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Iona University Athletics

Kate Mager
Geraldo Rodriguez
37
Mount St. Mary's MSM 12-19,7-13 MAAC
39
Winner Iona Iona 24-6,18-2 MAAC
Mount St. Mary's MSM
12-19,7-13 MAAC
37
Final
39
Iona Iona
24-6,18-2 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Mount St. Mary's MSM 9 9 10 9 37
Iona Iona 10 6 13 10 39

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Jack Clark

Top-Seeded Gaels Survive Scare, Top Mount in MAAC Quarterfinals

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - The Iona University women's basketball team defeated Mount St. Mary's, 39-37, in the 2023 MAAC Championship Quarterfinal on Wednesday afternoon at Boardwalk Hall. The newly minted MAAC Player of the Year, Juana Camilion, scored the go-ahead basket with 24 seconds to play to help the Gaels summit the Mount and advance to the semifinals.

THE RUNDOWN

A two-possession game for the entire 40 minutes, Iona survived a scare from the Mount thanks to a few defensive stops and a clutch Camilion basket. The Gaels led by six points, the largest lead of the game, with 7:41 remaining in regulation before a 9-2 run by Mount turned the game around. A pair of free throws from Natalie Villaflor with 1:58 left made it 37-36 in favor of the eighth-seeded Mountaineers, putting the top-seeded Gaels in a precarious position.

After seven straight empty trips up and down the court by the Maroon & Gold, Camilion sealed things with a reverse layup with 24 seconds left. Her basket was the final make of the contest, as the Mountaineers were unable to get up a shot in time before the final horn sounded.

IONA PERFORMERS

  • Kate Mager scored a game-high 14 points, shooting 5-of-10 overall and knocking down four trifectas.
  • Juana Camilion posted a double-double, scoring 10 points and pulling down 13 rebounds, matching a career-best mark.
  • Ketsia Athias registered her eighth double-double of the season with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

THE OPPONENT

  • Villaflor paced the Mount, amassing 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting.
  • Isabella Hunt added eight points and a team-high 12 rebounds.

TEAM STATS

  • Iona's trio of Athias, Camilion and Mager combined to score 34 of the Gaels' season-low 39 points.
  • The Gaels limited the Mount to 37 points for the second straight time, a season-low for an Iona opponent. In three games this season, the Mountaineers have registered a combined 118 points.
  • The Mount limited Iona to a 29.1% mark from the field, the Gaels' lowest field goal percentage in a game all season. Iona has shot under 35 percent from the floor twice this season, winning both of those contests.
  • The Maroon & Gold finished with a 41-35 edge in rebounds, matching a season high with 14 offensive boards. Iona has amassed 40 or more rebounds in three games this season, all of which were against Mount St. Mary's.
  • Mount St. Mary's bench contributed five points; Iona's scoring came entirely from its starting five.
  • The lead changed hands 10 times throughout the contest and was tied on four different occasions. The Mount led for 14-plus minutes and Iona led for 23-plus minutes.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

  • With the win, Iona improves to 24-6 overall. Iona's 24 wins are its most since 2013-14 (26) and tied for the second-most in a single season in program history.
  • Head coach Billi Chambers earned her 139th career victory and improves to an even 8-8 in MAAC Tournament games. Chambers' is three wins shy of passing Sandie Capifali for the second-most career wins in program history.
  • Camilion now has 1,567 points for her career. She is 117 points shy of passing Patty Reynolds for No. 4 on Iona's all-time scoring list.
  • The Gaels' 39 points were the lowest in a win since posting 36 in a win at Monmouth on January 11, 2020.
  • A combined 76 points between the two teams accounted for the lowest total in a MAAC Tournament contest since March 2, 2012. Siena and Manhattan combined to score 67 points in what still stands as the lowest scoring tournament game in MAAC history.
  • Iona's starting five of Athias, Camilion, Gomez, Hodge-Carr and Mager made their 29th overall and 21st consecutive appearance together this season.
  • Today was the third overall meeting between Iona and Mount St. Mary's and the first-ever in conference tournament play. The Gaels are now 3-0 against the Mountaineers.

AROUND THE MAAC

  • No. 2 Niagara survived a scare from No. 10 Rider, winning 67-64. The Purple Eagles will face the winner of No. 3 Quinnipiac and No. 6 Manhattan in the semifinals.

UP NEXT

Iona awaits the winner of No. 4 Siena and No. 5 Fairfield, which will be played at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow. The Gaels face the winner of that game on Friday, March 10 at 11:00 a.m. with a trip to the MAAC Championship at stake.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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Iona Women's Basketball: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates)



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