For the third straight game, Iona blew a second-half lead and lost, last night’s 105-104 double-overtime collapse against lowly Marist the worst of the lot.
Lamont “Momo’’ Jones gave Iona a 93-89 lead with 10 seconds left in overtime, but then watched Chevaughn Lewis hit a three-quarter-court heave at the buzzer to tie it at 94 and force the second overtime.
“We’re been finding ways to lose and this was a new way,’’ Iona coach Tim Cluess said. “Some of our guys think they’re a lot better than they are. That’s my fault, I’ve got to be better at getting their heads right. I was hoping the two games up there would’ve done it, but we came out not ready to play.’’
Cluess said the loss has left his suddenly struggling Gaels wallowing in self-pity, and at a crossroads in their fragile season.
With the MAAC season winding down, junior guard Sean Armand said the Gaels (14-10, 8-5) have to play with a greater sense of urgency.
“We’re not ready to play and we’re never ready to play, then of course you’re going to lose games, and you deserve to lose games,’’ he said. “We deserved to lose. We should’ve came out from the beginning and played, but instead we think we’re the better team, and see what happened.’’
What happened was Iona — which also blew leads at Niagara and Canisius — squandered a 52-40 cushion. Jones had a game-high 37 points and thought he hit a 3-pointer to tie the score at 105 with 3.2 seconds left in the second overtime. But his foot was ruled on the line. After Jay Bowie’s foul gave Iona the ball, Armand missed a corner 3 at the buzzer.
“I hate to lose with a passion,” Jones said. “I hate it.’’
Adam Kemp had 29 points, 16 boards and seven blocks for Marist (6-18, 3-10), which had lost 12 of 13.
Meanwhile, Cluess said his team wasn’t angry enough about the loss.
“That’s the big problem,” Cluess said. “They feel sorry for themselves. I would’ve loved to go into the locker room and have to separate guys, or if they were mad at me.
“The guys who were here last year are upset. The new guys don’t know what to be.’’
“Some care a lot, some don’t care at all, some are trying to figure it out. We don’t have the mentality we had last year. I have to do a better job, my staff has to do a better job and right now we’re not doing our job.’’