Blocking thirteen shots in a single game is almost unheard of. Senior center Sabrina Jeridore amassed this total in the Iona women’s basketball team’s 83-70 win over Pacific on Nov. 15. This performance was one for the ages and set the program mark for most rejections in a game.

Iona (4-2) built up a 14-point lead midway through the first half. Pacific closed the first half on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 44 heading into the intermission. The Gaels responded with the first seven points of the second half. The Tigers countered with a 9-1 run to grasp a one point advantage. Two surges of eight points (8-0 and 10-2) gave the Maroon & Gold the separation they needed to pull off the double-digit victory.

“Coach always says basketball is a game of runs; so we had to keep our heads in there,” Jeridore said. “Overall, we pulled it out and got the win; that’s what’s most important. I’m definitely proud of my team.”

As a team, the Gaels made 28 of their 32 free throw attempts. Defensively, Iona held Pacific to a 30.9 field goal percentage and 2-for-18 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Junior guard Damika Martinez netted a game-high 28 points. Sophomore forward Joy Adams recorded a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Junior guard Aleesha Powell compiled 23 points and 6 rebounds.

“It was nice to see [Aleesha] have kind of that break-out game,” assistant coach Ashlee Kelly said. “It was nice to see her put that performance together, so going forward that confidence is going to be there.”

Two days later, Iona traveled to Annapolis, Md. to take on Navy. The Gaels closed the first half on a 23-5 run to take a 10-point advantage into the locker room. The Midshipmen connected on only 19.5 percent of their shots in the first half. The Maroon & Gold, meanwhile hit five of their nine 3-point attempts in the opening 20 minutes.

Navy battled back from its double-digit halftime deficit and overtook Iona 54-52 with three and a half minutes remaining in the game. Jeridore and Adams sparked a six-point run for the Gaels, who regained the lead. The Maroon & Gold prevailed 64-61.

Adams led the way with 22 points, 16 of which came in the second half. She also grabbed 16 rebounds. Martinez added 18 points and seven boards. Jeridore contributed eight points and six rebounds.

On Nov. 18, Adams received the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Player of the Week Award. Over that week, she averaged 17.0 points per game and 15.3 rebounds per game.

“Joy is just an absolute monster,” assistant coach Liz Leer said. “She has been very aggressive, and she makes it look easy out there. She’s been great on the boards and just playing with a lot of confidence right now, which is what we need from her.”

The Gaels hosted the Wagner Seahawks on Nov. 20. Playing without Martinez, the conference’s leading scorer the last two seasons, proved to be no problem for the Gaels.

An 11-0 spurt late in the first half gave the Maroon & Gold a 38-26 lead at halftime. Adams was 8-of-9 from the floor and led the charge with 16 points.

With another 11-0 run early in the second half, the Gaels’ lead ballooned to 21. Wagner, failing to go away, promptly closed the gap to 12 with just over 11 minutes to play. Iona worked the lead back up to 19 with six minutes left in the game, and coasted to a 74-59 victory.

“I thought it was a great team performance, especially playing without Damika,” Adams said. “Everyone stepped up, and we came out there with confidence. We went out there and played together as a team, worked hard and got a W.”

Iona assisted on 21 of its 30 field goals. The Gaels connected on half of their field goal attempts. They out-rebounded the Seahawks by 12.

Adams posted her fourth straight double-double with a career-high 24 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore guard Aaliyah Robinson also recorded a career-high 17 points. Powell contributed 15 points and made a career-best five 3-pointers.

The Maroon & Gold were scheduled to play at Sacred Heart on Dec. 3; the results were not available at press time. Iona hosts Columbia on Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. at the Hynes Athletics Center.