COLLEGE PARK, MD – In the program's first ever NCAA Tournament appearance, No. 15 seed Iona gave No. 2 Maryland everything they could handle before falling to the nationally fifth ranked team, 74-58.
Sophomore Philecia Gilmore led the Gaels offense, pouring in a career-high seven three-point field goals, finishing with a new personal-best of 21 points. Junior Marina Lizarazu had 11 points and six assists. Freshmen Treyanna Clay and Alexis Lewis combined for 18 points and eight rebounds. Senior Joy Adams gathered five steals, tying a season-high.
Gilmore started the scoring for the Gaels by hitting two triples, but the Maroon & Gold defense couldn't match the Memphis, TN native's early effectiveness on the offensive end. Head Coach Billi Godsey called a timeout when the Gaels trailed 16-8 early. The Gaels hit back-to-back triples coming out of the timeout, getting back within two; however from that point on, Iona would score just two points over the final 4:06.
Maryland dominated the play in the first, shooting 11/14 (78.6%), and assisting on 10 of their made field goals. The Terrapins led the Gaels 26-16 at the conclusion of the first quarter.
The Maroon & Gold ratcheted up their defense in the second quarter. Iona forced seven second quarter turnovers, scoring four points off those chances. Maryland assisted on just one field goal in the second, drawing a drastic comparison to the first.
Junior Shatori Walker-Kimbrough made four free throws in the final moments just before the break, giving Maryland a 42-27 lead entering halftime. The Terps shot 64% from the floor in the first half, scoring 20 points in the paint. Iona remained within striking distance by hitting on 45.5% from beyond the arc. The Gaels trailed 42-27 at the break.
Junior Karynda DuPree picked up her third foul just 25 seconds into the third quarter, meaning that Clay reentered the game. The rookie made her presence known, alongside her tag-team freshman partner Lewis; the two combined to score nine points in the Gaels-centric third. The Terrapins shot a game-low 41.7% in the frame, and Iona was able to cut into the deficit. Maryland led the Maroon & Gold 60-48 as the fourth quarter began.
The atmosphere in the building became tense for the home crowd in the opening portions of final period. Lizarazu hit a jumper to quickly cut the lead to 10 in the Gaels first possession, and after a turnover and steal by Gilmore, the red-hot shooting guard buried her seventh long-range shot of the game, cutting the Maryland lead to seven.
The hometown patrons took a deep breath when red-shirt senior Brene Mosley made a jumper in the paint to push the home-advantage back to nine. The Gaels offense would sputter over the course of the final 6:54 of the game; after Lizarazu got the Gaels within nine with a three, Iona missed their lost 10 shots from the floor.
Iona could only garner a season-low 25 rebounds, 13 of which were of the offensive variety. Maryland, who leads the country in rebounding margin (+15.5), pulled down 42 boards. Junior Brionna Jones had a game-high 11 rebounds.
The long-range attack was the main weapon of choice for the Maroon & Gold; a season-high 30 were attempted over the course of the game, 15 of which came via the hands of Gilmore. With her seven triples, Gilmore has cemented herself in the NCAA Tournament record book, tying in fifth place for three-point field goals in a single game.
Maryland finished the game 58.3% from the floor, which is the highest an opponent has shot against the Gaels this season.
Jones had 11 points to go along with double-digit rebounds for the Terrapins; she shot five-of-seven from the floor. Walker-Kimbrough scored a team-high 19 points, hitting on all 10 of her free throw attempts. Mosley came off the bench to score 15 points on seven-for-10 shooting.
Iona finished the 2015-16 season with a 23-12 overall record.
