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Iona University Athletics

Morgan Rachu
58
Iona College ION 1-5
75
Winner Towson TOW 3-4
Iona College ION
1-5
58
Final
75
Towson TOW
3-4
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Iona College ION 16 18 7 17 58
Towson TOW 21 10 19 25 75

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Jack Clark

Strong Second Half Pushes Towson Past Iona

Morgan Rachu set new career-highs in points and rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to upend the Tigers.

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – The Iona College women's basketball team lost to Towson on Friday afternoon, 75-58. Morgan Rachu set new career-highs in points and rebounds, but it wasn't enough to upend the Tigers.

GAME SUMMARY

The second and final game of the 2019 Puerto Rico Clasico opened up with a quick pace on both sides of the floor. Towson looked to run early and often and controlled the pace of the game early on. The Maroon & Gold hung with the Tigers though, trading baskets back and forth throughout the first 10 minutes of action.
 
Towson led for the entire quarter, but the Gaels were within one or two baskets for the majority of the frame. Shyan Mwai put in a floater with 28 seconds to play to make it 19-16 in favor of Towson. After a Tigers' bucket extended the lead back to five points, Mwai had a chance to make it a one-possession game again, but her teardrop at the buzzer rimmed out.
 
The second quarter wasn't nearly as exciting as the first; the two sides scored one basket apiece through the first five-plus minutes of play. Tori Lesko converted on 1-of-2 free throws out of the media timeout to cut Towson's lead to 24-20. 
 
The Tigers' advantage was four points after each team scored seven points each over the next three minutes. Iona would take a 32-31 lead, its first of the game, on a Rachu triple with five seconds remaining. Towson looked to push it up the floor and regain the lead, but Myka Johnson-Matthews was called for an offensive foul with less than a second on the clock. Unhappy with the call, Myasia Jones was assessed a technical foul, allowing the Gaels to take a 34-31 lead into the break on a 7-0 run over the final 38 seconds.
 
It was all Towson out of the break; the Tigers scored the first 10 points of the period and held the Gaels scoreless for six-plus minutes to regain control of the game. Rachu's two free throws at the 3:43 mark made it 41-36 in favor of Towson, but two Tiger steals and five points later, Iona trailed by double digits. De'jah Williams put both shots in from the charity stripe at the end of the frame to bring the Gaels within nine points of the lead entering the fourth quarter.
 
Williams was perfect from the line again to open the scoring in the final frame. Iona managed to get within eight points of the lead with 6:53 to play, but they would never get closer. A Monica Barefield three with just under 90 seconds to play made it 66-55, but the Tigers would close out the game on a 9-3 run to head home with a 17-point victory.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

  • Rachu paced Iona offensively with 23 points, connecting on four three-pointers.
  • Rachu pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds in the loss.
  • Barefield had two of the squad's five steals on the afternoon.
  • Camilion dished out a game-high six assists.
  • Towson's Kionna Jeter was a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe, scoring 31 points. She also had six steals and finished one rebound shy of a double-double.
  • Shavonne Smith finished with two blocked shots for the Tigers.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

  • Rachu's 23 points, 11 boards and nine made free throws were all career bests for the senior. The double-double was the second of her career.
  • Lesko finished with a modest nine points, seven rebounds and three assists.
  • Williams was a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line and knocked down a 1-3 from behind the arc, finishing with nine points.
  • Iona's 15 made free throws and 15 offensive rebounds were a season-best.
  • Towson had four scorers register double-figure point totals, compared to just one for Iona.
  • The Gaels led at the half after scoring five points in the final five seconds of play. It marked just the second time this season that the Maroon & Gold went into the locker room with an advantage in the scoring column.
  • The Tigers shot a blistering 57.8% from the field in the second half, outscoring the Maroon & Gold 44-24. The Gaels shot 1-15 from the floor in a seven-point third quarter.
  • Towson totaled eight assists on 28 made baskets, the lowest total for an Iona opponent this year.
  • Jeter's 31 points was the highest for an individual against the Maroon & Gold this season. 

UP NEXT

  • Rachu paced Iona offensively with 23 points, connecting on four three-pointers.
  • Rachu pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds in the loss.
  • Barefield had two of the squad's five steals on the afternoon.
  • Camilion dished out a game-high six assists.
  • Kionna Jeter was a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe, scoring 31 points. She also had six steals and finished one rebound shy of a double-double.
  • Shavonne Smith finished with two blocked shots.
  • Iona returns to the states and will continue on the road, visiting Central Michigan on December 5. The game will tip at 7:00 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN3.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Be sure to follow Iona women's basketball and Iona College athletics on our social media platforms.
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Iona Women's Basketball: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates)
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