POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – The Iona College women's basketball program made it three straight MAAC wins Thursday night, taking down Marist with its best defensive performance in over three decades.
The Gaels suffocated the Red Foxes, 48-37; it was the fewest points allowed since Jan. 28, 1979 when Iona defeated King's College, 93-37. It is also the fewest points Iona has ever allowed a MAAC opponent to score in program history; the previous low was set on Feb. 20, 2011 in a 69-38 win at Niagara.
The Red Foxes shot 30.0% from the floor and 10.5% from beyond the arc. The committed 16 turnovers and managed just six free throw attempts. Iona had its own offensive struggles shooting 23.1% in the first half, but the Gaels dialed it up to 11 in the second half, hitting on 45.8% of their shots.
Marist held Iona scoreless for a three minutes stretch in the first quarter, leading to a doubling-up of the score 14-7 with 3:30 to go. Senior Karynda DuPree ended the drought with a long jumper, but she was forced to take a seat shortly after when she picked up a second early foul. The Red Foxes closed out the first quarter strong with an 18-10 edge.
Behind a pair of three-pointers from sophomore Philecia Atkins-Gilmore and senior Marina Lizarazu, the Gaels pulled back to within four with 4:30 to go in the second. From that point, both teams went on a more than three-minute scoring drought. DuPree earned a pair of free throws to end the Gael spell, bringing the deficit back to two.
Despite not making a basket over the final 5:09, the Red Foxes entered the locker room at halftime with a 22-20 lead. The Maroon & Gold's 20 points scored was its lowest first half total since Dec. 4 against Fairfield when they netted just 17. Iona shot 23.1% over the first two quarters.
Due in large part to freshman Hannah Hand who had multiple offensive rebound put-backs, the Red Foxes scored 14 of their 22 first half points in the paint. Lizarazu had a team-high six points at intermission for Iona.
Iona started the third quarter with invigorated energy. Sophomore Alexis Lewis scored her first basket of the game to give the Gaels their first lead of the game, 25-22. The MAAC's top scorer then forced a steal and finished in transition, leading to an early Marist timeout. The programs traded baskets for the remainder of the low scoring third quarter, resulting in the Maroon & Gold maintaining a slim 34-30 lead heading into the fourth.
The Gaels opened up the final frame with a 11-2 run, bringing its lead to a game-high 14 points. Over the final six minutes, Iona dominated the temp and cruised to its seventh MAAC win of the season.
Atkins-Gilmore scored a team-high 11 points, collected a season-high eight rebounds, and dished out a game-high four assists. Lewis scored netted nine points, all in the second half. Sophomore Treyanna Clay and Lizarazu each scored 10 points.
Marist was led by Hannah Hand's 12 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Claire Oberdorf and senior Maura Fitzpatrick each had a game-high three steals.
Iona has a quick turnaround as it welcomes MAAC leading Quinnipiac to the Hynes Center on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off between the Bobcats and Gaels is scheduled for 2 PM.
