LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Iona University women's basketball team opened the new year with a 63-56 defeat to Rider at Alumni Gym on Thursday evening. The Gaels fall to 5-6 on the season and 0-2 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play while the Broncs improved to 4-8 and 1-2 in the MAAC.
 
10 different scorers contributed on the night for Iona. Graduate student Sierra DeAngelo led the Maroon & Gold with 17 points and eight rebounds.

THE RUNDOWN

DeAngelo kicked off the game with the first four points of the contest. Rider then used a 6-2 run to tie the game up at 6-6. Junior Ella Fajardo knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the key to give Iona the 9-6 lead with 3:32 to go. The Broncs ended the first quarter with a 11-2 closing stretch to take a 17-11 lead.
 
The Gaels kicked off the second quarter on 6-3 run courtesy of baskets by freshman Zoey Ward, graduate student Natalia Otkhmezuri and freshman Mya Zaccagnini to cut the deficit to three at the 7:52 mark. Rider responded with a 7-2 stretch of their own over the next three minutes to take a 27-19 lead with 4:43 left in the period. A pair of free throws from freshman Ally Carman kicked off a 6-0 closing run for Iona. A floater from junior Judith Gomez ended the run and cut the deficit to 27-25 at the half.

Iona came out strong out of the break, using a 9-4 stretch capped by a three-pointer from Otkhmezuri to take a 34-31 lead with 7:11 remaining in the frame. The Gaels continued to hold the slight lead over the next few minutes before a 5-0 run gave the home team a 39-38 lead at the 3:14 mark. Rider held the slight advantage as the quarter winded down taking 42-40 lead into the fourth.
 
The final quarter started with an 8-2 run by the Gaels to take back the lead 47-44 lead with 7:06 remaining. DeAngelo paced the scoring with five points during that span. Rider responded with a 9-0 run over the next 3:10 to regain the lead and control of the game, 55-50. Iona looked to make it a one possession game in the final minute but turned the ball over. With the Gaels fouling late, Rider remained composed at the charity strip to take home the 63-56 victory.

IONA PERFORMERS

• All 10 student-athletes that checked into the game contributed points on Thursday night.
• DeAngelo led the team with 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting. She also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. DeAngelo finished in double figures for the sixth time this season.
• Otkhmezuri recorded eight points, four rebounds and two steals.
• Fajardo picked up seven points, five rebounds and a team-high three assists.

THE OPPONENT

• The Broncs had just four scorers on the night with a pair of scorers posting 20-plus points.
• Makayla Firebaugh recorded a game-high 26 points on 9-of-19 shooting and five made three-pointers.
• Reigning MAAC Player of the Week, Taylor Langan went 10-of-18 shooting for 25 points. She also grabbed 18 rebounds.
• Mariona Cos-Morales registered a game-high five blocks to go with seven points. Sanaa Redmond added five points, four rebounds and a game-high four assists.

TEAM STATS

• The Broncs shot 39.3% from the field for the game while Iona shot 32.4%.
• Rider also shot 35.3% from distance while the Gaels shot a season low 17.4% from beyond the arc.
• The rebounding margin was close between both teams, with Rider holding a 41-39 advantage.
• Iona committed just 12 turnovers on the night while Rider had 17 turnovers.

AROUND THE MAAC

• Canisus moved to 3-0 in league play with a 62-49 win over Mount St. Mary's at the Koessler Center.
• Manhattan won its third straight contest, defeating Siena, 60-53 at Draddy Gymnasium.
• Quinnipiac bested Saint Peters, 50-39 in Hamden.
• Fairfield pushed its winning streak to nine with a 77-54 road win over Niagara.

UP NEXT

The Gaels return to the Hynes Center on Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. tip-off against Marist.