Buffalo, NY - Preseason MAAC Player of the Year
Martina Weber had 13 points, four rebounds, and two blocks in 18 minutes to help Iona defeat Canisius 66-63 in the MAAC opener for both teams. The Gaels (4-5, 1-0) overcame a two-point halftime deficit to knock off the Golden Griffins (6-2, 0-1) in Buffalo for the second consecutive year.
Tiara Headen was the Gaels' top scorer with 16 points to go along with five rebounds. Regan Pettijohn netted six points while grabbing a team-high seven rebounds, while Toni Horvath had six points, three rebounds, and six assists. Horvath now has over 400 assists in her career.
Megan Lyte led Canisius with 15 points and seven boards. Amanda Cavo and Abby Radunske added 13 each.
Weber, making her first appearance of the season for the Gaels, scored the team's first four points on a lay-up and a turnaround jumper. Iona took a 9-6 lead on a Headen three-pointer before the Griffs ran off 11 unanswered to take the early lead.
Five straight points from Headen brought Iona back to within three, but Lyte and Cavo scored from the field and two Brittane Russell free throws put Canisius back ahead by nine with 9:33 left in the first half. The Gaels inched their way back, and Horvath's step back jumper with 49 seconds left sent the Maroon & Gold into the break down just 34-32.
After Lyte started the second half with five straight points, Iona would start to take control of the game. Weber followed a Lauren DeFalco three with four quick points, and Jessica Anger's basket capped the 9-0 run that put the Gaels in front for good at 41-39. Iona's spurt reached 16-1 when Thazina Cook scored to make it 48-40 with 10:38 to play.
The Gaels would push the lead into double figures twice down the stretch before Canisius mounted a final charge. The Griffs cut the lead to 61-58 with 2:18 remianing before Weber connected to push the lead back to five. Canisius had one final chance to tie, but Horvath stripped Cavo as she squared up for a three-point attempt with 18 seconds left. After securing the ball and getting fouled, the senior point guard calmly drilled two free throws to ice the game for the Gaels.
Iona is now 2-3 in MAAC openers under head coach Anthony Bozzella. The Gaels are 1-0 in conference for the first time since the 2003-04 season.
The Maroon & Gold will look for to sweep their Western New York trip for the second straight year on Sunday when they face the Niagara Purple Eagles at 2:00 pm.
