JERSEY CITY, NJ— The Iona University women's basketball team extended its winning streak to four straight on Saturday afternoon with a 66-55 victory at Saint Peter's. The Gaels pulled ahead in the second quarter at Run Baby Run Arena to earn the season series split against the Peacocks.
 
Junior Zoey Ward had a career afternoon for Iona with a career-high 29 points and a career-high 15 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season. Graduate student Ella Fajardo chipped in 11 points and a game-high six assists. Graduate student Isabellah Middleton tallied 10 points, four rebounds and two steals.

GAME SUMMARY

Saint Peter's made the first run of the game with an early 5-0 ledger after scoring on its first two possessions. Ward got the Gaels on the scoreboard with 7:41 left to play. That set off a 9-5 closing stretch for Iona with Ward tallying seven points and rookie Johanna Flores adding a basket. The Peacocks took a narrow 10-9 lead at quarters end.
 
The home team continued to hold the slight lead two minutes into the second stanza. From there it was all Iona with a 20-10 margin that saw six different scorers contribute to take a 31-24 lead into the halftime break. Fajardo led with six points in the final 7:40 of the quarter and Ward chipped in five points.
 
Momentum carried over for the Gaels to start the second half as Fajardo opened the scoring with a layup, followed by a knockdown triple from junior Mya Zaccagnini and then a driving layup from Ward. That forced the Peacocks to take a timeout as Iona held a 38-24 lead with 6:56 left. Down the stretch, Saint Peter's held a slight 12-10 scoring margin in the final five minutes to bring the score to 48-36 in favor of the Gaels heading into the final frame.
 
An opening triple from Ward at the 9:05 mark in the fourth quarter gave Iona its largest lead of the game 51-36. The Gaels continued to hold the Peacocks at bay in the fourth quarter as the home team held a 19-15 margin the final nine minutes of play. Ward had seven points and Middleton chipped in four points as the Gaels preserved the road win to cap the penultimate weekend.

IONA PERFORMERS

Ward netted her career-high 29 points on 11 made field goals including a career-best four made three pointers. Her 15 rebounds also set a new career high.
Fajardo tacked on 11 points for the Gaels on a 4-for-8 afternoon in her home state. She dished out a game-high six assists.
Middleton registered eight of her 10 points in the second half for the Gaels.
Junior Claudia Fiel dished out five assists for the second straight game.

THE OPPONENT

• Jayshlynn Vega led the Peacocks with 18 points and three assists.
• De'Naya Rippey recorded 16 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
• Three finished with a team-high five rebounds for Saint Peter's in Laila Grant, Carys Roy, Louella Allana.

TEAM STATS

• Iona shot 45.5% as a team while Saint Peter's shot 38.8% from the field.
• The Gaels connected on eight three-pointers at 42.1% and held the Peacocks to six triples at 33.3%.
• Iona won the rebounding battle by 14 board at 39-25.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Iona improves to 18-11 on the season and 11-8 in MAAC Play.
• The Gaels have now won their last four contests against the Peacocks in Jersey City dating back to the 2022-23 season.
• Ward registered her 22^nd double-digit scoring effort and her sixth 20-point performance with the career day. She recorded her eighth double-double of the season.
• Fajardo finished in double figures for the second straight game and 10^th time this season.
• Middleton logged her 22^nd game in double figures for the Gaels this season.

UP NEXT

The Gaels return home to the Hynes Athletic Center on Thursday, February 26 for a 6 p.m. against rival Manhattan to conclude the 2025-26 regular season.