NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College women's basketball team moved to 5-1 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action with a 79-43 victory over Saint Peter's Sunday afternoon at the Hynes Athletics Center.
The 43 points are the fewest allowed by the Gaels since a 69-38 victory over Niagara in February 2011. The 34-point margin of victory is the largest since a 79-43 win over Rider in February 2010.
Offensively, all nine players in uniform for the Gaels found the scoring column, led by senior guard Damika Martinez's 14 points. Martinez also contributed four rebounds and four assists in the victory.
Sophomore guard Marina Lizarazu scored 13 points and dished out eight assists. Lizarazu went 5-for-6 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from the line.
Junior guard Aaliyah Robinson scored 13 points, to go along with six rebounds, four assists and a career-high six steals. Junior forward Karynda DuPree broke out of her early season shooting struggles to the tune of 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting from behind the arc, along with two blocks and five rebounds.
Five points and two Saint Peter's turnovers 40 seconds into the game, and an 11-2 opening run by the Gaels forced a pair of early timeouts by the Peacocks. Iona then grabbed its first double-digit advantage, 15-4, on a jumper by Martinez with 13:56 left in the period.
A pair of free throws by Martinez with 8:28 remaining gave Iona a 26-6 cushion, before extending the lead to a first half high 27, 39-12, on a jumper by Robinson with 1:22 left in the half.
The Gaels held the Peacocks to 13.3% shooting in the first half, and forced the visitors into 10 turnovers over the first 20 minutes.
The Maroon & Gold continued to pull away in the second half, opening the stanza with a 8-0 run, taking a 47-14 lead on a layup by Martinez with 18:15 on the clock. Iona grabbed its biggest lead of the game, 77-38, on a jumper by freshman guard Kristin Mahoney with 2:48 remaining in the contest.
Talah Hughes and Sajanna Bethea each scored 12 points to lead Saint Peter's. The Gaels are back in action Friday evening at Siena (7:00 pm).
