Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Events

View Schedule  
  Go Back

Iona University Athletics

Kate Mager
Joe D'Aloisio - Iona Athletics
54
Quinnipiac QU 5-5,0-1 MAAC
57
Winner Iona Iona 6-4,1-0 MAAC
Quinnipiac QU
5-5,0-1 MAAC
54
Final
57
Iona Iona
6-4,1-0 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Quinnipiac QU 14 16 17 7 54
Iona Iona 11 11 16 19 57

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Jack Clark

Mager's Three Lifts Iona WBB Over Quinnipiac in MAAC Opener

NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona University women's basketball team came back to defeat Quinnipiac, 57-54, in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opener on Saturday afternoon at the Hynes Athletics Center. Kate Mager hit the game-winning three with six seconds left to help the Gaels knock off the MAAC preseason favorite.

THE RUNDOWN

The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair, seeing the lead change hands twice. Kate Mager buried a triple with 1:30 left to briefly give the Gaels a one-point advantage, but baskets by Cur'Tiera Haywood and Makenzie Helms in the final minute put the Bobcats ahead 14-11 after the opening frame in New Rochelle.

Quinnipiac used a 14-5 run to begin the second quarter and build a 14-point lead after a pair of Reiven Douglas free throws. Iona held Quinnipiac without a made field goal over the final three-plus minutes and scoreless for the final two-plus minutes. The Maroon & Gold were responsible for the final three buckets of the half, trimming the halftime deficit to eight points, 30-22.

Iona returned to form in the third quarter, closing the gap to six points with 2:26 remaining and forcing a Quinnipiac timeout. The Bobcats cushioned the lead to nine points by the end of the period. Iona trailed by double-digit points in the fourth, but turned things around at the midway point of the period. 

Defensively, Iona held the visitors without a made field goal for more than four minutes, closing the gap to five points. Iona fought back to tie the game at 54-54 and possessed the ball with the shot clock turned off. With six seconds left, Mager connected on a trifecta from the corner to give Iona its first lead, 57-54, since the opening moments of the first quarter. Quinnipiac's final shot from Jackie Grisdale missed and the Maroon & Gold completed the comeback to knock off the league's preseason favorite to open conference play.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

  • Athias and Haywood each finished with a game-high 14 points. Athias made 7-of-12 (58.3%) shots and also corralled a team-high eight rebounds.
  • Ella O'Donnell's nine rebounds were a game high. Thoranna Hodge-Carr grabbed eight boards, matching Athias for Iona's team-high mark.
  • Athias handed out four assists. Three different Bobcats (Baskerville, Caverly and Helms) all finished with three helpers.
  • Mary Baskerville registered six steals and Mikala Morris added a pair of blocked shots.

THE OPPONENT

  • Haywood (14) and Grisdale (10) were Quinnipiac's scoring leaders. Haywood knocked down three shots from beyond the arc, the most of any Bobcat scorer on Saturday.
  • Quinnipiac forced Iona to commit 20 turnovers, but also gave the ball away 19 times. The Bobcats finished with 14 points off of turnovers, seeing their 19 giveaways turn into 19 Iona points.
  • The Bobcats shot 8-of-17 (47.1%) from the free-throw line, a season low by an Iona opponent. 
  • Quinnipiac led for 38:02 and trailed for just 29 seconds. The lead changed hands four times over the course of the game.

TEAM STATS

  • Iona finished with an edge in rebounds (31-27), points off turnovers (19-14), paint points (26-20) and field goal percentage (46.8% - 40.4%). Quinnipiac held an edge in assists (14-13), steals (14-6) and bench points (12-5).
  • The Gaels outscored the Bobcats 35-24 in the second half, shooting 54.5% from the floor over the final 20 minutes of action. The Maroon & Gold limited the Bobcats to two makes on 11 attempts in the fourth quarter, a 16.7% mark from the field.
  • Iona's best scoring run of the game was nine straight points, culminating with Mager's game-winning three pointer with six seconds to play. Quinnipiac missed its final 10 field goal attempts and went without a point for the final 3:11 of the contest.

AROUND THE MAAC

  • Canisius edged Rider, 74-67, at the Koessler Athletic Center.
  • Fairfield downed Saint Peter's, 76-49, at the Run Baby Run Arena.
  • Manhattan took care of Mount St. Mary's, 64-46, at Draddy Gymnasium.

UP NEXT

Iona heads to Fairfield for its first road conference game of the season on Monday evening. The Gaels and the Stags tip-off at 7:00 p.m. at the Leo D. Mahoney Arena on the campus of Fairfield University.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Be sure to follow Iona women's basketball and Iona Athletics on our social media platforms.
IonaGaels: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates)
Iona Women's Basketball: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates)



Print Friendly Version