Highlights from the Iona men's basketball team's win over Rider at the Hynes Center in Iona College on Sunday, January 14th, 2018. Adrian Szkolar/lohud
Iona head coach Tim Cluess talks about his team's comeback win over Siena on Thursday, January 12th, 2017. Video by Josh Thomson/lohud
Iona senior guard Deyshonee Much scored a career-high 32 points in an 84-65 win over Fairfield at the Hynes Center Jan. 7, 2018. Much came off the bench after starting the first 15 games. Josh Thomson/lohud
Saint Peter's plays Iona College in Men's basketball at Iona College in New Rochelle Jan. 5, 2018. Carucha L. Meuse /lohud.com
Iona coach Tim Cluess and St. John's coach Chris Mullin react to Sunday's game at the MSG Holiday Festival. St. John's won 69-59 in the teams' first meeting since 1995. Josh Thomson/lohud
Yale plays Iona during Men's basketball at the Hynes Center in New Rochelle Dec. 12, 2017. Carucha L. Meuse /lohud.com
Iona defeated FDU 82-75 in the Gael's home opener at Iona College's Hynes Sports Center in New Rochelle Dec. 2, 2017. Frank Becerra Jr./Lohud
The Iona College men's basketball team gets ready for their season opener with a practice Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017. Peter Carr/The Journal News
Iona and Army decided to call their exhibition game with 15:40 remaining due to floor conditions at the Hynes Center. Iona coach Tim Cluess said the decision was made for the safety of the players. Wochit
Video: Highlights from Iona's 91-64 win over Rider
Video: Tim Cluess on Iona's 71-69 Win Over MAAC Rival Siena
Iona's Deyshonee Much burned Fairfield with career-high 32 points off bench
Video: Highlighs Saint Peter's vs Iona College in Men's Basketball
Tim Cluess, Chris Mullin react to Iona' 69-59 loss to St. John's
Video: Iona plays Yale in Men's basketball
FB Video: Iona tops FDU 82-75 in home opener
Video: Iona men's basketball gets ready for season opener
Iona basketball coach Tim Cluess on wet floor at Hynes Center
UNIONDALE - If Saturday's Iona-Manhattan nightcap was meant test the revamped Nassau Coliseum as a future MAAC Championship host, it was the rivals themselves who didn't seem tournament ready.
The Jaspers slogged through the opening 30 minutes as Iona drifted along, leading but not with any command. Suddenly, it was that same sleepy start that led to a competitive finish, and the Gaels finally withstood Manhattan 78-65 and won their fifth straight in the series.
"You know they're going to get runs," said Iona coach Tim Cluess, whose team improved to 13-8, including 7-2 in the MAAC. "They play really hard and they're really talented. Basketball is a game of runs. We just kind of had to stop theirs and not let it get too close. Our guys made some big shots to keep a little bit of cushion."
BATTLE FOR FIRST: Iona falls as Canisius takes over atop the MAAC
Schadrac Casimir led six players in double figures with 20 points. Roland Griffin added 12 points off the bench and Deyshonee Much, T.K. Edogi and Zach Lewis scored 10 apiece.
Iona built a lead as large as 13 in the second half and never trailed, but Manhattan (10-12, 5-5) actually came within 63-59.
Some of the Gaels' inability to finish was traced to playing without Rickey McGill. The junior was saddled with foul trouble after leading the team with 11 first-half points. Lewis stepped in to post 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals off the bench. Much also contributed to the playmaking, dishing out six assists.
"Zach Lewis is a great player. He picked up Rickey’s slack today," Much said. "We really needed him to step up, which he did. One guy goes out, it’s the other guy’s job to step up."
Both Lewis and Much had just one turnover on a night Iona recorded 20 assists and just six turnovers against the defense-first Jaspers. Cluess said it was one of his team's best games protecting the ball all season.
And the Gaels still haven't lost to Manhattan since the 2015 MAAC championship game at Albany's Times Union Center. Both Cluess and his counterpart, Steve Masiello, wouldn't mind meeting with more on the line at Nassau, which is one of the sites bidding to host the conference tournament from 2020-22.
Saturday's tripleheader was a test run that drew a modest crowd of 2,517 to the Coliseum, which reopened after a two-year renovation. Cluess, who grew up on Long Island, and Masiello, who grew up in White Plains, both expressed a desire for change.
The Times Union Center — Siena's home arena — joined the Coliseum, Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall and Bridgeport's Webster Bank Arena in the bid process.
"I don't make any of those decisions," said Cluess, who attended the first Long Island Nets game here as a kid. "It was a nice arena, a nice venue and it was fun playing here. It was kind of tournament style, game after game after game. I think it was good for our league to get exposure to fans who normally don't get to see our teams play."
Masiello was much more direct. He said he was a proponent of change, whether that change leads the league to Nassau or elsewhere.
"If we're going to continue to be petty and secretly really not want things to be successful because at the time it's not advantageous to us as coaches, that's as immature and as selfish as it gets," Masiello said. "And that's as hypocritical as you can be in this business."
Follow Josh Thomson on Twitter and Instagram at @lohudinsider