LEWISTON, NY – The Iona College women's basketball team rebounded from a slow start to earn its fifth straight win Thursday night. The Gaels shot 61.5% in the second half in route to a 65-55 conference win over Niagara.
The Iona defense showed up in the first quarter recording five steals, but the offense struggled as the Maroon & Gold hit on just three of their first 14 shots. The opening period ended with the Gaels and Purple Eagles knotted at 9-9.
The second quarter began with a quick 8-2 Iona run, bookended by three-point shots from sophomore Alexis Lewis and senior Marina Lizarazu. Niagara bounced back with a pair of baskets from junior Kaylee Stroemple. With 1:12 left in the half each team had netted 20 points. After freshman Tori Lesko made a free throw to give the Gaels a brief lead, RS sophomore Adila Gathers made a pair from the charity stripe to give Niagara a 22-21 at halftime.
The Gaels shot 23% from the floor and committed 11 turnovers in the first half. They did garner nine offensive rebounds, but managed only four second chance points. Lewis recorded seven points on 3-for-8 shooting to lead Iona at the break.
Sophomore Philecia Atkins-Gilmore, who played limited minutes after picking up two fouls in the first quarter, and Lizarazu each had three steals over the first 20 minutes.
Iona found itself down 35-29 with 4:45 to go in the third. The Purple Eagles caught fire from downtown, hitting on their first three triples of the second half. The answer extinguisher of Niagara's sharpshooting was Lizarazu; she brought the Maroon & Gold back within one with 3:12 left with eight straight points.
DuPree gave Iona its first lead since the first half at the 2:23 mark. Baskets by Lesko and Clay continued the offensive swing, and finally Lewis capped off the period with her second three-pointer to give the Gaels a 43-37 edge. Iona ended the third on a 14-2 run.
Come the fourth, Niagara got back to within one possession with 5:48 remaining. Big baskets by DuPree and Atkins-Gilmore brought the Iona advantage back to eight just one minute later, and the nail in the coffin for the Purple Eagles came on Atkin-Gilmore's second long range attack with 4:14 left.
Iona's 61.5% second half field goal percentage and 44 points scored are both season-highs for a half this season. The boards belonged to the Maroon & Gold; led by DuPree tying her career-high with 12 rebounds, the Gaels outrebounded the Purple Eagles 39-23. DuPree had seven of Iona's 13 offensive rebounds.
The senior captain chipped in nine points and led the team with four assists and two blocks. Lizarazu netted a game-high 18 points with three assists and three steals. Atkins-Gilmore hit three from deep and finished with 14 points. Lewis ended with 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting.
Niagara was led by Stroemple who had 15 points and four rebounds. Senior Jamie Sherburne has 12 points and a team-high three assists.
Iona has now won 10 straight against Niagara.
Iona concludes its Western New York road trip Saturday afternoon when it takes on the Canisius College Golden Griffs at 2 PM. The game can be viewed on ESPN3.com.
