New Rochelle, NY - Junior Anna McLean led four Gaels in double figures as the Iona College women's basketball team (1-2) defeated St. Francis (NY) 70-67 in the home opener.  McLean's 12 points were followed by 11 from Lauren DeFalco and ten each from Jessica Smith and Thazina Cook.

Kara Ayers netted 11 from the field and had a game-high 28 points for the Terriers.

The St. Francis offense was strong out of the box as the visitors pulled out to a 9-0 lead on a Kendra Williams layup at the 18:06 mark.  McLean hit her first two of four free throws on the night to get the Gaels on the board.  The Terriers matched their nine point edge three more times in the half, the latest coming with 8:43 left to play.

Down 37-30 with 2:37 on the clock, a three-point bomb by DeFalco sparked a 7-0 Iona run.  The Gaels finally tied the game at 37-all on the last basket of the half, a jumper by Shezaray Rozzell.

The game went back and forth between a slim St. Francis lead and a tie score over the first five minutes of the second period.  Iona moved ahead of the Terriers for the first time at 14:59 on DeFalco's third trifecta of the night.  The two teams swapped control until a McLean layup saw the Gaels take the lead for good.  St. Francis managed to close to within one point with 39 seconds remaining, but two free throws by Cook sealed the win for the Maroon & Gold.

Iona outrebounded St. Francis 55-28, led by Smith's 13 grabs.  The Gaels were nearly perfect from the charity stripe, connecting on 22 of 23 free throws.

The Gaels will try to end a two-game loss streak on the road when they travel to Providence for a 2:00 pm game on Nov. 17.