NEW ROCHELLE, NY – In their final game of the 2015 calendar year, the Gaels rose-up and held on to top visiting East Tennessee State University, 56-50. At the conclusion of the defensive struggle, senior Joy Adams recorded her sixth double-double of the season, and freshman Alexis Lewis pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds.
Senior Aaliyah Robinson got the start in place of freshman Treyanna Clay, and the switch paid immediate dividends.
The Maroon & Gold dominated the opening ten minutes of the contest. Robinson tied her season-high with three assists in her first ten minutes on the floor, and Adams benefited from her teammate's generosity by dropping in eight points in the opening frame. Iona led 22-14 at the conclusion of the first quarter.
The senior guard added onto her game-total three dimes with 13 points, none-larger than the Bucs momentum stopper midway through the second quarter. ETSU was in the midst of an eight-to-nothing run, and had cut the Gaels lead to two points, 25-23. At the 3:57 mark, Robinson made a crucial and-one layup, propelling Iona keep their lead heading into the halftime break.
East Tennessee entered the locker room trailing 30-27, but they were able to crawl closer by taking control of the paint. Adams picked up her second personal foul at 8:07 in the second, and from that point on Buc sophomore Shomari Kendrick and her post mates were able to stand tall. The Gaels had 12 points in the paint in the first quarter, but just four in the second.
Turnovers also became an issue in the second for Head Coach Billi Godsey's team; Iona had one assist and seven turnovers in the second period, which was a down grade from the six assists, two turnover effort of the first ten.
Both Iona and East Tennessee came out of the halftime break as cold as ice. During the third, the Gaels shot three-for 19 (16%), but the Bucs couldn't take advantage, hitting one only three-of-18 field goal attempts (17%). There was a combined scoreless stretch of 4:23 in the latter half of the period, a stretch in which the Maroon & Gold missed 12 straight shots. Junior Marina Lizarazu ended the offensive skid, hitting a pair of free throws in the final minute of the quarter.
The Gaels entered the fourth with a 41-34 lead, but much like the men's game Monday night, there were contentious moments in the final ticks of the clock. The Bucs cut the lead down to one possession multiple times, but Robinson, much like the first half, came up big in crunch time. With 1:44 on the clock, the senior set up shop from beyond the arc and closed the door on the Bucs potential comeback; she nailed a triple that gave Iona a 49-42 lead.
The glass show lots of action throughout the afternoon due both Iona and ETSU's poor shooting performances. The Gaels pulled down a new season-high 53, led individually by Lewis and Adams who combined for 25 points.
The Bucs shot 26.2% from the floor, a new season-best defensively for the Maroon & Gold.
Senior Karynda DuPree tied a career-high and set a new-season high with six blocks.
Kendrick finished with 11 points and 17 rebounds for East Tennessee. Sophomore Tianna Tarter scored a game-high 19 points.
The Hynes Athletics Center will play host to the Gaels in the new year when Iona starts the home-stretch of the season with an afternoon tip-off against the Manhattan Jaspers.
