College basketball: Iona honors legendary coach Jim Valvano, takeaways from Niagara game

NEW ROCHELLE - In a back-and-forth game from start to finish, Iona and Niagara exchanged plenty of flurries and baskets in the Sunday matinee, but it would be the Purple Eagles that would deliver the final knockout blow.

Iona snagged the lead with 6.1 seconds left, until Niagara managed to work the ball down the court and into Braxton Bayless' hands. The senior guard pulled up from well beyond the arc and drilled the game-winning three-pointer with 0.8 seconds left, giving Niagara the 75-73 victory.

"Just break the press and go, that's what it was really," Bayless said of the approach for the final shot. "Luke (Bumbalough) trusted me, my teammates trusted me, and I made the shot."

His heroics topped off a team-high 22-point performance off the bench, and gave the Purple Eagles their fifth win in seven games.

Meanwhile, the Gaels dropped to 6-9 overall and 1-3 in MAAC play, after an 0-2 weekend in conference action. They previously lost on the road at Saint Peter's on Friday, 69-57.

Greg Gordon led the Gaels with 24 points, four rebounds and four steals. Idan Tretout was right behind with 22 points, five boards, five steals and three assists.

"We did a lot of good things, but it's frustrating," Iona coach Tobin Anderson said. "We were up by 10, and we just couldn't pull away. They got up on a 20-2 run, something like that, which put us in bad shape, but credit to them. They made big shots. Bayless made a big shot at the end, obviously. ... Gotta keep plugging away. Tough way to end the weekend, but we'll get back to work."

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Niagara changed the game with a 17-0 second-half run

Things were looking good for Iona, who defended well in the first half to take a 37-35 lead after a Greg Gordon halftime buzzer-beater. The Gaels held Niagara to shooting just 10-of-24 (41.7%) overall and only one made three-pointer in the first half. Niagara managed to keep it close, though, mostly due to the free throw line, where the Purple Eagles took frequent trips and went 14-of-16 in the first half.

The Gaels pushed their lead to as high as 10 points early in the second half, until Niagara used a 17-0 run to snatch the lead.

Ahmad Henderson II sparked the run with a three-pointer, before Bayless ended it with another long-range basket to give Niagara a 63-55 lead with 8:26 remaining. Iona would undergo a seven-minute scoring drought, while the Purple Eagles stormed ahead.

"We were able to get a couple of stops, fortunately, and get some shots in transition, some opportunities," Niagara coach Greg Paulus said. "I thought there were some terrific contributions from everybody, but especially the bench and Braxton is one of those guys, but I thought that was the big difference."

Niagara ran a small-ball lineup throughout the big scoring spurt, and it gave the Gaels fits.

"Them going small hurt us, because they have guys like (Kwame) Marble and those guys are making plays," Anderson said. "Bayless played great off the bounce, and they really spread us out. We have to guard the ball and defend better. First half, we defended well, and in the second half they shot 56%. We didn't get stops."

Iona's Tretout, Gordon nearly salvaged the game; Gaels generate turnovers but pummeled on glass

Despite the game-changing run, the Gaels nearly had a chance to snag the game at the end.

Tretout and Gordon each enjoyed 20-plus point performances, and they were efficient in their shooting. The Iona duo combined for 22-of-32 (68.8%) on the floor. They were also active on defense and tallied nine steals.

"They made some tough finishes around the rim," Paulus said. "The rate of efficiency with Gordon and Tretout going 22-for-32 together, that's unbelievable. They're difficult to guard because they score in different ways."

They were an instrumental part in their high-pressure defense, which forced 20 Niagara turnovers and converted those into 30 points off turnovers.

Unfortunately, the rest of the Gaels combined for 9-of-30 (30.0%) overall. Tretout hit back-to-back shots towards the end of the game, which helped Iona trim the deficit down to a one-possession game.

Greg Gordon seemingly had the go-ahead basket with 6.1 seconds remaining, using a tough post-up finish to give Iona the lead, before Niagara quickly answered back with the game-winner.

Overall, the Gaels made seven more shots than Niagara, but lost.

They also got pummeled on the boards by Niagara's size and physicality. Niagara outrebounded the Gaels, 41-24. The Purple Eagles tallied a dozen offensive rebounds.

Iona honors, dedicates banner to legendary coach Jim Valvano

With family members, former players, and friends in attendance, Iona held a halftime jersey retirement and unveiled its new banner in the Hynes Center to commemorate former coach Jim Valvano.

Valvano, a former point guard at Rutgers and college basketball coach, is best known for his personality, coaching career and humanitarian efforts in advocating for cancer research and awareness.

He coached at Iona from 1975-80, before going onto N.C. State to spend his final decade coaching. He guided the Wolfpack to the 1983 NCAA national title.

Valvano died in 1993 after fighting cancer. His famous ESPY Awards speech, given approximately two months before his passing, has been replayed millions of times, and the V Foundation for Cancer Research has raised more than $350 million over the years.

"In the presence of so many who cared about Coach Valvano, it adds an extra layer of meaning to our celebration," Iona athletic director Matt Glovaski said. "We are so graciously able to share the honor and remembrance of a man who meant so much to the world of basketball, to Iona University and most importantly, to his family."

Valvano went 346-210 as a head coach, with other stops at Johns Hopkins and Bucknell, plus assistant coaching gigs at Rutgers and UConn, before going to Iona and N.C. State. At Iona, he went 94-45 over five years as the Gaels' head coach.

"He loved Iona," said Valvano's friend and ESPN commentator Dick Vitale. "He loved coaching there, the people there. This is a special, special moment. Jimmy, I know right now, up in heaven, he's feeling awesome right now with this incredible news."

Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Iona dedicates banner to Jim Valvano, takeaways from Niagara game