LOUDONVILLE, NY – Using a overridingly dominant second quarter, the Iona College women's basketball team prevailed in their seventh consecutive contest Wednesday evening, travelling to The ARC and taking down Siena, 64-51.
The Gaels and Saints entered the second quarter knotted at thirteen, and at that moment, the strict defensive standard held by Head Coach Billi Godsey came directly to the forefront. Siena did not score a field goal throughout the entirety of the second frame; the Saints scored only two points on a pair of free throws via sophomore Kollyns Scarbrough with 2:16 remaining.
Iona used a 14-0 run to catapult themselves to a 31-15 halftime lead. The Gaels shot 50% from the floor in the first half, and they held the Saints to a 24% clip.
The Saints made a run in the third quarter, cutting the once 16 point advantage to just eight on multiple occasions. At the start of the fourth quarter, the Maroon & Gold managed to hold an uneasy 46-38 edge.
Freshman Alexis Lewis hit a triple at the 8:23 mark of the fourth to put the Gaels up 10, allowing them room to breathe for the remainder of the game. Iona would expand their lead to as many as large as 18 points.
The Maroon & Gold shot 44.2% in the game, and made seven three-point field goals. Senior Joy Adams led the team with 20 points on six-of-12 shooting, hitting on seven-from-10 from the charity stripe. The reigning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Week also pulled down 14 rebounds for her 17th double-double of the season. Adams also had a season-high five steals.
Freshman Alexis Lewis scored 17 points off the bench, hitting three of her six field goals from beyond the arc. Junior Marina Lizarazu dropped in 11 points and dished out a game-high five assists.
The unsung hero for the Gaels was freshman Treyanna Clay; she scored four points, but more importantly she pulled down seven rebounds, six of them of the offensive variety.
Iona outrebounded Siena 38-27 in the game, and the Gaels used 14 offensive rebounds to score 17 second chance points.
The two teams combined for 43 turnovers and just 20 assists.
Junior Meghan Donohue led Siena with 13 points. Three-time MAAC Rookie of the Week Jackie Benitez scored just three points on one-of-six shooting.
It'll be a tough test for the Maroon & Gold their next time out. On Friday, Feb. 12, the Gaels will tip-off against the red hot Quinnipiac Bobcats in Hamden, CT at 7 PM. The game will be broadcasted on SNY.
