BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Azar Swain excelled on a big stage on Sunday. Swain scored a career-high 34 points and tied Yale's all-time three-pointers made record in the Bulldogs' 91-77 loss to Iona in the Hall of Fame Invitational at the Barclays Center.
Swain was 10-of-22 from the field, including 7-of-14 from three-point range, and added eight rebounds, three assists and three steals. The seven three-pointers, which was one shy of the single-game school record, give him 229 for his outstanding career, tying him with Ed Petersen '92 for the most all-time at Yale.
He'll have a chance to break the record on Tuesday when the Bulldogs host Monmouth at Lee Amphitheater.
"It really hasn't been on my mind," said Swain, who set the Yale single season three-pointers made mark with 93 in 2020. "I just tried to come out and be aggressive tonight. We didn't play our best basketball, and that's disappointing."
Iona, ranked No. 5 in the CollegeInsider Mid Major Top 25, had five players score in double figures, and the Gaels shot 51.6 percent from the field.
"We have to be tougher on defense and not allow penetration," said
James Jones, The Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of the Bulldogs.
Iona (9-2) also shot uncharacteristically well from outside, connecting on 10-of-22 from beyond the arc.
The Bulldogs (6-6) trailed by only two, 31-29, with 5:30 left in the first half, but the Gaels used a 16-8 run to build a 47-37 lead by halftime.
Iona then scored the first 11 points of the second half to seize control. Yale fought back and pulled within 11 but could get no closer.
The Bulldogs got solid play from their bench, which contributed 27 points.
Matt Knowling led the way with eight points and
Jack Molloy scored seven.
"We have a very deep team.," Swain said.
Tyson Jolly scored 21 points to pace Iona, which knocked off Alabama earlier this season.
The road doesn't get any easier for the Bulldogs. Monmouth, Tuesday's opponent, won at Pittsburgh, 56-52, on Sunday.
The Barclays Center is the home of the Brooklyn Nets, who are owned by Yale alum Joe Tsai '86, the co-founder of the Chinese E-Commerce company Alibaba. Tsai, a big supporter of Yale Athletics, treated the team to a post-game dinner in the arena.
