Queens, NY - The Iona College women's basketball team used a stifling defensive effort to pull off a 66-56 upset of St. John's in the first round of the Preseason WNIT. The Gaels (1-0) move on to face North Carolina State, a winner over High Point, in Raleigh at 2:00 pm on Sunday.
The win was Iona's first over a BIG EAST opponent since the 1984-85 season, a 76-60 defeat of the Connecticut Huskies. The Red Storm (0-1) entered the game ranked No. 30 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 36 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll.
Tiara Headen paced the Gaels with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Lauren DeFalco had a big game off the bench with 12 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, while Lauren Huber came up with six points and nine rebounds in an outstanding performance in reserve.
Iona struggled from the field throughout most of the game, shooting just 31.9% overall. But the Gael defense harassed St. John's into a 28.6% effort, including just six made field goals in 28 attempts during the second half.
Iona took its biggest lead of the first half at the 9:27 mark when Headen connected on a three-pointer to give the Gaels a 19-14 edge. The Red Storm responded with a 15-3 run over the next 7:19 to go up by seven as the Maroon & Gold missed eight of nine shots. St. John's would take a 31-26 lead into the half.
The Red Storm maintained their lead early in the second half, taking a 37-30 advantage as the clock moved under 14 minutes. But Iona finally began to find its range from the field, as jumpers from Thazina Cook and Regan Pettijohn cut the deficit to three. Less than a minute later, the Gaels drew even on another Headen triple that tied the score at 39.
Back down by one, a DeFalco trifecta and a three-point play from Anna McLean sparked a 9-1 run that put Iona in control at 50-43 with 6:51 to go. The Red Storm got back to within four, but Shezaray Rozzell hit two free throws and Headen scored in the paint to push the lead to 56-48 with under five minutes remaining. Clutch free throw shooting down the stretch sealed the victory for the Gaels, who were making their first-ever appearance in the Preseason WNIT.
Iona enjoyed a 54-47 advantage on the glass, grabbing 20 offensive boards along the way. The Red Storm were forced into 19 turnovers. Cook had a game-high three steals in her collegiate debut.
Tiina Sten led St. John's with 15 points. Angel Tate had a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds, as did Joy McCorvey with 12 points and 10 boards.
The Gaels and Wolfpack will square off for the right to advance to the Preseason WNIT semifinals. N.C. State defeated High Point 78-48.
