NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona College women's basketball team lost in its Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opener, 63-54 at the hands of the Saint Peter's Peacocks. Sophomore
Paulla Weekes scored a career-high 15 points in the loss.
GAME SUMMARY
Iona had a rough go of things in the opening frame, scoring just one basket midway through the period. The Gaels had trailed 7-0 early on before Weekes scored inside to get the team on the board. The Maroon & Gold did not register a field goal for the remainder of the quarter.
Shyan Mwai connected on a pair of free throws to account for the Gaels' scoring in the first frame.
Leading 13-4 at the onset of the quarter, Saint Peter's would go cold on offense as well to begin the second. The Peacocks were responsible for the only basket of the second quarter at the media timeout. The Maroon & Gold got going after a
Juana Camilion three pointer with 4:29 to play, forcing a Saint Peter's timeout. Out of the quick break, the Peacocks answered with a triple of their own to go ahead 18-7.
Jenae Dublin finished an and-one inside to trim Iona's deficit to single digits with just over three minutes to play in the half. Iona would get offensive contributions from Vezaldenos and Dublin over the final minutes of the first half, along with some stops on defense, to trim Saint Peter's lead to 22-17 heading into the locker room.
An early 6-0 run in the third quarter brought Iona within a point of its first lead of the evening, but the Gaels went without a point for the next two-minutes plus. The Peacocks ended their nearly five-minute scoring drought with a triple from Kendrea Williams. Vezaldenos answered with a three of her own, once again making it a one-point game. The teams traded points back and forth, seeing the Gaels tie it twice, before finally grabbing a lead after a
De'jah Williams layup with 90 seconds to play in the third quarter. Iona would hold onto that lead and carry a narrow 31-30 advantage into the final frame.
Saint Peter's started the fourth quarter with a 7-2 run over the first 90 seconds of action, retaking the lead. Camilion brought Iona within a point once more, knocking down three free throws, but three pointers from Taiah Thornton and Williams kept the Gaels at bay for the moment.
Iona's deficit had grown to seven points again, but back-to-back triples from Camilion and Vezaldenos once again made it a one-possession game. Weekes connected on one-of-two from the line to tie the game at 43 apiece with 4:30 remaining in regulation. One minute later, Weekes made two from the charity stripe to put Iona within one point, but that would be as close as the Maroon & Gold would get over the final three-plus minutes of action. The Peacocks built a six-point lead, expanding that to a double-digit cushion as time ran down in the Hynes Center. Saint Peter's managed to outlast Iona, winning 63-54 in both program's league opener.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
- Weekes led all Iona scorers, registering a new career-high 15 points on 5-8 shooting. The sophomore played all 40 minutes of the contest, adding five points at the free throw, five rebounds and four assists.
- Camilion dished out a season-high seven assists for the Gaels. She also added a team-best three steals in the game.
- Dublin swatted two shots for Iona, the only two blocks in the contest.
- Kendrea Williams led all scorers, pouring in 21 for the Peacocks. Taiah Thornton registered 15 of her own, connecting on 6-19 attempts from the floor.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Along with a new career best in points, Weekes also set a new personal best with five free throws made.
- The Gaels finished with more assists than the Peacocks (13-11). Entering tonight, Iona was 65-15 under head coach Billi Chambers when they out-assisted their opponent.
- Iona had 18 first-half turnovers and 17 points. Saint Peter's converted those turnovers into just seven points however.
- The Gaels held the Peacocks in check behind three-point arc in first half. Saint Peter's made just 1-12 attempts from deep. They finished the game 5-8 from beyond the arc.
- The Peacocks were 17-20 (80%) from the charity stripe. Iona shot 14-18 (78%).
- Dublin has blocked a shot in all three of the Gaels' games this year.
- Saint Peter's has now won its last two contests against Iona. The Maroon & Gold had won the previous 13 since Chambers took over in 2013-14.
AROUND THE MAAC
- Quinnipiac dropped its final non-conference tune up, 51-50, to the Army Black Knights.
- Marist completed the sweep of Canisius, winning 82-61.
- Manhattan defeated Rider, 50-38, at Draddy Gymnasium.
- Fairfield dominated Siena, 76-44.
UP NEXT
Iona and Saint Peter's will wrap up the weekend tomorrow evening at the Hynes Center. The two teams will tip-off at 5:00 p.m. on ESPN3.
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