NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College women's basketball team connected on a single game record 16 three point field goals and pulled away for a 78-62 victory over Niagara Thursday evening at the Hynes Athletics Center. The win moved the Gaels' record to 23-3, one shy of tying the single season record and pushed their league record to 15-1.
Junior guard Damika Martinez scored a game high 23 points while sophomore guard Aaliyah Robinson tallied a career high 20 points for the first place Maroon & Gold. Robinson and Martinez combined for 11 field goals from behind the arc in the win.
Junior guard Aleesha Powell finished just three rebounds shy of a triple double with 12 points, a career high 10 assists and seven boards. Sophomore forward Joy Adams saw her streak of consecutive double-doubles snapped at 17 games but pulled down a game high 12 rebounds, including five on the offensive end.
Ahead 7-6, the Gaels scored five straight to open up a six point lead with 12:53 remaining in the first half. The Maroon & Gold then grabbed its first double digit lead, 22-12, on a Powell layup with 9:29 left in the period.
Leading by 13, 29-16, Iona scored eight straight and took its biggest lead of the first half, 37-16, on a Robinson three pointer with 3:49 left in the period. Trailing 40-19, the Purple Eagles scored the final four points of the stanza to cut its halftime deficit to 17, 40-23.
Niagara scored the first eight points of the second half and trimmed the lead to nine, 40-31, on a Kelly Van Leeuwen three with 18:14 remaining. The Gaels responded with an 11-4 run, grabbing a 51-35 lead on a Martinez trifecta with 15:39 on the clock.
Iona got its lead back to 20, 59-39, on a three pointer by red shirt senior guard Haley D'Angelo with 12:41 remaining. Niagara got within 16, 64-48, with 8:58 left before the Gaels put the contest away with 14-5 run, taking its biggest of the contest, 78-53, on a Martinez three pointer with 4:23 remaining.
The Purple Eagles had three players in double figures, led by Victoria Rampado's 17 points and seven rebounds. The Gaels are back in action Saturday when they host Canisius for a 2:00 pm tip.
