New Rochelle, NY - It took three overtime periods, but the Iona College women's basketball team finally broke loose to secure an 87-78 win over Fairfield at the Hynes Athletics Center. The Gaels improve to 15-8 overall with a 9-3 mark in the conference with their fifth consectutive win, while Fairfield falls to 16-7 overall and 6-6 in the MAAC.
Sophomore Thazina Cook and junior Anna McLean each recorded double-doubles, the eighth of the season for McLean. Cook led the squad with a career-best 20 points and picked up ten steals, and McLean had 16 points to go along with 16 rebounds. Lauren DeFalco was also a threat with 17 points. Sabra Wrice had a game high 21 points for the Stags.
The Maroon & Gold struggled through the first half, commiting 21 turnovers which led to 23 Fairfield points. The Stags built up a 17 point lead by the 3:04 mark, their largest of the night, on a jumper by Lauren Groom. Lauren Huber snuck in three layups and Cat Lutz added a three-pointer, but the Gaels still found themselves trailing by 12 at 36-24 to start the second half.
Persistence was key in Iona's comeback rally, as the squad slowly chipped away at Fairfield's lead over the 20 minute period. The Gaels climbed to within three points on a trio of occasions, finally managing to tie the score and send the game to extra minutes. Down 57-52 with 3:53 on the clock, Cook found the net to bring the score to 57-54. A jumper by Wrice pushed the Stags' edge back to five at the 2:24 mark, and Cook powered through the lane to add another layup for a 59-56 tally with 1:59 left in regulation. With 1:06 on the clock, Cook knocked down a huge shot from beyond the arc to tie the game and the Iona defense shut things down from there.
Both teams had matching five and nine point outputs in the first two overtime periods. The Gaels were finally able to establish control midway through the third overtime. McLean scored the only field goal of the period, a layup at 4:15, as Iona made 12 of 14 shots from the free throw line en route to the victory.
The Gaels return to action on Sunday with a road contest at Rider at 1:00 pm.
