NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College women's basketball team used a strong second half to rally from behind and defeat Marist, 49-41, on Thursday night at the Hynes Center. The Gaels defense held the Red Foxes to just two field goals in the final 20 minutes of action, overcoming a six-point halftime deficit and winning their second straight contest.
Olivia Vezaldenos picked up right where she left off in the last game, burying a pair of three pointers to open the scoring on Thursday evening. Marist scored nine straight to turn a six-point deficit into a three-point lead before a Ketsia Athias basket ended a four-plus minute scoring drought for the Maroon & Gold. The Red Foxes, after falling behind early, managed to register 19 of the period's final 25 points, leading 19-12 after the opening quarter.
After a solid first quarter, Marist's offense sputtered. The Gaels did not allow a field goal until the 1:20 mark of the second, though they still trailed. The Red Foxes defense stymied Iona's offense as well, allowing just three points in an eight-minute span to begin the second. The two sides traded points over the final 90 seconds of the half, allowing Marist to take a 27-21 lead into the locker room.
The third quarter was a wild one statistically. Iona's defense did not allow a field goal, limiting Marist to 0-11 shooting in the period. The Red Foxes registered six points, all from the charity stripe, barely maintaining its lead at the end of the quarter. Iona remained within one possession of the lead for the final three minutes. Juana Camilion's late layup made it 33-31 in favor of the visitors heading into the final frame.
Camilion opened the fourth period with a trifecta, granting Iona its first lead since the 2:28 mark in the first quarter. Buckets from Trinasia Kennedy and Kiara Fisher put Marist back in front, 38-34, with just under eight minutes to play. From that point on, it was all Iona. The Gaels ripped off 12 straight points, holding Marist without a point for almost eight straight minutes. Iona's 12-0 run spanned more than six minutes and turned a four-point deficit into an eight-point advantage. When it was all said and done, the Maroon & Gold ended the game on a 15-3 run over the final 6:41, pulling out a second straight win on its home floor.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Three Gaels finished with double-digit points: Camilion (15), Judith Gomez (11) and Vezaldenos (11).
- Camilion has now scored in double-figures in 10 of Iona's 12 games. She finished a rebound shy of a double-double, adding four assists, three steals and a block.
- Gomez's 11 points were a career-best effort, knocking down a new personal-best three shots from beyond the arc.
- Vezaldenos amassed at least 10 points for the sixth time this season and the fifth time in the last six contests.
- Athias pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds, reaching that mark for the third time this season and the fourth time in her Iona career. She added eight points, four assists and three blocks.
- Jazmin Benn played 17 minutes for Iona and despite not scoring, she grabbed six boards and finished with a plus-minus of 16, a game-high.
- Iona's defense had two incredible statistical stretches during the contest:
- Zero field goals made by Marist in the third quarter. The Red Foxes went 10:46 of game action without a field goal made between the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the fourth.
- No points allowed in a 7:39 stretch during the fourth quarter, allowing the offense to transform a four-point deficit into an eight-point lead and eventually a victory.
- As a team, Marist shot a season-worst 24% (12-50) from the field. Iona forced them into 20 turnovers, the Red Foxes' second-most this year. Marist's 41 points were also its second-lowest total of the season.
- Iona grabbed 46 rebounds, its most in a game this season. The Gaels' 17 offensive rebounds were its most so far this year.
UP NEXT
Iona travels to Saint Peter's on Saturday, January 22 for a 2:00 p.m. matinee.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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