ALBANY, NY – The Iona College women's basketball team upset the No. 7 Siena Saints in the First Round of the 2019 MAAC Championship. The Gaels were led by freshmen Juana Camilion, Shyan Mwai and junior Morgan Rachu; they combined to score 64 of Iona's 75 points.

GAME SUMMARY

Iona jumped out to an early 5-3 lead. Less than three minutes into the game, Siena put on a full-court press and it paid dividends. The Gaels started turning the ball over and taking bad shots, and the Saints scored seven straight to take a 10-5 lead. Buckets from Camilion and Barefield tied things up and the lead flip-flopped a couple more times. Siena led 21-16 at the end of the opening frame.

Siena scored the final four points of the first quarter, then the first five of the second quarter to take a 10-point lead in the early portion of the half. The Maroon & Gold proceeded to embark on an 18-0 run, turning that deficit into an eight-point advantage. Siena would finally score to end the run, but a floater in the lane off the fingertips of Mwai beat the buzzer and gave Iona a 36-28 lead at the break.
 
Siena made it a one-possession game on two separate occasions in the third quarter, but Iona continued to get timely baskets to give itself some breathing room. Camilion had a hand in all 13 of the Gaels' third-quarter points, scoring 10 of them and assisting on a Monica Barefield three. Siena closed the gap at the end of the quarter, cutting the Maroon & Gold lead to four.
 
Iona regained control of the momentum in the opening part of the fourth quarter, scoring the opening six points and extending its lead to 55-45. Siena got its first points of the quarter at the 7:31 mark; the Maroon & Gold answered with six more of its own before the Saints next bucket nearly two minutes later. Deja Rawls began to light it up from downtown, burying three tries from three-point land over the course of two minutes; however, the closest Siena got in that time frame was within six points. Iona scored 10 of the final 14 points of the game to complete the upset and advance to the Quarterfinals.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Iona's first round win over Siena marks the second straight postseason win over for the Maroon & Gold against the Saints. The Gaels won the previous playoff matchup in the First Round of the 2017 MAAC Championship.
• Freshman Juana Camilion scored a game-high 26 points, connecting on 8-13 tries from the floor and sinking all eight of her free throw attempts.
• Camilion's 26 points are the most ever by a Gael in the Times Union Center and the highest point total in a conference tournament game since Damika Martinez scored 32 in a loss vs. Quinnipiac in 2014.
• The Gaels shot 25-47 (53%) from the field and 10-22 (45%) from three as an offensive unit. Iona eclipsed 70 points for the first time this season.
• Siena held the advantage in steals (14-2) and scored 28 points off of 25 Iona turnovers, but shot a measly 5-22 from beyond the arc. The Gaels won the rebounding battle, 37-24.
• Camilion and Mwai both played all 40 minutes, the only two players to do so on either side. Both players also posted career-high point totals in the victory.

UP NEXT

The Iona College women's basketball team advances to face No. 2 Rider tomorrow, March 8 at 3:30 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN3 and tickets are available for purchase here.

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