[PREVIEW] George Mason vs. Iona -- Men's Basketball

Mason is coming off of a 58-46 win against SFU (photo by John Irwin).

The Mason men’s basketball team travels to New Rochelle, NY to take on Iona College at 2 p.m. today at Hynes Athletics Center. The Gaels and Patriots (4-0) meet for the third time in program history, with Mason having won both previous meetings in a home-and-home series in 2003 and 2004.

Iona at a glance

Iona (1-2) has played a tough non-conference schedule so far this season, with a win over Wofford at home and losses to Cleveland State and No. 2 ranked Kansas.

Last season, Iona advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season by winning the MAAC Conference title. The team averaged 71 possessions per game, and became back-to-back NCAA Division I scoring champions, after averaging 82.9 ppg in 2011-2012 and 80.4 ppg in 2012-2013. Iona’s 78.1 percent free throw percentage ranked No. 3 in the nation in 2012-2013.

The Gaels were led by one of the nation’s leading scorers, Lamont “Momo” Jones. Despite the loss of Jones to graduation, Iona returns seven top performers from last season and welcomes six eligible newcomers.

The return of the “Dynamic Duo”

2012 – 2013 Statistics

Sean Armand – Guard – 6’5” – 16.6 PPG – 5.1 RPG – 3.0 APG

David Laury – Forward – 6’9” – 13.1 PPG – 10.3 RPG – 2.0 APG

Iona returns senior guard Sean Armand who together with Jones finished as the No. 2 scoring duo in NCAA Division 2012-2013, averaging a combined 39.26 points per game. Known as the “dynamic duo,” Iona had two players score 20 or more points in the same game in 11 contests last season, in a four-player threat that included Jones, Armand, returning junior forward David Laury and returning senior guard Tre Bowman. This season, Armand and Laury were named to the Preseason All-MAAC First Team and hope to fill in as the team’s new “dynamic duo” to watch out for.

Armand set a new single-season three-point field goal mark with 112 and became just the second player in school history to record 200 three-point field goals last season. In the three games played so far this season Armand is averaging 17 points per game, shooting at 36 percent on three-point field goals and 70 percent on free throws. Armand possesses NBA range and is an effective attacker in the open floor.

Laury is the only returning player coming into the season to average a double-double. Laury has scored 10 or more points in all three games played so far this season, averaging 15.7 points per game and 8.7 rebounds. Laury has the ability to lead his offense and is a strong rebounder and passer.

The Gaels also return senior DeShawn Gomez, junior Travon Sledge, sophomore A.J. English and redshirt freshman Grant Ellis.

Incoming Threats

2013 – 2014 Statistics

Isaiah Williams – Guard – 6’7” – 10 PPG – 6.3 RPG – 1.3 APG

Transfers Isaiah Williams and Mike Poole highlight Iona’s six newcomers this season. Poole is a senior transfer from Rutgers University and earned a legislative relief waiver from the NCAA to play this season. Poole appeared in 95 games and made 16 starts at Rutgers, averaging 5.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Other newcomers include Britton Williams, Ryden Hines, Daniel Robinson and Shackquil Scott.

How Mason stacks up

Iona has posted a 46-8 record at the Hynes Athletics Center in the last four years, so this will be a true test for the Patriots squad who are without Jonathan Arledge due to injury.

The Gaels have size, which leaves Mason at a disadvantage without forward Erik Copes (suspension) to protect the rim. Marko Gujanicic has continued to be impressive this season and will have to continue to push himself in this game to hit the high standard he’s set for himself. The Patriots will also rely on Sherrod Wright’s experience and Jalen Jenkins and Marquise Moore’s fresh talent, to get the job done in this tough road-game matchup.