NEW ROCHELLE, NY – A furious Gael comeback fell just short on Friday night at the Hynes Athletics Center as Iona lost to Duquesne 76-74. Morgan Rachu's three-point attempt at the final horn was blocked and the Dukes escaped with a narrow victory in the Maroon & Gold's home opener.

GAME SUMMARY

A very competitive first quarter was controlled early on by Duquesne; a couple of three pointers and two free throws opened up an eight-point lead for the Dukes six minutes into the opening frame. The Maroon & Gold cut the deficit to five points and then used a 9-0 run to take a 20-18 lead. Amaya Hamilton connected on a triple from the corner to give the Dukes a one-point advantage at the end of the period.
 
Duquesne outscored Iona 12-2 to open the second quarter, forcing head coach Billi Chambers to use her first timeout at the 6:09 mark. The Dukes did not let up, extending their 11-point lead to 15 points as each team headed to its respective locker room.
 
Iona saw its deficit grow to 17 points at the start of the third period; the lead was Duquesne's largest of the night to that point. The Gaels turnaround began at that moment however; the Maroon & Gold would battle back tremendously, scoring 21 of the next 29 points and whittling it down to a one-possession game. 
 
The Dukes would score the final 10 points of the quarter, regaining a double-digit advantage across the final 2:24.
 
Triples from Rachu and Shyan Mwai opened up the fourth quarter to make it 60-54, but despite holding the Dukes scoreless for the first three-and-a-half minutes, Iona couldn't close the gap any further. Duquesne got those six points back over the next two possessions, and the Gaels found themselves right back where they started. 
 
An old-fashioned three-point play for Amanda Kalin made it 70-62 with under five minutes remaining in regulation. A bucket inside from Juana Camilion, followed by a Monica Barefield three once again made it a one-possession game. The Gaels got the stop they were so desperately searching for and Tori Lesko's layup brought the Maroon & Gold within one point with 2:38 to play.
 
Kalin converted on both of her free throws to give her side a 74-71 advantage as the clock ticked under a minute remaining. Then, a perfectly drawn up play by Chambers and her staff set up Rachu for a wide-open, corner-three that she proceeded to bury and tie the score at 74 with 18 seconds left.
 
With just seconds to play, Duquesne's go-ahead layup inside came off of the rim but was corralled by Laia Sole; she was fouled going up and headed to the stripe for two big free throws with 1.1 seconds on the clock. Sole put both in, giving her squad the lead once again. Camilion would found Rachu at the left elbow on the inbound, but Sole denied her turnaround three-point attempt and time expired.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Rachu's 20 points were a game-high; the senior has now reached the 20-point plateau in both Iona games this season after scoring 20 twice all of her junior year.
• Lesko pulled down a season-best 13 rebounds. The Harrisburg, PA native has recorded double-digit boards in five career contests.
• Mwai, Camilion and Barefield all poured in double-figure point totals. Those three plus Rachu were responsible for 58 of Iona's 74 points.
• Camilion finished with eight assists, two dimes short of her first career double double.
• Rachu added a game-high four steals, accounting for all but one of Iona's takeaways.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Iona scored 70+ points in just one game last season, its MAAC Tournament win over Siena.
• The Maroon & Gold outscored the Dukes 49-36 in the second half. Duquesne poured in 19 points in the second quarter and limited the Gaels to five points.
• Duquesne's largest lead in this affair was 18 points at the 8:09 mark of the third quarter. The game was tied four times, including once in the final minute.
• The Dukes led for 35:36 of game action; Iona led for just 31 seconds and never led by more than two points.
• The Gaels shot a blistering 60.6% from the floor in the second half and were 7-13 from beyond the arc.
• Despite the size difference all around, the Maroon & Gold held a 42-22 edge in points scored in the paint.
• Duquesne was the beneficiary of 30 points off of Iona giveaways. 

AROUND THE MAAC

• Saint Peter's cruised to a 82-57 victory over Coppin State this morning.

UP NEXT

Iona faces a quick turnaround as they travel to face the University of Pennsylvania on Sunday. The game will tip at 1:00 p.m. at the Palestra and will be streamed on ESPN+.

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