NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona College women's basketball program improved to 6-0 in MAAC play, and 10-7 overall with a 79-56 drubbing over Canisius. 10 different Gaels scored as the Maroon & Gold extended the season-long winning streak to five games.
Freshman Alexis Lewis led all scorers coming off the bench with 17 points of five-for-11 shooting. Sophomore Philecia Gilmore recorded her second straight 15-point effort, and senior Joy Adams managed to continue her double-double steak in just 24 minutes of action, scoring 10 and rebounding 10.
Junior Marina Lizarazu scored just four points, but she dished out a game-high seven assists while not committing a turnover.
From the opening tip, Iona controlled every aspect of the contest. Senior Aaliyah Robinson hit three triples in the opening 4:30 of the first quarter, forcing Canisius to take an early timeout in an attempt to gather themselves. The maroon & Gold kept the heavy foot on the offensive end, using a 14-0 run to take a 23-8 lead into the second frame.
At the halftime break, Head Coach Billi Godsey let her team into the locker room with a 37-20 advantage.
The Golden Griffs struggled to get gain any traction on the offensive end throughout the entire game. The Gaels held their opponent to just 30.5% shooting in addition to forcing 14 turnovers that led to 20 points.
The largest lead for the Gaels was 35 points at the 8:47 mark of the fourth quarter.
The Hynes Center rims continue to be kind the Maroon & Gold; Iona shot 46.6% from the floor, and 42.9% from downtown. Iona has now shot above 40% for five consecutive games.
The leading scorer for Canisius was sophomore Sarah Cooley who scored 15 points, shooting five-of-eight from beyond the arc. Freshman Sara Hinriksdottir came off the bench and netted 11.
Iona has now won ten straight against Canisius; their last loss came on Jan. 9, 2012 on the road at Koessler Athletics Center.
The Gaels are off until next Friday, Jan. 15. Iona will be travelling to Poughkeepsie, NY to take on the Marist Red Foxes for the second time in eight days.
