LAWRENCE, KS – The Iona College women's basketball team lost, 75-44 to the Kansas Jayhawks on Sunday.

The Gaels were led once again by Junior Morgan Rachu, who scored a game-high 19 points in the loss. The junior transfer has scored in double-digits across all five games to start the season.

GAME SUMMARY

Redshirt sophomore Tori Lesko got the scoring started, knocking down two free throws in the first minute to give Iona the first lead. The Jayhawks scored seven straight to take the lead, which they refused to relinquish from that point on, capped off by an Austin Richardson layup. Rachu drilled a three-pointer to stop the Jayhawk run, but Kansas controlled the pace for the remainder of the quarter, closing it out with a 19-10 lead.
 
Rachu opened up the scoring for Iona in the second, knocking down a pair of three-balls to bring Iona back within seven points of the lead. A Jessica Washington jumper and a Richardson free throw ensure the Maroon & Gold wouldn't get any closer. Both teams headed to their respective locker rooms with the scoreboard reading 35-20 in favor of the Jayhawks.

Freshman Juana Camilion saw her first action of the season in this game and in the third quarter she recorded her first collegiate points of her career. The Palma de Mallorca, Spain native put in two layups, the latter making it a 48-27 game with less than three minutes left in the third. Kansas scored the next six points before a Lesko layup with 20 seconds left sent the game into the fourth with Iona trailing 54-29.

The Gaels fourth quarter was their highest scoring period of the day, but defensively, Iona had their worst quarter of the day. Kansas outscored Iona 21-15 in the final frame, behind a very balanced offensive attack. 

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Rachu's game-high 19 points came across the span of 34 minutes, a season-low for the junior.
• Rachu connected on five-of-eight three-point attempts, a new season-best.
• Lesko scored 10 points, six of them coming via the charity stripe. It was her second double-digit scoring output of the year. 
• Camilion played 15 minutes in her first action of the 2018 campaign, scoring six points (3-4 FG) and an assist. She fouled out at the 2:58 mark of the fourth quarter.
• Junior transfer Jodi-Marie Ramil recorded a block with 9:06 left in the second quarter, the first of the season for Iona as a defensive unit. 
• The Gaels turned the ball over a season-high 26 times, leading to 27 points off turnovers for the Jayhawks.
• Kansas dominated inside, outscoring Iona 38-18 in the paint.
• The Maroon & Gold's bench was outscored 31-8 in the loss.

UP NEXT 

The Gaels return to New Rochelle for a matchup with Central Michigan, set for a 7:00 p.m. tip on Friday, Nov. 30.

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