LEWISTON, NY — The Iona University women's basketball team earned its first win of the 2026 calendar year with a 77-49 victory at Niagara on Thursday afternoon. The Gaels pulled ahead at the Gallagher Center with a big second quarter to snap a three-game skid against the Purple Eagles.
 
Graduate student Isabellah Middleton led the Maroon & Gold with a season-high 24 points along with nine rebounds, three assists and three steals. Junior Zoey Ward also finished in double figures with 11 points to pair with six rebounds. Middleton and junior Claudia Fiel dished out a team-high three assists.

THE RUNDOWN

The two sides traded 5-0 runs to start the game as the Purple Eagles punched first before a three-pointer from senior Ale Civera and a layup from Ward got the Gaels started. From there it was back and forth action, building to a 12-12 standstill just under three minutes to play in the frame. Iona closed the first on a 5-1 run paced by three points from Middleton and two from Civera for a 17-13 lead.
 
Iona continued to dominate in the second stanza outscoring Niagara 19-5 in the frame. Five different scorers chipped in points led by seven points by Ward and four points from Middleton. The Gaels held the Purple Eagles to just one made field goal in the second to take a 36-18 halftime lead.
 
The Gaels continued to push the tempo out of the halftime intermission with a 17-9 scoring margin in the third quarter. Middleton led with seven points in the quarter while sophomore Adrianna Gonzalez chipped in four points.
 
Iona opened the final stanza with an 8-4 swing paced by four points from graduate student Ella Fajardo and Gonzalez. A layup by Fajardo at 7:26 mark gave the Maroon & Gold its largest lead of the game. The Gaels continued to cruise from there to secure the 77-49 road win.

IONA PERFORMERS

• Middleton went 8-for-15 from the field, and a 7-of-8 mark from the charity stripe. She added nine rebounds and a team-high three assists and three steals.
• Ward continued her double-digit scoring streak with 11 points on five made field goals and has recorded five or more rebounds in every game this season, finishing with six boards today.
• Fajardo chipped in nine points and Civera along with Gonzalez finished with eight points.
• Fiel dished out a team-high three assists to pair with four points and four rebounds.
• Sophomore Nevaeh Stone posted a career-high four points.

THE OPPONENT

• Talia Dial posted a team-high 14 points to lead the Purple Eagles.
• Katarina Veljovic grabbed a team-high seven rebounds to pair with six points.
• Jade Rutledge added seven points and a team-high three assists.

TEAM STATS

• Iona shot a season-best 44.8% from the field while holding Niagara to a 24.1% field goal percentage.
• Both teams struggled form distance as the Gaels connected on five triples at a 21.4% rate and the Purple Eagles made four at a 23.5% clip.
• Iona picked up its biggest margin in the rebounding battle with a season-high 48 rebounds to 35 Niagara rebounds.
• The Gaels caused 22 turnovers leading to 24 points while the Purple Eagles caused 19 turnovers only leading to 12 points.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Iona snapped a three-game losing skid to the Purple Eagles and cut the deficit in the all-time series to 37-36. The victory was the team's first since a 61-54 victory in Lewiston on February 2, 2023.
• The victory was head coach Angelika Szumilo's first over the Purple Eagles at the helm of the Maroon & Gold.
• Middleton logged her third 20-point effort in MAAC play and the fourth this season.
• Ward has finished in double figures in 11 straight games for Iona.

UP NEXT

The Gaels conclude the weekend in Western New York with a matchup at Canisius on Saturday, January 10. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. from the Koessler Athletic Center.