Farrell Shine

Box Score

Monmouth MON 9-21, 6-15 MAAC

Iona ION 9-21, 8-13 MAAC

Monmouth MON

9-21, 6-15 MAAC

Final

Mar. 10, 2020

Iona ION

9-21, 8-13 MAAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Monmouth MON	7	17	20	25	69
Iona ION	11	7	11	31	60

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 3/10/2020 4:32:00 PM | Jack Clark

Iona WBB Falls vs. Monmouth in Opening Round of 2020 MAAC Tournament

Senior Morgan Rachu closed out her career with a double-double (17 points, 12 rebounds), but the Gaels’ comeback fell short in the end.

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – The Iona College women's basketball team's 2019-20 season came to a close this afternoon when they lost 69-60 to No. 10 Monmouth. Senior Morgan Rachu closed out her career with a double-double (17 points, 12 rebounds), but the Gaels' comeback fell short in the end.

GAME SUMMARY

Both sides started slow, with the game's first point coming from Shyan Mwai at the free throw line at the 6:55 mark. Monmouth eventually built a 7-4 lead, but Iona held the Hawks scoreless over the final three-plus minutes. The Maroon & Gold used a 7-0 run over the final 3:05 of the opening quarter to take an 11-7 lead.

Monmouth scored at a steady pace to begin the second quarter, scoring the period's first twelve points. The Hawks locked in defensively, holding Iona scoreless for nearly seven minutes before Rachu's three-pointer made it a 19-14 game in favor of Monmouth.

The Gaels would score twice in the final minute, making it a very manageable six-point deficit at the half. The Hawks shot 7-18 from the floor in the second quarter, compared to a 3-15 mark for the Maroon & Gold.

Baskets from Tori Lesko and Rachu to open the second half made it a one-possession game again. Monmouth got on the board at the 7:43 mark to take a 26-22 lead, then scored 17 of the final 22 points over the final seven minutes of the third quarter to build a 15-point lead.

A little over a minute into the final frame, Monmouth's lead was 48-32. Iona battled back, cutting a 16-point deficit to five points with 4:50 left. De'jah Williams came on strong in the fourth quarter, at one point scoring eight straight for the Maroon & Gold, helping eventually trim the Monmouth lead to 49-45 with 3:32 remaining.

The Gaels and Hawks traded two-pointers back-and-forth for the next two minutes, allowing Monmouth to maintain its two-possession advantage. Two free throws and a fastbreak layup for Akilah Jennings made it a nine-point affair with 90 seconds left.

Back-to-back possessions in the final minute ended in three-point baskets for Iona, but Monmouth's success at the charity stripe didn't allow the Gaels to cut deep enough into the lead. The Maroon & Gold closed the gap to as small as four points after a Williams three-point play inside, but the Hawks closed the game out at the free throw line to advance to the quarterfinal round.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Green scored a game and season-high 26 points on 7-10 FG. Rachu led the way for Iona with 17 points.
Rachu pulled down a game-leading 12 rebounds. She was the only player to record double-digit boards in the contest.
Rosa Graham dished out a game-best four assists. Lucia Becerra Perez and Camilion had three helpers, tied for the most by an Iona player.
Graham and Lesko recorded a game-high three steals. Mwai and Lucy Thomas had the only blocked shots for either side.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

Camilion played less than eight minutes in the first half plagued by foul trouble. She missed her only field goal attempt of the half and had two turnovers. The All-MAAC Third Team honoree was held to three points on 1-5 shooting from the floor.
In her final game, Rachu registered the third double-double of her career. The senior matched a career-best with 12 rebounds and scored a team-high 17 points.
Sierra Green started the game 6-6 from downtown. She finished 6-8 with 26 points, two shy of her career-best mark.
Williams played her best game since scoring a career-best 20 points in a win at Quinnipiac in the MAAC opener. The redshirt sophomore scored 16 points, all of which came in the fourth quarter.
Iona scored 31 of its 60 points in the fourth quarter, hitting on 9-21 field goals and 9-12 from the charity stripe. Monmouth scored 45 of its 69 points in the second half.
On average, Iona's defense limited its opponents to a 29% shooting percentage from beyond the arc. Monmouth hit eight three-pointers at a 40% clip this afternoon (8-20).
The Hawks led for 33:19 of game time. The Maroon & Gold held the advantage for just 2:37, but never had a lead after the first quarter. Overall, the lead swapped hands three times and the game was tied just once.
Monmouth narrowly out-rebounded Iona, 37-36, but the Gaels owned a hefty advantage in the second-chance points category, 14-4.