There's no love lost between Iona and Monmouth.
The last time these two teams met, Iona head coach Tim Cluess and his Monmouth counterpart, King Rice, were seen exchanging words during the MAAC Tournament semifinals after a collision between two of their players.
On Friday night, the Gaels and Hawks squared off in the first of two meetings. A.J. English's 45 points were not enough as Monmouth claimed a 110-102 win, snapping Iona's 26-game home winning streak.
Tempers did not cool after the final buzzer.
The confrontation appears to center around Monmouth's Chris Brady and Iona's Jordan Washington.
Iona has been the class of the MAAC over the past two seasons, winning back-to-back regular season titles. However, the Gaels haven't reached an NCAA Tournament since 2013. Cluess and Co. look to end that postseason drought this season.
Monmouth has bursted onto the national scene, thanks in part to upset wins over UCLA, USC, Notre Dame and Georgetown. But mostly because of the sideline antics from the team's bench mob.
As Friday night showed, it won't be easy for Monmouth to go through league play. The Hawks have a quick turnaround, facing fellow MAAC contender, Siena, on Monday night
These two rivals meet again on Feb. 19 in West Long Branch.
