NEW ROCHELLE, NY – In a strong bounce back effort, the Iona College women's basketball program put together its strongest defensive effort of the season in defeating Fordham at the Hynes Athletics Center, 55-46. Fordham shot a Gael opponent-low 30.4% from the floor while sophomore Treyanna Clay and senior Karynda DuPree tied career-highs for the Maroon & Gold.
Prior to the game, Dr. Joseph E. Nyre and Senior Associate AD Matt Glovaski honored the program with its championship rings in honor for its first ever Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship last March.
The Gaels defense opened strong, holding the Rams without a field goal for the opening 3:58 of the game. There was a perpetual lid on the backs as Iona and Fordham combined to hit just two of their first 13 combined shots. Offense began to flow in the back half of the first quarter as freshman Amelia Motz came off the bench to supply four points off the bench for Iona. The Maroon & Gold and Fordham were tied at 11 after the first period.
Both teams struggled against one another midway through the second quarter, each going scoreless for over three minutes. Fordham's RS-freshman Kate Kreslina broke the scoring drought with a three-pointer to take a quick 18-17 lead, but DuPree answered quickly on the other end to give Iona back the edge.
Tied at 23 during halftime, DuPree led Iona scorers with eight points and six rebounds. Rams sophomore Lauren Holden and junior G'mrice Davis each had eight points. The Gaels went 0-for-4 from beyond the arc in the half, but used seven second-chance points off five offensive rebounds to keep pace. The teams exchanged the lead seven times.
It was in the third quarter that the Maroon & Gold's defense stepped up. After Fordham took a 31-26 lead at the 8:02 mark, Iona didn't allow any Rams points till 8:09 of the fourth quarter. During the stretch, the Gaels went on a 13-0 run to take a 40-31 lead. Fordham missed 10 straight shots before senior Danielle Burns ended the stretch.
Fordham didn't have any free throw attempts till the 4:41 mark of the fourth when RS junior Tiffany Suarez stepped up to the charity stripe. She got the Rams within six, but sophomore Alexis Lewis and senior Marina Lizarazu made a pair of jumpers to bring the lead back up to 10 with 3:02 left. Lewis's basket, which was assisted by Lizarazu, ended a three-minute scoring drought, a stretch where Iona had committed three turnovers and missed five straight shots.
Iona's defense clamped down over the final three minutes, forcing Fordham to miss eight of its last 10 shots. The Rams made a Gael opponent low 17 field goals, and managed just two second-chance points off 12 offensive rebounds. Fordham shot just 23.3% in the second half.
DuPree finished the game with her second double-double of the season, and third of her career, tallying 12 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. It's her third straight double-digit scoring performance.
Clay, tying her career-high, and Lewis both led the Maroon & Gold with 15 points apiece. Lizarazu scored nine points and had a team-high three steals. Freshman Tori Lesko had a team-high five assists in 26 minutes.
Iona shot 42.2% from the floor, and hit just two-for-10 from beyond the arc.
With the win, the Gaels completes its A-10 run of the non-conference schedule with a 3-1 record. The only loss came against Duquesne at home, a team that Fordham beat by 13 in its conference opener.
The Gaels have an extended break until next Saturday, Dec. 17, when they host St. Francis Brooklyn at 2 PM.
