[Originally published: April 7, 2016 in The Ionian]

March 19, 2016, is a day that will go down in Iona College women’s basketball history as it marks the date of the program’s first NCAA Tournament game.

The Gaels (23-12 overall, 16-4 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) drew a No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament after winning their first MAAC championship with a 57-41 win over Quinnipiac March 7 in Albany, N.Y. The Maroon & Gold matched up with Maryland, a No. 2 seed, who was ranked fifth in the country.

The Maryland Terrapins went 30-3 and posted a 16-2 record in the Big Ten Conference. The Terrapins made the Final Four in 2014 and 2015.

“[Participating in the NCAA Tournament] means everything to me,” senior forward Joy Adams said. “For my team, it means everything for them too because we talked about [the NCAA Tournament] from day one.”

Iona played Maryland on the Terrapins’ home floor at the Xfinity Center in College Park, Md. The Gaels fell 74-58.

Maryland raced out to a 26-16 lead at the end of the first quarter and led 42-27 at halftime. Iona narrowed the gap to seven midway through the fourth quarter.

Maryland torched the Maroon & Gold’s defense by knocking down 58.3 percent of its shots, the highest clip of any of Iona’s opponents this season.

The Terrapins, who led the nation in rebounding margin, won the battle of the boards by a tally of 42-25. The Gaels’ rebounding total was their lowest of the season.

Sophomore guard Philecia Gilmore had a career day as she poured in a career-high 21 points behind a personal-best seven 3-pointers.

Junior guard Marina Lizarazu recorded 11 points and six assists. Freshman forward Treyanna Clay was also in double figures with 10 points.

The loss in the NCAA Tournament marked the end of the careers for the program’s three seniors: Adams, Aaliyah Robinson and Cassidee Ranger.

Adams is the Iona and MAAC career leading rebounder with 1,590. She also sits atop the program list for career steals with 249. She ranks second in Iona history in scoring with 1,897 points and second in games played (130).

Robinson is one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in school history. She is one of two players to knock down 200 trifectas. She ranks second in school history with 242 3-pointers. She finishes her career with 1,052 points.

Ranger played in 95 games over the course of four years and scored 308 points. She played in just three games her senior year due to injury. Ranger excelled in academics, making the MAAC All-Academic Team.

Adams claimed All-Eastern College Athletic Conference Second Team honors. She averaged 14.4 points per game, 12.0 rebounds per game, 2.2 assists per game, and 2.1 steals per game this season and ranked in the top five in the MAAC in five different major statistical categories.

Iona recently announced that it signed head coach Billi Godsey to a five-year contract extension, which runs through the 2020-21 season.

“Winning a MAAC championship is an amazing accomplishment, but it’s only the beginning,” Godsey said in a statement on ICGaels.com. “My staff and I are ready to continue the growth of this program and build on the success we have been fortunate to have. I am very proud to be a member of the Iona family and look forward to leading the program in the years to come.”

http://www.ioniannews.com/sports/article_e2ea0c14-fcf1-11e5-887f-fbf13a84e1b1.html