Mike Ritz is currently a junior journalism major at Iona College. He is from Yorktown, New York and is a sports writer for the school newspaper, The Ionian. Mike has been the manager for the Iona women's basketball team since his freshman year. A lover of sports, he played four years of basketball in high school as well as four years of golf. Mike comes from an Iona family, both of his parents, Ron and Michelle, graduated from Iona as well as his sister, Jen, who played basketball for the Gaels for four years and graduated in 2008. Mike loves to be a part of the Iona family and aspires to be a successful sports writer when he graduates.
FAIRFIELD, CT - The Iona College women's basketball team dropped their Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opener in heartbreaking fashion, falling 62-58 to Fairfield Monday night at Alumni Hall.
The Gaels opened the contest on a 7-0 run, with freshman guard
Damika Martinez opening the game with a basket on a contested layup. After that however, the Gaels couldn't keep up with the Fairfield offense, as the Stags went on a 16-0 run and outscored the Gaels 31-11 over the final 12:21 of the half, leaving the Gaels in a 31-18 hole heading into the second half.
The Maroon and Gold, who shot 23% from the field in the first half, picked up the defensive intensity in the second half, in turn making a much better offensive performance possible. After narrowing the deficit to 44-32 with 10:55 remaining in the ballgame, junior guard
Diana Hubbard led Iona on a 16-5 run, with nine points and three rebounds in a five minute span, cutting the Stags' lead to just three at 51-48.
After free throws from senior forward
Tomica Bacic and Martinez tied the game at 51, Martinez helped the Gaels take their first lead since the 16:31 mark of the first half, drilling a trifecta with 3:55 remaining.
Fairfield would quickly respond, going on a 7-0 run sparked by junior Brittany MacFarlane's putback off her own missed free throw. A layup by senior forward Taryn Johnson and a three-point basket from senior guard Desiree Pina put the Stags up by four with 1:37 remaining. Bacic would hit a layup with 54 seconds remaining to pull the Gaels within two before doing the same with 36 seconds left after Fairfield knocked down two crucial free throws. Forced to foul, Iona sent Pina to the line with 12 seconds remaining. Missing the shot, MacFarlane grabbed another offensive rebound, her fifth of the contest, and put in a layup to reach the 62-58 final and closing the door on the Iona comeback.
"I am very proud of the way our girls fought in the second half," said head coach
Anthony Bozzella. "Our defensive presence needs to be like that for the remainder of the season."
Iona had four players in double figures, with Bacic and Hubbard leading the way with 15 points apiece. Bacic completed her second career double double with 11 rebounds, her first since an 11 point, 10 rebound effort against Loyola on Jan. 23, 2009. Martinez, a Connecticut native, finished with 12 points in front of her hometown crowd while freshman guard
Aleesha Powell had 11 points and four steals in her first career start. MacFarlane and Pina led the Stags with 18 points apiece.
The game marked the second consective contest for the Gaels without all conference forward
Kristina Ford, who missed a conference game for the first time in her career. The Gaels are back in action Wednesday when they take on Siena at the Hynes Center at 7:00 pm.
