With just a few games left in the season, the Gaels are still looking to clinch a spot in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship Tournament in March. With four games being played in that period, some big moves have been made.
Starting off, the Gaels played the Canisius Griffs on Feb. 12, which saw the Gaels come out victorious, winning the game 52-45. Iona started and finished strong, producing most of their points in the first and fourth quarter. Isabellah Middleton was the star of the game, scoring 15 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. On the other hand, Canisius player Yasmine Djibril also had a game, scoring 15 points to help her team stay in it, but it was not enough to come up with the win.
Then, on Valentine’s Day, the Gaels faced Niagara University at home. This game was the Gaels’ Senior Day, which saw Middleton, Naomi Barnwell, Yannie Chan, Ella Fajardo, Ale Civera, Amaya B. Evans, and manager Matthew Mountain honored. The graduating Gaels were also honored with a win, as they beat the Purple Griffins, 72-55.
The Gaels dominated throughout the majority of the game, helped by players like Middleton, who scored 20 points, and Mya Zaccagnini, who scored 12 points. As for the other seniors, Civera had 10 points, Barnwell had four points and seven rebounds, Fajardo had four points and four assists, Chan played, but didn’t score, and Evans did not play.
After this game, the MAAC announced that the Gaels had clinched a spot in the Championship Tournament, which starts on Mar. 5, 2026.
After clinching a spot, the Gaels faced off against Siena University on the road on Feb. 19, which saw the Gaels their third consecutive win, defeating the Saints 61-52.
The beginning of the game saw both teams trade buckets, going back-and-forth throughout most of the first quarter. But, the rest of the game saw the Gaels take control.
Middleton scored 20 points assisting the team tremendously helping them get the win. Kaiya Rain Tucker of Siena also played a great game, giving the Saints 16 points.
The Gaels played their final road game of the season on Feb. 21, playing the St. Peter’s Peacocks in Jersey City, New Jersey. Iona captured their fourth consecutive win, defeating the Peacocks, 66-55.
Zoey Ward had a spectacular game, scoring a career-high of 29 points. Even though the Peacocks struck first, going up 5-0 in the first and out-scoring Iona 10-9 in the first quarter, it was not enough to win. The Gaels dominated every other quarter by a landslide. Even though the Gaels were out-scored by the Peacocks in the fourth, it was not enough.
After that game, Ward was honored with the MAAC Player of the Week award, the first of her career.
The Gaels finish their season on Feb. 26, playing their rivals Manhattan Jaspers at home.
