The Iona University women’s basketball team improved their overall record to 11-16 and 6-12 within the MAAC after winning two out of three games from Feb. 24 to March 2.
Iona’s first game during this stretch was a return to the Hynes Athletic Center, where they played Mount St. Mary’s University in a 1 p.m. affair. The women’s basketball program also honored graduating players Natalia Otkhmezuri and Sierra DeAngelo as part of Senior Day.
Otkhmezuri and DeAngelo stepped up in big ways, combining for 32 of the Gaels’ 62 points. Otkhmezuri was especially effective, shooting 5-of-10 in her 29 minutes of action. DeAngelo, meanwhile, posted her third double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Sophomore Petra Oborilova also registered a double-digit performance, racking up 11 points in a half hour of play. Fellow sophomore Noa Givon made a key play late in the game which sealed a 62-56 victory for the Maroon and Gold.
Iona then hit the road again, this time for a two-game stretch, starting with a Feb. 29 matchup against Canisius College.
Unlike the last game, in which the Gaels led most of the way, the opponents put up more of a fight in the first half this time around. Iona only held a four-point advantage going into halftime but stormed right out of the gate after the intermission.
Oborilova and guard Ella Fajardo drained three-pointers to open the second half to put Iona up 33-31 midway through the third quarter.
Givon added five points shortly thereafter, and the Gaels posted runs of 12-3 and 15-8 down the stretch, leading to a convincing 71-58 victory.
Fajardo’s 15 points, which included going 5-of-6 on shot attempts (3-for-4 from the free throw line), were a season-high.
The Gaels ventured up to Lewiston, N.Y., for a match at Niagara University’s Gallagher Center on March 2.
Oborilova, DeAngelo, Otkhmezuri and Givon each scored at least eight points, but it was not enough to overcome the Purple Eagles’ strong offensive output.
Iona only trailed by six going into the second half, but Niagara willed their way to victory with an impressive 13-0 run to begin the third quarter. A 19-13 fourth put the Gaels away entirely, and the home team won, 86-56.
The Gaels have two more regular season games on their schedule from March 7-9 and will head to Atlantic City, N.J., for the first outing of the MAAC Championship on March 12.
