The Iona College women’s basketball team sensed that the first few weeks of the season would be difficult. Playing teams from the power-five conferences such as North Carolina and Southern California, the Gaels did not have an easy road to begin the year.
Iona (1-5) took part in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge, which spanned from Nov. 20-29. The first three games were at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. Nov. 20-22. The final contest took place Nov. 29 at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.
The Gaels faced the University of North Carolina Nov. 21 in the marquee game of the opening weekend. The Tar Heels won 64-52. North Carolina raced out to a 14-4 lead in the first six minutes of play, and the Maroon & Gold managed to stay even with them after that point.
Junior guard Marina Lizarazu recorded a team-high 22 points. Senior forward Joy Adams chipped in with 10 points.
Iona followed this loss by claiming its first win of the season in a 77-54 rout of Fairleigh Dickinson Nov. 22. The Gaels held a 50-27 edge at halftime.
Adams led the way with a monster game in which she tallied 20 points and 13 rebounds. Senior guard Aaliyah Robinson posted 18 points, connecting on six of her eight attempts from beyond the arc. Freshman guard Alexis Lewis poured in 16 points in 26 minutes of action.
The Maroon & Gold began the showcase with a matchup against Yale Nov. 20. The Bulldogs prevailed 63-48. The Gaels struggled shooting the ball as they made 29.9 percent of their shots.
Adams posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Junior forward Aurellia Cammock nearly had a double-double herself as she amassed nine points and nine rebounds.
Iona fell to USC 76-56 in the final game of the Challenge Nov. 29. The Trojans led by 20 points at halftime, and the two teams played evenly in the second half.
Adams made history in the game as she became the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference all-time leading rebounder. She tallied 19 points and 11 rebounds in the game. For her career, she has amassed 1,233 rebounds.
“Joy Adams is proud of her rebounding,” head coach Billi Godsey said. “It’s something she takes to heart. She wants to be the best rebounder in the gym at all times.”
Prior to the Challenge, the Gaels played their first two games of the season in the state of New York. They fell to Virginia Commonwealth 74-58 in the home opener Nov. 17. Stony Brook topped Iona 58-53 in the season opener four days earlier.
Freshman forward Treyanna Clay posted career-highs with 15 points and seven rebounds against VCU.
In the contest at Stony Brook, Lizarazu scored a career-high 24 points.
The Gaels were scheduled to begin MAAC play at Fairfield, the MAAC preseason favorite, Dec. 2. The result of the game was not available at press time. Iona is slated to host Rider at the Hynes Athletics Center Dec. 4 at 7 p.m.

http://www.ioniannews.com/sports/article_517870da-99fb-11e5-8772-9fc1eb22b380.html