ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - The Iona College women's basketball team lost to No. 1 Fairfield, 69-56, in the quarterfinal round of the 2022 MAAC Championships.
Juana Camilion paced the Gaels offensively with 18 points, adding seven rebounds and five assists.
Iona opened things up on fire from three-point land, burying three shots early to grab a 9-7 advantage. Vezaldenos knocked down the first two, then Camilion put Iona on top with her first of the afternoon. Fairfield locked in defensively from that point on, holding Iona without a point over the final five-plus minutes of play. The Stags erased the small deficit, using a 12-0 run to end the quarter with a 19-9 lead.
The defense of the Maroon & Gold shined in quarter number two, allowing just five points. After scoring 14 points straight spanning the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second, Fairfield was limited to just one more field goal. Vezaldenos made her third three-pointer to make it a single-digit deficit for the Gaels in the first minute of the frame. A 7-0 run to end the quarter put Iona down 24-21 heading into the intermission.
After missing much of the first half due to early foul trouble, 2022 MAAC Player of the Year Lou Lopez-Senechal made her presence felt. She was responsible for 11 of Fairfield's first 14 second-half points, expanding her team's lead to nine points. Vezaldenos' hot shooting continued for Iona, helping keep the Gaels within striking distance in the third period. A pair of free throws in the final seconds by Camilion made it 46-39 entering the final frame.
It was a beautiful start to the fourth quarter for Iona; the Maroon & Gold made it a one-possession game and forced a Fairfield timeout just over a minute into the fourth. Out of the timeout, Camilion scored inside to even the game at 46 apiece. The Stags went back ahead by five after baskets from Sam Lewis and Lopez-Senechal, eventually expanding their lead to 12 points with three minutes left in regulation following a 10-0 run. The Maroon & Gold could not get back within single-digits of Fairfield, eventually falling 69-56.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Camilion's 18 points were a team high. She shot 7-16 from the floor and knocked down all three of her tries from the free-throw line. 15 of Camilion's 18 points came in the second half.
- Vezaldenos poured in 15 points, knocking down five shots from beyond the arc. She also played all 40 minutes.
- Athias registered 10 rebounds, reaching double digits in boards for the 10th time this season.
- Gomez matched her career best with 11 points, three trifectas made and four field goals made.
- Fairfield was led by 44 combined points from Rachel Hakes and Lou Lopez-Senechal. Hakes and Lopez-Senechal did the majority of their damage in the second half, combining for 34 of Fairfield's 45 points.
- As a team, the Stags were 20-21 from the charity stripe. The Maroon & Gold went to the line just five times, converting on three tries.
- Today's contest was the first postseason matchup between Iona and Fairfield since 2012.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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