NEW ROCHELLE, NY - Kristina Ford led the Gaels with a double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds in the Iona College women's basketball team's 56-45 loss to No. 24 Marist in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action at the Hynes Center.  The game was televised on ESPNU and was part of the WBCA's "Think Pink" initiative to promote breast cancer awareness.

Iona (9-16, 5-8 MAAC) came back from 4-2 hole at the start of the contest to lead 5-4 at the 16:31 mark, with a three-pointer by Ford giving the Maroon & Gold its only lead of the night.  Neither team would score again for nearly three mintues before the Red Foxes (22-2, 13-0 MAAC) broke the drought on an Elise Caron trey with 13:49 on the clock, giving Marist the lead for good.  Caron finished with three trifectas and totaled 13 points, six boards, and three assists.

After trailing by nine at halftime and 11 at the final buzzer, Iona is still winless against Marist in its last 24 tries.  Diana Hubbard added ten points and four rebounds for the Gaels while Tomica Bacic matched Ford for the team high with a career-best 11 boards.  Iona outrebounded Marist 49-36 in the contest, including a 22-8 thrashing in offensive boards.

The Gaels begin a series of three games on the road with a 7:00 pm tilt at Manhattan on Feb. 14.