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Iona University Athletics

Ketsia Athias & Natalia Otkhmezuri
Geraldo Rodriguez
66
Siena Siena 19-13,12-8 MAAC
67
Winner Iona Iona 25-6,18-2 MAAC
Siena Siena
19-13,12-8 MAAC
66
Final
67
Iona Iona
25-6,18-2 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Siena Siena 23 17 17 9 66
Iona Iona 15 18 14 20 67

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Jack Clark

Iona WBB Flips Script on Siena, Advances to MAAC Championship Game

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - The Iona University women's basketball team defeated Siena, 67-66, in the 2023 MAAC Championship Semifinal on Friday morning at Boardwalk Hall. Iona ended the game on a 27-10 run, erasing a 16-point deficit to advance to the MAAC Championship game for the fifth time in program history.

THE RUNDOWN

A resilient group of Gaels fought for an entire 40 minutes, despite struggles and a deficit in the scoring column that grew as large as 16 points, to come from behind and clinch a spot in the 2023 MAAC Championship. The Gaels, who are no stranger to overcoming adversity recently, were sparked by a hot-shooting stretch by Natalia Otkhmezuri off of the bench. Otkhmezuri scored 15 of her game-high 20 points during a stretch where Iona erased a 16-point Siena lead and captured the comeback win.

Siena played a physical game throughout, setting the tone from the tip and controlling things for two-thirds of the contest. A plus-19 margin on the glass in the first half and 15 second-chance points allowed the Saints to carry a 40-33 lead into the halftime break at Boardwalk Hall.

An offensive eruption by Iona over the final 13-plus minutes turned the game completely on its head and saw Iona clinch a date with the Jaspers with a trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line. 

IONA PERFORMERS

  • Natalia Otkhmezuri powered a ferocious comeback by the Gaels, scoring a season-high 20 points. She shot 7-of-13 overall and 5-of-10 from three, knocking down the go-ahead triple to give Iona its first lead of the contest with 3:34 to play.
  • Ketsia Athias finished with 14 points, five assists, three rebounds and three blocked shots. She scored Iona's final basket, a layup just before the shot clock expired that padded the Gaels' lead to four points with nine seconds remaining.
  • Isabelle Lipinski, playing in her second game since returning from injury, played a pivotal 14-plus minutes for the Maroon & Gold. After being out-rebounded 38-16 in the first three quarters, Lipinski was a key cog in helping Iona win the rebounding battle in the final frame, 9-7. She finished with a game-best +13 plus-minus.
  • Juana Camilion added 11 points and posted team-highs in rebounds (seven), assists (six) and steals (four). She was also responsible for drawing eight of the 15 fouls that Siena committed.

THE OPPONENT

  • Anajah Brown was a catalyst for the Saints, scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. She also registered four of Siena's seven total steals.
  • Ahniysha Jackson finished with 18 points on 7-of-20 shooting overall, connecting on a team-high four three-pointers.
  • MAAC Rookie of the Year Elisa Mevius was limited to eight points on 3-of-9 shooting.

TEAM STATS

  • Iona overcame a 16-point deficit, its largest come-from-behind win of the season. The Gaels scored 27 of the game's final 37 points to turn a 56-40 deficit into a 67-66 victory. Iona's 27-10 run elapsed the final 13:24 of regulation.
  • Siena built its double-digit halftime lead thanks to stark advantages in rebounds (29-10) and second-chance points (15-0). After struggling with Siena's physicality for three quarters, Iona won the rebounding battle (9-7) in the fourth quarter to help flip the script.
  • Iona trailed for 35-plus minutes of the contest, grabbing its first and only lead with 3:34 remaining in regulation. It was the only time the lead changed in the contest and the one-point win was Iona's smallest margin of victory this season.
  • The Maroon & Gold forced the Saints into 17 turnovers, converting them into 20 points offensively. Defensively, Iona also finished with a plus-margin in steals (9-7) and blocked shots (6-0).
  • The Gaels shot an even 50 percent from the floor, improving to 11-1 this season and 23-5 in Chambers' tenure when shooting 50 percent or better from the field.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

  • With the win, Iona improves to 25-6 overall. Iona's 25 wins are its most since 2013-14 (26) and the second-most in a single season in program history.
  • Head coach Billi Chambers earned her 140th career victory and will coach her second MAAC Championship Game. Chambers' is two wins shy of passing Sandie Capifali for the second-most career wins in program history.
  • Camilion now has 1,578 points for her career. She is 106 points shy of passing Patty Reynolds for No. 4 on Iona's all-time scoring list.
  • Iona's starting five of Athias, Camilion, Gomez, Hodge-Carr and Mager made their 30th overall and 22nd consecutive appearance together this season.
  • Today was the 79th overall meeting between Iona and Siena and the 10th in conference tournament play. Siena still owns a 45-34 edge in the overall series, though Iona has won six of the 10 postseason meetings, including six of the last seven.

AROUND THE MAAC

  • No. 6 Manhattan upset No. 2 Niagara, 81-68, to earn a spot in the 2023 MAAC Championship Game.

UP NEXT

Iona will face No. 6 Manhattan for the 2023 MAAC Championship tomorrow, March 11 at 3:30 p.m. in a nationally televised broadcast on ESPNU. The Gaels and the Jaspers will meet in the MAAC Championship Game for the first time in MAAC history.

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)



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