NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona College women's basketball team pulled out a thrilling 55-52 win over Canisius at the Hynes Athletics Center Friday afternoon. Sophomore Alexis Lewis took in a pass from senior Marina Lizarazu and hit a corner three with 0.6 second remaining to secure the Maroon & Gold's second MAAC win of the season.
Lewis finished the game with 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists. She played a career-high 40 minutes. Senior Karynda DuPree had 15 points, seven rebounds, one assist and three blocks. Sophomore Treyanna Clay made five field goals, tallying 13 points and a team-best nine rebounds in thirty minutes.
Due to foul trouble, Lizarazu played just 27 minutes, scoring six points and dishing out three assists. Junior Kristin Mahoney scored a season-high five points off the bench and collected three rebounds.
Canisius opened the game hitting its first two shots for an early 5-0 lead, but the Gaels defense rebounded well, forcing the Golden Griffs to miss eight of their next nine shots. Iona struggled offensively early on, going through a 3:27 drought midway through the quarter. Lizarazu picked up her second personal foul and was forced to sit for the remainder of the first half. DuPree also was whistled for two early fouls, minimizing her time on the floor.
Iona committed seven first quarter turnovers, and Canisius ended the frame on a 7-0 run to take a 14-13 lead into the second.
Neither the Maroon & Gold or Golden Griffins found offensive flow in the second quarter. Both teams went scoreless for the first 4:30 until sophomore Sara Hinriksdottir laid one in. DuPree netted Iona's first field goal of the second at 5:24, ending an over 11 minute stretch without a made attempt. Both teams combined to shoot 16% in the quarter, combining for 12 total points.
Iona led at halftime, 21-18. For the second straight conference game, Iona didn't shoot over 25% in the first half, finishing this afternoon's opening portion at 22.7%. Canisius shot 23.3%, an opponent-low for a first half this season.
Lewis had 10 points and seven rebounds to lead the Gaels at the break. Iona committed 13 first half turnovers, leading directly to eight points for Canisius.
Freshman Tori Lesko picked up two early fouls and was forced to take a seat just thirty seconds into the third quarter. Clay picked up the slack and scored seven straight points to give Iona a 35-26 edge midway through the period.
Following a Canisius timeout with 3:38 to go, the Golden Griffs went on a 7-0 run to close the period, cutting into the Gaels lead, 41-36.
The momentum continued into the fourth, eventually leading to a 51-48 advantage for the visiting Buffalo, NY natives with just over three minutes remaining. Head Coach Billi Godsey called a timeout to gather Iona, and it pulled great dividends. DuPree eventually gave Iona back the lead 52-51 with 90 seconds left.
With 1:11 remaining, Canisius junior Saliah Serette went to the free throw line and hit one-of-two to tie the game at 52. Lewis missed a layup with 49 seconds left that would have taken the lead, but the Gaels gathered defensively to earn a stop and possession back with 15 seconds left and a chance to win it.
Lizarazu took the inbounds pass and went opposite of a free throw line screen set by DuPree. She drove baseline, drawing multiple defenders and clearing space in the far corner for Lewis. Lewis took in the pass and nailed her three-point shot of the game right in front of the Iona bench to give the Gaels a 55-52 win.
The Maroon & Gold return to action on Monday night against the RIder Broncs in Lawrenceville, NJ.
