NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College women's basketball team was defeated by Fordham on Friday at the Hynes Center, 57-40. Offensively, the Gaels could not keep up with the Rams, who had three players finish in double-figures.
GAME SUMMARY
The start to the game was just about as ideal as possible for the Maroon & Gold; freshman
Juana Camilion scored on the initial possession of the game and redshirt sophomore
Tori Lesko drew a charge on the opposite end. Fordham answered with a layup of their own, but Camilion's first try from three connected and Iona was on top again. The Rams answered once more, but a trey-ball from redshirt sophomore
Monica Barefield and two free throws from rookie
Shyan Mwai put the Gaels ahead 10-4 with 3:12 left. The Rams concluded the quarter on a 6-0 run to tie things up at 10.
Â
After more than five minutes without a bucket, Lesko knocked down a jumper to give the Maroon & Gold their third lead of the day. The Rams regained the lead after two straight baskets inside, but Iona showed resiliency, continuing to fight back and go bucket-for-bucket with Fordham. Mwai's layup with just under five minutes to play in the half made it 18 all, but it was the last points Iona would score that quarter, allowing the Rams to end the half on an 11-0 run.
Â
Junior transfer
Morgan Rachu made her presence known in the third period, scoring six points following the halftime break. Redshirt sophomore
Shayla Middlebrooks provided a much-needed spark off the bench, connecting on 2-of-4 tries from the field and helping Iona win the third quarter.
Â
Down 42-33 to begin the final frame, Iona's
Jodi-Marie Ramil scored her first bucket of the game to make it a seven-point game. Once again, Fordham turned up the pressure defensively and the pace offensively, scoring the next 10 points to put the game on ice. Down 17 with just over three minutes left, the Gaels would go on to lose by that same margin.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Mwai and Rachu led the way offensively for Iona, scoring eight points apiece on a combined 5-16 shooting from the field. The duo was 1-9 from beyond the arc.
- The Rams shot an abysmal 1-17 from downtown, but was near perfect from the charity stripe (14-17).
- Freshman Gabrielle Joseph made her second consecutive start of the season, scoring two points and adding four rebounds.
- Fordham outscored Iona 30-14 inside the painted area and won the rebounding battle 32-24.
- Bre Cavanaugh doubled up on the Maroon & Gold, pouring in a game-high 15 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.
- The Gaels turned the ball over 20 times, leading to 14 points for the Rams.
UP NEXT
Iona will wrap up their four-game home stand after New Years, welcoming in Monmouth on Friday, January 4 for the MAAC opener for both teams. The game will tip-off at 7:00 p.m. and will be broadcasted on ESPN3.
SOCIAL MEDIA
ICGaels: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (Email Updates)
Iona Women's Basketball: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (Email Updates)
