The Iona College Women’s Basketball Team earned its fifth Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference win of the season Friday evening with a 71-54 victory over Saint Peter’s at the Yanitelli Center. Freshman star Damika Martinez led all scorers with 16 points and six rebounds, while senior forward Tomica Bacic recorded yet another double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.  Coming off the win against St. Peter’s, the Gaels continued their win streak with a 77-67 decision against Canisius Sunday afternoon. With the Gaels leading 8-7 coming out of the gate, four points and a key assist by junior Haley D’Angelo led Iona on a 11-3 run, breaking the game open to give them a 19-10 lead.  Consistent play by both teams kept Iona ahead throughout the first half, but a three-pointer by sophomore Jackie Marshall with seven seconds remaining stretched their lead to 43-30 at the half. The Gaels came out ready to play to start the second half, with a layup by senior Kristina Ford with 13:04 left giving Iona their biggest lead of the game at 20. The Golden Griffins, however, would not quit, as three-point shooting brought them back and almost erased all of Iona’s lead.  Three three-pointers by three different scorers cut the Gaels lead to 12 with 8:17 remaining. A layup by junior Ashley Durham with 6:37 left started a 7-1 run to cut the Gaels lead to six with 2:19 remaining. Foul trouble kept Martinez and freshman Aleesha Powell limited in the half, but they were able to still have a huge impact on the outcome of the game. “It was tough for both of those girls to be in foul trouble in the second half,” said head coach Anthony Bozzella. “But other players stepped up and that is huge for this team as we enter a very important stretch in our schedule.”  A huge steal by D’Angelo gave Iona the ball back, and senior Suzi Fregosi closed the game out with free throws down the stretch.  Powell led the Gaels with 15 points and four rebounds, as Fregosi finished with 13 points and her second consecutive game with seven assists. Martinez added 10 points, as senior Milica Paligoric had a team high seven rebounds in just 14 minutes of play. Durham led all scorers with 18 points. “I was pleased that the girls were able to pull this one out,” said Bozzella. “Now we need to focus on Marist on Friday.”