JACKSONVILLE, FL – Despite a furious second half comeback, the Iona College women's basketball team couldn't quite get over the hump on Monday night. The Jacksonville Dolphins handed the Gaels its second loss of the season, 71-62. Junior Treyanna Clay scored a career-best 20 points to lead the Maroon & Gold, and reigning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week Toyosi Abiola netted 18.

Both teams committed 25 turnovers, and the Gaels scored 27 points off those extra possessions.  The Dolphins matched that with 17 second chance points off 20 offensive rebounds.

The second chance opportunities came aplenty in the first quarter for Jacksonville as it scored 10 points off eight offensive rebounds.  Senior Nawaiyyah Teague collected four of her total five offensive boards in her opening seven minutes.

Maroon & Gold freshmen Adrienne DiGioia and Abiola converted a pair of free throws each midway through the second quarter to begin a swell of positive play.  The wave crashed with Dolphins' senior Brandi Buie and redshirt junior Shakayla Nevitt catalyzing an 8-0 run over the final 3:15 of the first half.

Iona entered the locker room at the midway points trailing, 34-21. At halftime, Jacksonville had a 27-12 rebounding advantage. They had 12 second chance points and 13 bench points compared to none in either category for the Maroon & Gold. Foul trouble also mounded for the Gaels throughout the first half with five different players having two fouls.

Jacksonville opened the third quarter with the same offensive spurt with a 10-2 run. With the deficit as large as 22, sophomore Tori Lesko and junior Alexis Lewis combined for a quick 8-0 spurt that brought Iona back within 14 with 4:15 to go in the third quarter.

Redshirt sophomore Shalonda Neely netted a basket for the Dolphins to end a 10-0 run by Iona. However, the defensive pressure applied continued to pay dividends through the end of the third quarter.  Lewis hit a three-pointer with twenty seconds left that made the score 52-40 with one quarter to play.

Clay had the Dolphins swimming throughout the mud in the opening of the fourth.  She scored four straight baskets for the Gaels and brought the deficit down to single-digits on two different occasions.  Abiola had eight points in the final quarter, including a pair from the charity stripe that cut Jacksonville's lead to six.  Just a possession later, Lewis hit her fourth three-pointer of the game, making the score 59-56.

The three-point mountain became the final hurdle that the Maroon & Gold could not climb.  Junior Jasymn Brown and senior Kayla Gordon both hit big baskets for the Dolphins, and final free throws from Buie and Brown put the contest out of reach.

Iona shot 36.2% from the floor and 35.7% from beyond the arc.  Jacksonville struggled from beyond the arc but hit 44.3% overall from the field.  Lewis led the Maroon & Gold with four steals; she also scored 13 points, pulled down sixteen rebounds, and assisted on four baskets.

Sophomore Amelia Motz played 31 minutes off the bench and pulled down three rebounds to go with four helpers.  Fellow second-year player Tori Lesko had a team-high seven rebounds and seven points.

Jacksonville was led by Teague's team-high 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting.  Gordon came off the bench and pulled down eight rebounds. Buie had a game-best eight assists.

Iona returns to New Rochelle, NY Tuesday morning and hosts Temple on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 1 PM.  The game is being broadcasted on ESPN3 & WATCHESPN.

Fans can keep up with the latest news and excitement surrounding Iona women's basketball by following the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.­