NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. –  Curtis Cobb scored a game-high 16 points to lead all Fairfield University scorers as the men's basketball team fell to Iona College by a 101-77 score on Tuesday night. It was the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opener for both teams.

                But the game belonged to Iona's A.J. English who finished the game with 46 points off a MAAC record 13 three-point field goals. He scored 32 of those points in the second half which turned a close game into a double-digit win for the Gaels.

                This game lived up to all the hype as these two teams showed why they are the top two three point shooting teams in the conference.  The Gaels, who averaged 11 threes per game, made eight in the first 20 minutes while Fairfield, which nets just over nine threes per game, connected on five long-range jumpers.

                The Stags used two three pointers on their first three possessions to build an 8-0 lead through the first 90 seconds of the game. The lead reached nine points at 11-2 on Cobb's second three pointer with 18:15 remaining. The Gaels used the three pointer to get back in the game and eventually take the lead. English made four shots from behind the arc, one of which broke a tie with three minutes remaining to give the Gaels their biggest lead to that point at 38-35.

                English's trey was the first field goal in a 14-0 Iona run that gave the home team the biggest lead of the game at 47-36. Fairfield finished the half with five consecutive points off a pair of Tyler Nelson free throws and a three pointer from Scott King Jr. The 41 points marked the third time in the last four games that the Stags netted 40 or more points in the opening half, but it was the first time that they trailed in that situation.

                English kept the momentum going Iona's way by scoring the team's first eight points, six coming off three pointers, to push the Gaels ' lead to eight points at 55-47 with 17:36 left. Head Coach Sydney Johnson called a quick timeout after Matija Milin's three pointer so his team could regroup. The Stags still only trailed by eight points with 15 minutes remaining at 63-55.

                But English was relentless as he continued to make shots from beyond the three-point line which helped him hit the 40-point mark with eight minutes left in the game. He posted back-to-back three pointers in a 30-second span that was part of a 17-0 run that put the game out of reach.

                Milin finished the game with 13 points to top all Fairfield reserves, while Jerome Segura (11 points) and Tyler Nelson (10 points) also reached double figures.  Jahaad Proctor netted 20 points off the bench for Iona, one of three Iona student-athletes to score in double digits.

                Fairfield will finish up the MAAC weekend by hosting Rider University on Friday night at Webster Bank Arena. The game time is slated for 7 pm.