SPRINGFIELD, MA - The top seeded Iona College women's basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the 2014 MAAC Basketball Championship with a 71-56 victory over No. 9 seed Monmouth Friday afternoon at the MassMutual Center.
Sophomore forward Joy Adams recorded her 25th double-double of the season, matching a career high with 29 points on 9-for-18 shooting while pulling down 16 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass. Adams shot a near perfect 10-for-11 from the foul line in the victory and also contributed five steals. Adams has now grabbed 419 baords this season, the most in a single season, eclipsing the 407 grabbed by Maria Johnson during the 1978 campaign.
Junior guard Damika Martinez scored 23 points, connecting on nine field goals, including four from behind the arc. Martinez upped her season scoring total to 710 points in the win, becoming the first player to score 700 points in a season for the Gaels.
The Gaels got out to an early lead, before a Monmouth 6-1 run evened the game at six with 17:40 remaining. With the scored knotted at eight, Iona scored the next five points and remained ahead for the duration of the half.
A three pointer by Adams with 6:19 remaining in the period gave the Gaels their first double digit lead of the contest, 28-18, before a three by Martinez extended the lead to a first period high of 12, 33-21, with 1:45 left in the stanza. The Hawks scored the final four points of the half, trimming the Iona halftime lead to eight, 33-25.
Following a layup that put Iona ahead 38-29 with 16:48 left in the second, Adams picked up her third personal and headed to the bench. Monmouth responded with a 7-0 run, trimming the lead to two, 41-39, on a three pointer by Chevannah Paalvast with 13:56 left. On the the next trip down the court, Monmouth's Sophie Beaudry's three point play gave the Hawks a one point lead, 42-41 with 13:13 remaining.
The Hawks extended their lead to four, 46-42 with 11:38 remaining. Adams reentered and scored four of the next six Iona points as the Gaels grabbed a 48-46 lead with 8:41 left. Monmouth answered back to tie the contest at 48 before Iona pulled away with a 14-2 run, taking a 62-50 lead on a Martinez layup with 2:17 left.
The Gaels outscored the Hawks 9-4 over the final two minutes of the contest to grab the 15 point victory. Monmouth was led by Paalvast and Helena Kurt, who eached scored 13 points.
Iona will take on the winner of the second quarterfinal matchup between No. 4 Quinnipiac and No. 5 Canisius Sunday afternoon at 11:00 am.
