NIAGARA UNIV., NY - The Iona College women's basketball team won its second straight game with a 69-38 victory in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action at the Gallagher Center.  The Gaels (11-17, 7-9 MAAC) swept the two-game Western NY road trip for the fifth time in the last six years.

Following a 2-2 tie to begin the contest, Iona pulled ahead on a layup by Milica Paligoric at the 18:28 mark and never relinquished the lead.  Niagara's (1-26, 0-16 MAAC) 16 first-half points were the lowest by an opponent in any half this season as the Gaels went on to lead 29-16 at the break.

The Gaels opened the second half with an 18-0 run to widen the gap to 47-16.  Iona banked three trifectas from the hands of Kristina Ford, Anda Ivkovic, and Paligoric at the tail end of the 6:27 span.  The Purple Eagles scored their first points of the half on a three-pointer by Liz Flooks at the 13:06 mark.  Flooks finished with seven points and led Niagara with six rebounds and five assists.  Grace Cunningham had a team-best 13 points.

Leading the Maroon & Gold in scoring was Ivkovic with 13 points, followed by 11 from Paligoric.  Four different Gaels pulled down four boards each.  All 15 players participated in the victory, with 14 adding points.  Iona was 9-20 from beyond the arc, a 45.0% clip that matched the top performance set at Rider on Jan. 21.  Marissa Flagg led the squad with five assists and four steals to go along with her six points.

The win assures Iona no lower than a sixth place finish in the league's final standings, earning the squad its program-record sixth consecutive first round bye at the MAAC Championship.  The team has two games remaining in the regular season, hosting Loyola at 7:30 pm on Feb. 25 and Manhattan at 1:00 pm on Feb. 27.