NEW ROCHELLE, NY – In front of over 1,500 fans in the Hynes Center, Fairfield withstood a furious Iona fourth quarter comeback attempt in a 78-68 decision. The Gaels got 21 points from junior Alexis Lewis but it wasn't enough as the Stags got a career-best 29 points from red-shirt senior Samantha Cooper.
Lewis scored 16 points in the second half as part of her fifth 20+ scoring game of the season. She shot 50% from the floor and 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. She now ranks 18th all-time on Iona's all-time scoring list with 1,138 career points.
Rookie Toyosi Abiola netted 15 points and pulled down five rebounds. She led the team with four assists in 34 minutes. Junior Treyanna Clay finished in double-figures with 10. She was hampered by foul trouble and played just 27 minutes.
Fairfield led by as many as 14 points as the third quarter wound down. The Gaels fought back in the final moments of the third with back-to-back three-pointers from Lewis. She scored eight straight points for the Maroon & Gold stretching into the fourth to bring Iona to within single-digits. The shooting swell hit full crescendo when Clay knocked down a triple to bring the Gaels within five with 8:34 to go.
The Gaels and Stags traded baskets over the next couple minutes until sophomore Amelia Motz had a pair of lay-ups that were punctuated by a Clay lay-in to get the Gaels within one with 6:17 remaining. The Stags wouldn't allow Iona to get past that final bump. Cooper hit a jumper to put the Stags back up three and junior Casey Foley had the final dagger with a crucial three-pointer to push the edge back up to six with 4:55 remaining.
Iona's 68 points is its highest point total of the 2017-18 season. The Stags overcame the Gaels' most potent offensive outing by shooting an opponent-best 58.3% from the floor. Red-shirt junior Khadidiatou Diouf and Cooper combined for 49 points on 62.5% shooting. Diouf scored a career-best 20 points in addition to five rebounds.
Freshman Jayden Eggleston had seven points and six rebounds. Motz had nine points in 26 minutes off the bench. She is averaging almost eight points per game over her last three games.
Iona's next game is on the road on Sunday, Feb. 11 against Rider in Lawrenceville, NJ. Tip-off between the Gaels and the Broncs is set for 1:00 PM.
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