BUFFALO, NY – Behind a career-high 26 points from sophomore Juana Camilion, the Iona College women's basketball team defeated Canisius, 60-57, on Thursday night. With the victory, the Maroon & Gold matched their win total from a season prior.

GAME SUMMARY

Iona and Canisius traded baskets back and forth for the entire first period of play, with the lead changing five times. The Gaels led for just over a minute, but had the advantage at the conclusion of the opening frame thanks to a late three-pointer from Shyan Mwai.
 
Juana Camilon scored seven points on three-of-five shooting, receiving a couple of nice passes from Tori Lesko to set her up for easy baskets. Paulla Weekes and Aiste Vaitekunaite got in on the scoring as well in the first period, combining for seven points of their own. Iona led 17-16 after the first period.
 
Canisius regained the lead to open the second quarter, eventually building its lead up to five points after two straight buckets from AJ Timbers. The Gaels would come right back though, and two baskets of their own would make it a one-point deficit. Camilion's layup at the 2:47 mark of the period tied the game at 25-25.
 
Mwai gave the Gaels a lead with a triple, but it would succumb as the clock ran out in the first half. The Griffs kept the Gaels off the scoreboard for the final 2:05, taking a narrow 29-28 lead into the halftime break at the Koessler Athletic Center.
 
Iona put pressure on after a couple of early scores to start the second half, forcing backcourt turnovers by the Golden Griffins that resulted in easy points for the Maroon & Gold. The two sides would continue, as they had been doing all night to that point, to trade baskets on either end; the lead had already changed 10 times by the midway point of the third quarter.
 
Morgan Rachu, who made her return to the court for the first time since January 16, knocked down a three to tie the game at 41 apiece in the final minute. The tie was the seventh of the game, but a triple on the other end by Shayla Sweeney would break the tie and allow the Griffs to control the lead heading into the final frame.
 
Canisius opened up the fourth quarter with a made basket by Timbers just 15 seconds in. Iona would hold the Griffs without a point for nearly seven minutes before Sanderlin made a pair of free throws at the 2:58 mark. The Gaels used an 8-0 run during that span to build a 51-47 lead. 
 
Two consecutive trips to the line for D'Jhai Patterson-Ricks gave the home team a 53-51 edge. Lesko promptly scored on the other end to re-tie the game. After an extended timeout on the floor for an injury, Monica Barefield made two from the free throw line to grant Iona a two-point lead. Out of the timeout, Sanderlin drove to the rim and scored the layup, once again tying the game.
 
Camilion would put Iona ahead for good, dribbling through traffic long enough to create space for a step-back three-pointer, giving her team a 58-55 lead. Difficulties at the charity stripe late in the game nearly came back to bite, but Iona walked away with a 60-57 win on the front-end of a two-game stretch in Buffalo.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Camilion's 26 points matched a career best and were the high mark among all scorers tonight. Her 11 made field goals were also a new personal best and were the most in tonight's contest.
• Timbers led all Canisius scorers with 19 points on an efficient 8-13 FG.
• Sanderlin pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds, four of which were on the offensive glass. Weekes had eight boards to lead all Iona players.
• Camilion dished out a game-leading four assists. Patterson-Ricks finished with three helpers of her own.
• Camilion had two blocks on the defensive end. Patterson-Ricks' four steals were the most between both teams.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Tonight's meeting was the latest start to the season series for Iona and Canisius since the 1990-91 season.
• Camilion's 26 points matched a career-best for the sophomore. She poured in 26 points in last season's MAAC Championship victory over Siena. The 11 made field goals for Camilion were a new career best.
• Rachu made her return to the floor for Iona, scoring three points and grabbing three rebounds in 14-plus minutes of action. For Rachu, it was her first game action since January 16 at home versus Niagara.
• Iona held Canisius to just one made field goal over the first 9:25 of the fourth quarter. Timbers scored at the 9:45 mark and the next made basket came with 35 seconds left to play. The Griffs scored seven points in between those two baskets, all of which came from the free throw line.
• The lead changed hands 15 times and the score was tied on 11 different occasions tonight. The Gaels led for just 7:15 compared to Canisius' 22:05 with the advantage on the scoreboard. 
• The Maroon & Gold scored 28 points inside the painted area, compared to just 20 for the Golden Griffins. 

AROUND THE MAAC

• Siena defeated Manhattan in Riverdale, NY, 59-49.
• Quinnipiac completed the season sweep of Monmouth, topping the Hawks 52-45 at the OceanFirst Bank Center.
• Fairfield defeated Niagara in Lewiston, NY by a score of 77-65.
• Saint Peter's knocked off undefeated Rider at home, 67-56.

UP NEXT

The Gaels remain on the road to face the Niagara Purple Eagles on Saturday afternoon 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)
 
Tweet #ICWBB
Tweet #MAACHoops
Tweet #GaelNation