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Iona University Athletics

Morgan Rachu
Anthony Sorbellini
47
Siena SIE 8-16, 6-9 MAAC
58
Winner Iona ION 8-15, 7-7 MAAC
Siena SIE
8-16, 6-9 MAAC
47
Final
58
Iona ION
8-15, 7-7 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Siena SIE 7 14 11 15 47
Iona ION 18 20 11 9 58

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Jack Clark

Iona WBB Wins in Wire-to-Wire Fashion Over Siena, 57-48

Senior Morgan Rachu connected on a season-best six three pointers and totaled 18 points as the Gaels moved to 7-7 in league play.

NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona College women's basketball team led from start to finish in a 58-47 victory over the Siena Saints at the Hynes Athletics Center. Senior Morgan Rachu connected on a season-best six three pointers and totaled 18 points as the Gaels moved to 7-7 in league play.

GAME SUMMARY

The Maroon & Gold opened up the contest with a 12-0 scoring run, holding Siena scoreless for nearly seven minutes to begin the night. Rachu scored six points in the opening minute for Iona, connecting on triples the Gaels' first two possessions.
 
The Saints did not hit on any of their seven field goal tries in the opening 10 minutes, but were 7-10 from the charity stripe. Siena struggled to take care of the ball, turning it over 10 times, leading to 13 points for Iona.
 
Siena's first field goal of the night came on its first possession of the second quarter, an Amari Anthony jumper in the lane. Gabrielle Joseph's layup on the ensuing possession pushed the Gael lead to 20-9 in the opening minute of the second frame. The Saints cut the deficit to eight points with just under seven minutes left, but a Rachu triple pushed it back to double digits.
 
The lead would never dwindle under 10 points for the remainder of the game, and it would grow to 17 at the end of the first half. Iona scored six of the final eight points to carry a 38-21 lead into the locker room.
 
 The third quarter was dead even between the two sides, with each team scoring 11 points. The Gaels lead grew to as large as 19 after Tori Lesko scored in the opening seconds, and Iona managed to fend off Siena even when they strung together a couple of buckets in a row. The Maroon & Gold lead remained at 17 points, 49-32 after three full quarters.
 
The Saints scored twice in the first minute to begin the final frame, trimming the Gael lead to 13. Trifectas from Barefield and Rachu would push it back to 17 points, as the two sides continued to trade baskets. 
 
Siena held Iona scoreless for over three minutes after the Rachu triple, but only mustered three points of its own in that span. Rachu's sixth triple ended the scoreless drought and made up for the little amount of ground that Siena covered in that time. 
 
The Maroon & Gold closed out the final four minutes and secured a wire-to-wire victory over the Saints in the first meeting of the season between the two programs.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

  • Rachu led all scorers with 18 points. She had a game-high six three pointers made. Rayshel Brown hit on a game-leading seven field goals.
  • Rachu, Brown and Lala Watts pulled down six rebounds, the most for the night.
  • Camilion and Becerra Perez dished out four assists, the same amount as Siena's entire team. 
  • Sabrina Piper finished with a game-high three steals and Watts' three blocked shots were the most among all players.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

  • Rachu's six three pointers tied a season-best and her 18 points was her best scoring output since she scored 20 at Central Michigan on December 5, 2019.
  • Barefield scored a season-best 14 points in the win. In three career games against Siena, Barefield has scored 20, 14 and 14 points. The 20-point effort is the best scoring output of the junior's career.
  • Siena finished 0-8 from beyond the arc, marking the first time this season an Iona opponent did not hit a triple.
  • Iona shot over 40% from three-point land, connecting on 11 three pointers.
  • The Gaels got 33 points of production from their bench, led by Barefield's 14. Siena had just two points, both of which came from the free throw line.
  • The home victory was just the second for the Maroon & Gold this season at the Hynes Athletics Center. The win was Iona's eighth of the season and seventh in conference play, both of which are the program's best since 2016-17.

AROUND THE MAAC

  • Rider outlasted Quinnipiac, 68-62, in Hamden, CT.
  • Manhattan defeated Canisius 63-56 at the Koessler Athletic Center.
  • Marist toppled Saint Peter's 82-60, in Jersey City, NJ.
  • Niagara overcame a double-digit deficit late to upend Monmouth, 62-61, in Lewiston, NY.

UP NEXT

Iona hits the road to face Rider on Sunday, February 23 at 1:00 p.m.

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)
 


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