Marist handed first MAAC loss of season at Iona

Joy Adams' 17 points and 24 rebounds were more than enough for Iona to defeat Marist, as Gaels handed Red Foxes their first 20-point loss since 2003-04 in 69-49 rout. (Photo courtesy of Iona College Athletics)

NEW ROCHELLE, NY -- While Marist has started out respectably in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play, head coach Brian Giorgis continues to deal with the inconsistency of finding a second scoring option behind senior forward Tori Jarosz.

Unfortunately for the Red Foxes, Thursday night provided more of the same.

Marist (4-10, 3-1 MAAC) was held to just 32 percent shooting against an Iona team who torched the nets with a blistering 12-for-23 effort from three-point range, helping the Gaels (9-7, 5-0 MAAC) remain undefeated in league play with a 69-49 victory at the Hynes Athletics Center, the largest loss Giorgis has suffered since the 2003-04 campaign, his second at the helm.

"What I worried about, my biggest fear tonight came true," Giorgis reluctantly conceded after Iona, led by 17 points and 24 rebounds from senior forward and MAAC Preseason Player of the Year Joy Adams, prevailed. "I thought they would hit a bunch of threes, and when you get kids who are 1-for-18 going 2-for-2, it's one of those things. Hats off to them, though. Their defense is great."

Marist trailed by just one point, 22-21, at the end of the first quarter, only for Iona to start the second period with three straight three-pointers, the last two off the hand of Adams. Soon after, the Red Foxes found themselves staring at a 38-27 halftime deficit, with Jarosz accounting for all of the offense in the second stanza en route to a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double.

"We have to do a better job of getting contributions from other people besides Tori," Giorgis candidly stated. "Our point guard was coming off a concussion today, and she was not good. She's usually our third-leading scorer. We did well for a while, but we've got to get contributions from our bench and that's my fault, because I didn't play them enough. Our kids got tired, and it showed in the second half."

Iona placed four players in double figures, including Aaliyah Robinson with 14 points. The senior guard's back-to-back threes midway through the fourth quarter boosted the Gaels' lead to 21 points with 6:40 remaining, effectively snuffing out any hope of a Marist comeback. Point guard Marina Lizarazu added a double-double of her own, contributing 10 points and 10 assists to a winning cause.

Marist continues their three-game road trip on Sunday, when the Red Foxes travel to Monmouth before meeting Manhattan in an 11 a.m. tipoff Tuesday morning.