WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ - The Iona College women's basketball team connected on a season high 15 three point field goals and pulled out an 86-77 victory over Monmouth in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action Friday evening at the MAC. The win moved the Gaels' winning streak to 15 games, tied for the fourth longest in the nation.
Junior guard Damika Martinez scored a game high 28 points for the Gaels. Martinez connected on nine shots from the field, including a career-tying six from behind the arc, and went 4-for-5 from the free throw line. Martinez also added five rebounds, three assists and three steals. The 28 points moved Martinez's career total to 1510, becoming just the fourth player in program history to eclipse the 1500-point barrier.
Sophomore forward Joy Adams scored 21 points on 6-for-8 shooting, 2-for-3 from behind the arc, and a 7-for-8 effort from the line to go along with a game high 13 rebounds and three assists. Sophomore guard Aaliyah Robinson scored 16 points off the bench, one shy of a career best.
The two teams traded baskets early on as a jumper by Monmouth's Chevannah Paalvast tied the game at 10 with 14:59 left in the first half. The Gaels answered with back-to-back threes from Martinez that gave the Maroon & Gold the lead for good.
Leading by two, 19-17, with 11:33 left in the period, Iona extended its cushion to double digits with a 15-8 run over the next six minutes. Robinson ignited the run, scoring 14 points while redshirt senior guard Haley D'Angelo capped the onslaught with a three of her own.
Monmouth trimmed the lead to nine, 38-29, on a free throw by Sara English before the visitors ended the period on a 6-0 run, grabbing their biggest lead of the period on a layup by Robinson with 26 seconds left.
Martinez opened the second half with a pair of three pointers to extend the Iona lead to 21, 50-29, with 18:04 remaining. Monmouth trimmed the lead to 13, 55-42, before the Maroon & Gold went on a 15-4 tear, and took its biggest lead of the contest, 70-46, on a three pointer by senior guard Jackie Marshall.
From there, with the Iona starters on the sidelines, the Hawks went on a 23-3 run, cutting the lead to three, 76-73, on a put back layup by Jenny Horvatinovic with 1:53 left on the clock.
Forced to the line, the Gaels connected on eight of ten attempts from the charity stripe in the final 94 seconds before the contest was capped by a layup from Adams with two seconds remaining.
Monmouth had three players in double figures, led by English's 19 points and team high 10 rebounds. Paalvast and Horvatinovic each scored 13 points apiece for the Hawks.
Iona is back in action Sunday afternoon, when it hosts Saint Peter's at the Hynes Center for a 2:00 pm tip.
