POUGHKEEPSIE, NY - The Iona University women's basketball team defeated Marist, 76-55, on Saturday afternoon at McCann Arena. Iona posted a season-best 53 points in the second half, cruising to a 21-point victory to close out the calendar year.
THE RUNDOWN
After a slow start to open the game, Iona scored seven unanswered points to build a five-point lead at the first media timeout. Marist scored eight of the final 10 points to close out the opening stanza, creating a narrow two-point advantage in the scoring column.
The Gaels scored the first three baskets of the second quarter, grabbing a four-point lead. Marist answered with three straight of its own, taking a 19-15 lead. Athias went to work for the Maroon & Gold in the second frame, scoring all eight of her first-half points and helping the Gaels claw back within one point of the Red Foxes heading into the halftime break.
Iona's defense, as it does so often, impacted the game and wreaked havoc in the third quarter. The Gaels used a 15-5 run to turn a three-point deficit into a seven-point advantage. The Gaels registered five steals in that span, leading to easy baskets on the other end. A 10-2 run in a three-minute span in the fourth quarter granted the Gaels a 19-point cushion, their largest lead of the game to that point. The second half was all Iona; the Gaels outscored the Red Foxes 53-31 in the second half en route to a comfortable win and move above .500 in league play.
IONA PERFORMERS
- Juana Camilion led all scorers, posting a game-high 22 points. It marked the first time this season and the ninth time in her career that she reached the 20-point plateau.
- Ketsia Athias added 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting and dished out a game-high six assists.
- Thoranna Hodge-Carr chipped in 12 points and grabbed a team-high five rebounds.
- Judith Gomez posted a season-high nine points and registered four steals on the defensive end.
- Addy Salzer saw the first game action of her collegiate career, nailing a three-pointer to register the first points of her collegiate career.
THE OPPONENT
- Kiara Fisher poured in 20 points. All six of her field goals came from beyond the arc, the most by an Iona opponent individually this season.
- Zaria Shazer contributed 19 points, shooting 9-of-15. The two aforementioned scorers accounted for 71 percent of the team's scoring and combined for 14 rebounds.
- Kendall Krick handed out a team-high five assists, but was held without a point on five field goal attempts.
TEAM STATS
- As a team, Iona turned the ball over a season-low six times. Marist finished with just one point as a result of an Iona giveaway.
- Marist shot 5-of-11 from the charity stripe and turned the ball over 18 times. The Maroon & Gold scored 30 points off of turnovers.
- The Gaels shot 33-of-59 (55.9%), the fifth time this season that Iona has shot better than 50 percent from the field.
- Iona connected on 22-of-33 (69.7%) field goals in the second half, posting a season-high 53 points over the final 20 minutes.
- The Maroon & Gold scored 46 points in the paint and were 21-24 on layup attempts.
AROUND THE MAAC
- Rider dominated Saint Peter's, 87-52, at Run Baby Run Arena.
- Quinnipiac defeated Mount St. Mary's, 64-52, at M&T Bank Arena.
- Niagara narrowly beat Manhattan, 66-62, at Draddy Gymnasium.
UP NEXT
Iona hosts Niagara on Monday, January 2 at 1:00 p.m. in New Rochelle. The Gaels and the Purple Eagles were originally scheduled to play on Thursday, December 29 but the game was postponed due to travel issues for Niagara.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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