrebounded NJIT 45-26. The Gaels also held edges of 38-26 in the paint and 14-7 in fast-break points, though they committed 17 turnovers to NJIT's 8. The Highlanders shot 29% (18 of 63) and made 5 of 26 3-pointers.
Iona improved to 2-0. NJIT fell to 0-2.
