RIVERDALE, NY – The Iona College women's basketball team fell at Manhattan, 54-32, on Saturday afternoon. The Maroon & Gold shot 6-28 from the floor in the second half, never allowing them to mount a comeback.

GAME SUMMARY

The Gaels and the Jaspers duked it out in the first period of play, seeing the lead change hands five times over the first 10 minutes. Gabby Cajou opened the scoring with a bucket inside, but Juana Camilion's three-point field goal gave Iona a 3-2 lead in the early going.
 
Sydney Watkins connected on a triple in the latter portion of the frame, tying the score at 11 apiece. The Maroon & Gold briefly held a one-point lead after a basket from Lucia Becerra Perez, but it succumbed in the final minute when Emily LaPointe drilled a three. Manhattan led 14-13 after one full quarter.
 
Iona's first basket of the second quarter would give them the lead, but it would be the team's final lead of the afternoon. Manhattan eventually grabbed a four-point edge, which dwindled to as little as one point, but grew to seven points at the close of the quarter. The Gaels were down 25-18 as they head to the locker room, having not made a basket over the final 7:47 of the quarter.
 
Iona would score just once in the third quarter, a Shyan Mwai jumper in the paint. Mwai's basket at the 8:32 mark was the only one of the period for the Maroon & Gold. Iona missed its next 13 shots to end the quarter. 
 
The Gaels were down 48-20 entering the fourth quarter. Iona held Manhattan without a point for the opening 5:55, but two straight baskets for the Jaspers brought the lead back to 28 points with 2:49 remaining in regulation. Manhattan cruised to a 54-32 win on its home court.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Camilion and LaPointe registered a game-high 12 points on the afternoon. Both players connected on five field goals and two three-pointers. 
• Høier and Warley grabbed a game-best 11 rebounds. Weekes' seven boards were a team-high for the Gaels.
• Cajou dished out a game-leading three assists. As a unit, Iona had just five assists, two of which were from Becerra Perez.
• Warley was responsible for five steals, the most among the two sides. Miceus ended the afternoon with a game-best four blocked shots.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Iona mustered just 32 points in the loss, its lowest scoring output of the 2019-20 season. Last season, the Gaels scored 33 points in a loss to Manhattan at Draddy Gymnasium.
• The Gaels scored a combined seven points on 3-28 FG in the second and third quarters. 
• Iona turned the ball over 24 times, allowing Manhattan to convert them into 22 points. 
• The Jaspers held a 21-5 advantage in second chance points, thanks in part to their 18 offensive rebounds. 
• Camilion led the Gaels in points (12), steals (2) and blocks (1). The sophomore laid a goose egg in the assist column for the second time this season.   
• The loss pushes the Maroon & Gold below .500 in league play (3-4) for the third time this season.

AROUND THE MAAC

• The Rider Broncs remained undefeated in league play, defeating Niagara 71-55.
• Saint Peter's went up to Buffalo and downed Canisius, 86-68.
• Marist topped Monmouth, 74-53, in West Long Branch, NJ.

UP NEXT

Next up for the Gaels is a matchup with Quinnipiac on Saturday, February 1. The game will tip at 1:00 p.m. and be streamed on ESPN3. The Gaels and the college as a whole will honor all of our female alumni in attendance at halftime as part of Iona's continuous celebration of 50 years of women at Iona.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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