NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona College women's basketball team fell in its 2018 home-opener against the St. John's Red Storm, 61-35.
 
Junior Morgan Rachu picked up where she left off last Tuesday against Hofstra, pouring in a game-high 16 points in the losing effort. She played wire-to-wire for the second game straight and connected on two three-point attempts.
 
The Red Storm were led by freshman Kadaja Bailey who recorded a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds in her first collegiate game.

GAME SUMMARY

St. John's came out and dominated the Gaels on both sides of the ball, forcing nine turnovers and scoring eight of their 15 first-frame points inside of the paint.
 
The Maroon & Gold made up for their slow start in the second quarter, led by junior Tori Lesko's seven points. Defensively, Iona forced St. John's into nine turnovers, two of them coming via charges taken. St. John's sophomore Qadashah Hoppie scored six points in the second frame.
 
The Gaels continued to chip away to start the second half. Rachu did most of her damage in the third quarter, knocking down one trifecta and capitalizing on 5-of-6 tries from the charity stripe. The Maroon & Gold drew another offensive foul with 5:55 left, and redshirt sophomore Shayla Middlebrooks banked in a three to bring Iona within nine at the halfway point of the quarter.
 
St. John's closed out the third quarter on a 13-8 run to send it into the final frame with a comfortable 14-point advantage.
 
The Red Storm turned up the pressure once again in the fourth, holding Iona to just three points. A Rachu three-ball with just under seven minutes left in regulation was the only bucket Iona scored in the frame.

NOTEABLE NUGGETS

• For the second straight game, Rachu led the unit with 16 points, seven rebounds and two steals. She also knocked down two three-pointers in a second straight contest.
• Defensively as a team, Iona drew four charges and forced 13 turnovers.
• Iona's defense held St. John's to a measly 5-23 (21.7%) shooting from three-point land.
• The Gaels were held to just three points in both the first and fourth quarters, shooting a combined 2-16 from the field and 1-7 from the free-throw line.
• This is the second straight season the Maroon & Gold have fallen in their home-opener, pushing head coach Billi Chamber's record to 2-4 in such games.
• The Red Storm has now won 13 of their 15 matchups with the Gaels.

UP NEXT

The Gaels hit the road for another non-conference matchup, this time against Toledo at the Savage Arena on Wednesday, November 14 at 11:00 a.m.

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