Women’s basketball wins 11th straight game

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Photo courtesy of ionagaels.com

The first and only time the women won the MAAC title was back in 2016.   


Jordan Score, Staff Writer

The Iona women’s basketball team recorded their 11th straight victory as they took down Canisius College on Feb. 4 in Buffalo, New York, beating the Golden Griffins by a score of 68-58.  

The Gaels swept on the away trip to upstate New York where they played Canisus College and Niagara University.  

The Gaels also padded their first-place lead in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) as they improved their overall record to 17-5 overall and 12-1 in conference play.  

During the game against Canisius College, senior Juana Camilion became the new program record holder for career steals, recording her 250th in the contest which passes Joy Adams for the most all-time in Iona women’s basketball history.  

Head coach Billi Chambers also earned her 132nd career victory and 96th overall in conference play as the Gaels won their 11th straight. This is the longest win streak since winning eighteen in a row back in the 2013-2014 season.  

Camilion also matched a season-high with 22 points while going perfect from three-point range as she made all four of her shots from beyond the arc.  

Senior Kate Mager recorded 17 points as she made five-three pointers, going six for ten on her shots overall. Mager has now buried 71 threes this season for Iona which is ninth-most in a single-season in program history.  

Senior Ketsia Athias nearly recorded a double-double as she had nine assists and nine rebounds. Sophomore Thoranna Hodge-Carr contributed ten points, converting on a new career-high six free throws. 

Iona took down Niagara University 61-54 to start their two-game road trip on Feb. 2. Mager and Camilion led the Gaels in scoring as they both recorded 18 points. Sophomore Judith Gomez also put up double-digit points as she scored a season high ten points. Gomez also grabbed a new career-high seven rebounds which led the Gaels as Camilion led the team in assists with six.  

Before Iona set out for the two-game road trip, they recorded two wins at home as they beat Saint Peter’s University on Jan. 26 and Manhattan College on Jan. 28.  

Iona celebrated 50 years of Women’s Basketball in their game against Manhattan College while also defeating the Jaspers 63-49. Camilion led the team with 19 points, also setting a career high for makes from the charity stripe going 9/10. She also set a new career high six blocked shots. To start their two-game homestand, Iona took care of business as they took down Saint Peter’s 65-37. Iona allowed a season-low 37 points in this victory, matching their largest victory margin of the season.  

The Gaels have seven games left on their schedule before they get set for the 2023 MAAC Championship that will be played on March 7-11. They will be home against Fairfield University on Feb. 9, Siena College on Feb. 16, Canisius College on Feb. 25, and Marist College on March 2. Iona will be on the road against Mount St. Mary’s University on Feb. 18, Manhattan College on Feb. 23, and Saint Peter’s University on March 4.  

Iona has only been MAAC Champions once back in 2015-2016 and Regular Season Champions back in 2013-2014. Billi Chambers and her team will look to add to both of those as they currently lead the conference.