[Originally published: March 10, 2016 in The Ionian]

For the first time in the history of the Iona College women’s basketball program, the Gaels are Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champions.

The Maroon & Gold claimed the title on the back of its stifling defense as they topped Quinnipiac, the MAAC regular season champion, 57-41 in the title game March 7 at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.

“What an incredible journey this has been,” head coach Bill Godsey said. “It’s just a special moment for us. We’re so proud of every single young lady on our roster.”

The second-seeded Gaels led 29-19 at halftime despite being held scoreless for the first five minutes of the game and falling behind 5-0. The Gaels held the Bobcats to 27.6 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes.

“Knowing that we held [Quinnipiac] to 41 in a championship game really speaks a lot about our defense,” senior forward Joy Adams said. “Since the end of last season we’ve been preaching defense, defense, defense, and today it was working for us.”

Junior point guard Marina Lizarazu scored a game-high 19 points and was named MAAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player.

Adams claimed a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds and received All-Tournament honors.

The Bobcats won both of the regular season meetings, including a 69-53 victory in the regular-season finale in New Rochelle Feb. 28.

Iona defeated the third-seeded Marist Red Foxes 57-53 in the semifinals the previous day. Marist had advanced to 12 straight conference championship games.

“We know how hard we worked to get here – the time, the effort, the blood, sweat and tears, we put in for this day,” Adams said. “We’re just enjoying it and moving on to the next step.”

Lizarazu compiled a game-high 22 points, and Adams amassed 10 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Philecia Gilmore connected on four of her eight 3-point attempts to finish with 16 points, 13 of which came in the second half.

Gilmore knocked down a trifecta 10 seconds into the game, and the Gaels never relinquished the lead after that point.

The Maroon & Gold led by as much as nine midway through the third quarter. The Red Foxes pulled within one with five minutes to go.

Iona opened up MAAC Tournament play with a 64-47 quarterfinal win over Siena March 5. The Gaels never trailed at any point in the game.

“We’re really excited for our girls, and proud of them for how hard they worked for 40 minutes,” Godsey said following the win over Siena. “I’m so proud of the effort we got across the board from all of our players.”

Adams registered a double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Senior guard Aaliyah Robinson poured in 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting from 3-point land. Lizarazu was also in double figures with 11 points.

Several players earned recognition for their achievements during the regular season.

Lizarazu and Adams were named to the All-MAAC First Team. Freshman guard Alexis Lewis was named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team and was the MAAC Co-Sixth Player of the Year (along with Monmouth’s Jasmine McCall).

Two Gaels were named to the MAAC All-Academic team. Student-athletes need a 3.2 GPA and need to have completed at least two semesters at their college to receive such recognition. Senior Cassidee Ranger and sophomore Kristin Mahoney met the requirement.

Looking ahead, the Maroon & Gold will play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. They are set to find out what seed they are and who they will play on the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Selection Show, which will air live on ESPN March 14 at 7 p.m.

http://www.ioniannews.com/sports/article_9a926aea-f84d-11e5-8727-0f859047eb5f.html