FAIRFIELD, CT – The Iona College women's basketball team dropped its 2017-18 regular season finale to the Fairfield Stags on Sunday afternoon, 59-39. Freshman Jayden Eggleston was the Maroon & Gold's top performer with 10 points and 12 rebounds. She leads all rookies in the MAAC with three double-doubles.

Junior Treyanna Clay led the Gaels in scoring with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting. It's her first game with 15+ points since Jan. 13 against Monmouth when she scored 18. Nine-time MAAC Rookie of the Week Toyosi Abiola played a full forty minutes for the fifth time this season. She finished with eight points and the Gaels' lone three-point field goal.

Iona's offense came out firing in the first quarter. The Gaels shot 70% from the floor to begin the game but were hampered by six turnovers. The Stags missed their first five shots but hit four of their eight three-pointers in the opening frame. The long range attack was needed because of their senior forward and leading scorer Samantha Cooper picking up two early fouls. Fairfield sophomore Sam Kramer gave her team an 18-17 lead at the end of the first with a runner at the buzzer.

Both the Gaels and Stags struggled offensively in the second quarter. The teams combined to score nine points and shoot 2-for-20 in the frame. The score was tied at 22 heading into the locker room at halftime.

Clay led Iona with 12 points through the first 20 minutes. Kramer had 11 for Fairfield. The Iona defense made strong adjustments in the first half in comparison its first loss against the Stags as evidenced by allowing just four points in the paint. The Maroon & Gold held Fairfield to 29% shooting over the first two quarters.

The third quarter opened with the Stags pulling away from the Gaels on a 12-0 run. Cooper got her first points of the game from the free throw line and Iona didn't score for the first 5:50 until junior Alexis Lewis netted her first field goal of the game.  Fairfield took a 44-30 lead into the final quarter.

Iona missed its first four shots in the fourth and compounded its drought with five turnovers before the first media timeout. The Gaels first field goal in the quarter came with 2:49 remaining in the contest. Abiola hit Iona's lone three-pointer with 96 seconds left.

The Maroon & Gold shot 1-for-11 (9.1%) from beyond the arc and 35.7% overall from the floor. The Stags shot 35.0% as a team and 40.0% from long range. Kramer finished the game with 23 points on 7-for-14 shooting to go along with four rebounds. She made five from long distance.

The Stags adjusted to Iona's interior defense in the first half and finished the game with 18 points in the paint.

Lewis' three points was the total of scoring provided from the bench.

Iona opens the MAAC Tournament as the No. 10 seed on Thursday morning. The Gaels square off against the No. 7 seed Manhattan Jaspers.

Iona fell to its neighborhood in both regular season matchups. On a Thursday night in mid-January, Iona fell just short in a momentous comeback attempt at Draddy Gymnasium, 67-63. The Maroon & Gold dropped its contest to Manhattan in New Rochelle, 57-48.

Check into ICGaels.com and the tournament central page for all details regarding game coverage and tickets.

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