STATEN ISLAND, NY — The Iona University women's basketball team picked up its first road win of the season, earning a 67-55 victory over Wagner at Spiro Sports Center. The Gaels shot 55.6% from the field and had eight different scorers contribute on Monday night.
Juniors
Ella Fajardo and
Judith Gomez led the Maroon & Gold with 11 points each. Fajardo added a game-high seven assists on the night. Graduate student
Sierra DeAngelo recorded 10 points, five assists and three rebounds. Sophomore
Ally Carman added a career-high 10 points.
THE RUNDOWN
The two teams kicked off the game by trading baskets in the early going. Wagner eventually took a 7-5 advantage with 5:32 to go in the first. Iona's offense erupted with an 11-0 run from there, going 5-of-5 from the field capped by a layup from junior
Ale Civera gave Iona the 16-7 lead. Graduate student
Natalia Otkhmezuri registered four points during the Gaels run. Wagner cut into the deficit with a closing 5-0 stretch to close the quarter.
Wagner continued momentum to start the second quarter with a three-pointer to cut the Iona lead to one at 16-15. The Gaels punched back with a 7-0 run over the next two minutes for a 23-15 advantage. Sophomore
Ally Carman registered a pair of baskets during that run. Iona continued to lead as the quarter progressed capitalizing on the Seahawks foul trouble to take a 38-23 lead into halftime.
The Gaels continued to keep the Seahawks at a distance in the third quarter, building to their largest lead of the game, 53-32 in part to a 13-3 run in 4:28 of action. Carman and DeAngelo recorded four points each during the run and sophomore
Petra Oborilova added a spot up triple. Wagner ended the frame with four points to bring the score to 53-36.
Iona opened the fourth quarter breaking the Wagner press which led to a layup by freshman
Zoey Ward. The Seahawks would go on a 7-2 run from there before Civera knocked down a three as the shot clock expired for the 60-43 lead with 7:03 remaining. Wagner looked to keep chipping away at the deficit over the final seven minutes of action, but the Gaels were able to hold on thanks to success in the first three quarters to pick up the 67-55 victory.
IONA PERFORMERS
- Gomez posted double figures for the second time this season and led the Gaels at the charity stripe, going 5-of-6 on the night.
- Fajardo recorded her third straight game in double-digits, going and efficient 4-of-5 from the field and two free throws. She also dished out a game-high seven assists.
- DeAngelo finished in double figures for the fourth straight game, finishing with 10 points. She added three rebounds and a career-high five assists.
- Carman posted a career-high 10 points, going 5-of-6 from the field. She also contributed three boards and a team-high two blocks.
- Oborilova added an all-around effort with eight points, five rebounds and a career-high five assists.
THE OPPONENT
- Semie Brar posted a game-high 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting.
- Rakisha Ballinger grabbed a game-high eight rebounds to go with eight points.
TEAM STATS
- The Gaels shot 55.6% from the field to the Seahawks 33.9%
- From distance Iona shot 42.1% from while Wagner shot 38.9%.
- The Gaels held the slight 33-32 edge on the glass for the night.
- Iona assisted on 20 made field goals while Wagner recorded just seven assists.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- The Gaels over 50% from the field for the second time this season, both times resulted in victories.
- Iona had eight different scorers contribute on the night and four scorers in double figures for the fourth straight contest.
- The Maroon & Gold assisted on 20 made field goals for the night, reaching 20-plus assists for the second time this season.
- Iona picks up its seventh straight win over Wagner and improves to 14-4 in the all-time series.
- Head Coach Angelika Szumilo owns a career record of 8-1 against the Seahawks dating back to her tenure at the helm of FDU.
UP NEXT
The Gaels continue road swing on Saturday, December 2 with a trip up to Providence. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Alumni Hall and will air on FloSports.