NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona University women's basketball team topped Hofstra, 62-46, on Wednesday night at the Hynes Center.
Juana Camilion scored 18 points and
Kate Mager contributed 17, knocking down five trifectas, to lead the Gaels past the Pride.
THE RUNDOWN
Iona, who led wire-to-wire in Wednesday's affair, jumped all over Hofstra early. The Gaels built a 14-2 lead just past the midway point of the first quarter. Juana Camilion inserted herself into passing lanes on two occasions, leading directly to uncontested layups on the other end for the captain. She poured in 10 points in the opening stanza, outscoring the Pride all on her own. Noa Givon was also a factor for the Gaels. She made her first appearance of the season and knocked down the first jumper of her career, a step-back three at the conclusion of the quarter.
Natalia Otkhmezuri scored inside to pad Iona's lead to 18 points with 8:39 remaining in the half. The two sides went cold from that point on; the next point came from a Brandy Thomas jumper with 3:42 to play. Thomas' basket started a string of six straight points by the Pride, trimming the deficit to 12 points. Mager buried one of her five three-pointers to put the Maroon & Gold in front again by 15, which held heading into the intermission.
The Gael lead nearly reached 30 points in the third quarter and never dropped below 20 points. A late push by Hofstra in the closing minutes of regulation saw them climb back within 16 points, but Iona easily cruised to the wire-to-wire victory on Wednesday night.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
- Camilion led all scorers with 18 points on 8-13 shooting. It marked the 63rd time in Camilion's career that she has reached double-figures and the 42nd time she has led the unit in scoring.
- Ketsia Athias finished with a game-high nine rebounds. She nearly registered the seventh double-double of her career, scoring eight points.
- Mager chipped in 17 points, 15 of which came from beyond the arc. Her five triples are a season-best mark.
- Three different Gaels finished with a team-high three assists: Athias, Camilion and Thoranna Hodge-Carr.
- Defensively, Camilion recorded a season-high five steals and Athias matched a season-best with three blocked shots.
TEAM STATS
- Iona led for 39:44 of a possible 40 minutes. The Gaels' largest lead of the evening was 28 points.
- The Maroon & Gold shot a shade under 50 percent overall, posting a 48.1 percent mark (26-54) from the field and an even 7-14 from beyond the arc. Iona has shot higher than 45 percent from the floor in four of its six contests this season, winning three of those four games.
- Both teams gave the ball away 22 times. Iona converted those into 29 points, while Hofstra managed 21 points off of turnovers. The Gaels' 12 steals matched a season-high as a unit defensively.
- The Gaels limited the Pride to 16 made field goals on 47 attempts, good for a 34 percent mark shooting. All three marked season lows for an Iona opponent.
AROUND THE MAAC
- Lehigh defeated Rider, 81-67, in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.
- Fairfield edged Fordham, 82-75, in the Bronx.
- Albany topped Canisius, 59-48, in Buffalo, New York.
UP NEXT
Iona travels to face LIU on Monday, December 5. The Gaels and the Sharks are scheduled to tip at 4:00 p.m. on NEC Front Row.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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