New Rochelle, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Isaiah Williams tallied 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists to lift the Iona Gaels to a 78-73 victory over the Cleveland State Vikings in a season-opening non-conference matchup at the Hynes Athletic Center.

Schadrac Casimir chipped in 17 points for Iona (1-0), which also received 15 points and seven boards courtesy of David Laury. A.J. English added 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the floor for the Gaels.

Trey Lewis and Marlin Mason netted 16 points apiece for the Vikings (0-1). Lewis also recorded seven rebounds and five assists, while Andre Yates scored 14 points. Kaza Keane had 13 points and Anton Grady finished with nine boards.

The Gaels ended the first period on a 9-0 run to take a 39-32 lead into the break. Iona shot 45.5 percent from the field while limiting CSU to a 37.9 percent clip from the floor over the opening 20 minutes of the contest.

Williams scored 13 points after the intermission to help Iona fend off the Vikings, who knocked down 7-of-13 tries from beyond the arc in the second half. CSU trailed by as many as 20 before climbing back to take a 71-70 lead with 4:11 left in regulation. The contest entered the final minute of play tied at 73, but the Vikings were outscored 5-0 the rest of the way.

Despite the loss, CSU held a 39-31 edge in the rebounding battle. Iona outscored the visitors, 22-9, at the charity stripe.