The Iona College women’s basketball team broke a school record that stood for 34 years. The Gaels won 18 straight games, which topped the 1980 men’s basketball team’s streak of 17 consecutive victories.

The record-tying victory came at home against the Fairfield Stags on Jan. 30. The Gaels (20-3 overall, 13-1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC)) won 68-55. The first half was very competitive, and the largest lead for either team was five points. The Maroon & Gold held a 35-32 advantage at halftime. Two 3-pointers to open the second half gave the Gaels a nine-point cushion, and they never trailed for the rest of the game.

Junior guard Damika Martinez netted a game-high 26 points, grabbed seven rebounds and distributed five assists. Sophomore forward Joy Adams posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Two days later, Iona traveled to Siena with a chance to set the school record for the longest winning streak. The Gaels were successful and prevailed 80-66.

“Winning 18 games was a great experience for us,” assistant coach Liz Leer said. “It built our confidence a lot.”

The Saints led 10-8 five minutes into the game. The Maroon & Gold scored the next nine points and did not trail again. Iona held a 32-29 edge at the break. The Gaels reeled off their second 9-0 run of the game to extend the lead to 12 early in the second half.

Iona shot 10 for 17 from 3-point range (58.8 percent), while Siena hit only one of its 12 attempts (8.3 percent).

Martinez knocked down seven of her eight 3-point attempts en route to a 33-point performance. Adams notched another double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore guard Aaliyah Robinson set a career-high with 18 points.

“My teammates have been giving me the confidence to go out on the floor,” Robinson said. “That’s what I’ve been doing: going out there to score and help win.”

Iona’s success this season has drawn national recognition. The Gaels received one vote in the Associated Press (AP) Top-25 Ranking on Feb. 3. This marks the first time in program history that Iona received a vote in this poll. The Maroon & Gold have steadily climbed into the top-10 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll. The Gaels reached eighth on Feb. 4.

Iona’s 18-game winning streak came to a halt on Feb. 6 at Rider. The Broncs topped the Gaels 92-90 in overtime.

Rider scored the first eight points of the game. The Maroon & Gold stormed back with a 12-1 run to take the lead. After the two teams battled back and forth for a few minutes, the Broncs opened up a nine-point lead with less than a minute to go in the opening period and led by six at halftime.

The Gaels piled on eight straight points early in the second half to seize a 45-43 edge. The two teams remained close to each other, and with 27 seconds left, junior guard Aleesha Powell hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 80.

Iona struck first in overtime with an Adams layup. Rider took the lead midway through the extra period and never relinquished it en route to a two-point victory.

The Broncs amassed 55 points in the paint and were led by their star player, senior forward MyNeshia McKenzie, who recorded 37 points and 19 rebounds.

For Iona, Adams posted 23 points and 20 rebounds. Powell scored 27 points, and Martinez contributed 20 points. Robinson added nine points and seven rebounds.

“Playing away at Rider is always a tough game,” redshirt senior Haley D’Angelo said. “We’re going to hit adversity; we did down there, but now it’s about bouncing back and trying to get our rhythm going again.”

The Gaels got back to their winning ways two days later when they hit the road again to visit the Manhattan Jaspers. Iona came out on top 71-67.

Manhattan jumped out to a 3-0 lead, which was its largest of the game. The Gaels led 40-33 at halftime. Iona opened up a double-digit lead midway through the second period. The Jaspers clawed their way back into the game and pulled within two with 32 seconds remaining, but the Maroon & Gold escaped Draddy Gymnasium with a four-point victory.

Martinez amassed 27 points and seven rebounds. Powell compiled 14 points and nine assists. Adams recorded 12 points and 13 rebounds. Robinson added 15 points.

Iona remains in first place in the MAAC standings, after Marist was defeated by Fairfield. The Maroon & Gold enter a stretch of eight days in which they play four home games. They host Monmouth on Feb. 14 at 4:30 p.m., Rider two days later at 2 p.m., Niagara on Feb. 20 at 7 p.m., and Canisius on Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. All four games are at the Hynes Athletics Center.