Iona College Women's Basketball

Road to MAAC-achusetts

2011-10-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

Make sure to check out the following website for up to date schedules, results, news and more as we try and advance to our 3rd Championship in 5 years!!

http://www.maacachusettes.com/

Go Gaels!!

Iona College Summer Basketball Camp

2011-08-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

This past week we wrapped up our annual summer basketball camp, run by our new Director of Basketball Operations Tim Gardner and our new Assistant Director of Basketball Operations Eric Alston.
The camp was filled with great competition, drills, games and prizes! The campers also enjoyed ending the hot days by taking a swim in the pool!! We would like to thank all the campers who came and look forward to another successful camp next year!!

NCAA Public Recognition Award

2011-06-06T07:12:00.000-07:00

Here at Iona we are always talking about how important academics are for our players and how successful they will be when they attend Iona College. Last week, the NCAA released the most recent APR scores. The APR is a score calculated by the NCAA indicating team academic performance. Under the NCAA rules, teams scoring below 925 on a 1000 point scale are penalized.

In the NCAA's latest APR, the Iona College Women's Basketball Team was one of 909 teams that earned the NCAA Public Recognition Awards, based on our most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rates. Other schools included on the prestigious list are Princeton, Holy Cross, Darmouth, Lehigh,Michigan and Villanova to name a few. These awards are given each year to teams scoring in the top 10 percent in each sport with their APRs.

Our program has earned this the honor for the SECOND straight year and is the only Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference program to be honored during the time frame. The program holds a 996 APR, the highest among MAAC programs. Iona is one of 30 Division I women's basketball programs to earn the award in back-to-back years.

"I'm extremely proud of our program's accomplishments both on and off the floor and it's a tremendous honor to be recognized nationally for the second straight year for our efforts in the classroom," said women's basketball head coach Anthony Bozzella. "It's a privilege to be able to mentor such well-rounded young ladies."

2010-2011 End of the Year Banquet

2011-05-23T10:41:00.001-07:00

The Iona College women’s basketball team held its annual end-of-the-year awards banquet on Wednesday, May 11, 2011. The ceremony took place in the McGrath Room of the LaPenta Student Union.
This season had its ups and downs, but the Gaels achieved a lot to be proud of.
Iona earned a first-round bye in the MAAC Tournament for the sixth year in a row. The Gaels had two All-MAAC honorees: junior forward Kristina Ford and senior forward Anda Ivkovic. Six players earned recognition on the MAAC All-Academic Team: Suzi Fregosi, Catherine Lutz, Robin Felder, Milica Paligoric, Haley D’Angelo, and Jessica Scannell.
While emphasizing that this year’s success was a total team effort, the coaching staff distributed a number of individual awards at the banquet.
Senior guard Suzi Fregosi received the Scholar Athlete Award, presented by associate head coach Christi Abbate. Fregosi has earned a B.S. degree in biology and has already begun pursuing a Master’s degree in education. Fregosi has excelled in her rigorous coursework while also meeting the demands of playing college basketball. Fregosi has made the Dean’s List every semester and has earned distinction on the MAAC All-Academic Team every year in which she has been eligible for the honor.
Sophomore guard Haley D'Angelo received the Best Weightlifter Award, presented by strength and conditioning coach Conor Hughes. Hughes emphasized that this award goes beyond weightlifting, reflecting the recipient's outstanding commitment, preparation, and motivation in all of the team's workouts. D'Angelo has exhibited an outstanding work ethic, enduring the rigors of conditioning without complaining.
Head Coach Anthony Bozzella presented the Sixth Man Award to two recipients: Fr. Frank Dixon and Michael Sacks. Fr. Dixon serves as the Iona College Chaplain, and he is an avid fan of Iona women’s basketball. Sacks covered the team for The Ionian as an undergraduate, and he has remained a supporter of the program since graduating from Iona in 2008.
Freshman guard Jackie Marshall received the Unsung Player Award, presented by assistant coach Ashlee Kelly. Marshall has fully understood and embraced her role, appreciating the opportunity to be part of the team. Exemplifying her unselfishness, Marshall has made significant sacrifices for the betterment of her team and her family.
Senior guard Marissa Flagg received the Dr. Rosenberg Award, presented by Provost Dr. Warren Rosenberg, the program's moderator. Flagg plays hard, puts the team ahead of herself, trains hard, and demonstrates a commitment to academics. Flagg has a good attitude, exhibits perseverance, and has a smile that lights up a room.
Junior guard Tomica Bacic received the Most Consistent Player Award, presented by Coach Bozzella. Bacic has demonstrated consistency and stability – mentally, physically, and emotionally. Bacic has played a number of different positions and taken on a wide range of responsibilities, doing whatever it takes to help the team.
In addition to the awards, the evening also included a slideshow presentation prepared by Dr. Rosenberg. This slideshow featured numerous pictures from throughout the year. Dr. Rosenberg's expert photography captured the spirit of the season and portrayed the personalities of the team members. Dr. Rosenberg set the presentation to music, which reflected the mood of the pictures.
Coach Bozzella acknowledged the team's student-managers, who play a vital role in the program’s operation by performing many tasks behind the scenes. Coach Bozzella announced that senior Eric Alston, the head student-manager, will be joining the coaching staff next year as the video coordinator.
Near the end of the banquet, the Gaels paid tribute to the team’s three seniors: Flagg, Ivkovic, and Lutz. This senior class has had a spectacular run at Iona. Over the past four years, the Gaels have amassed 67 wins (an average of about 17 wins per year), advanced to three MAAC final fours, and participated in two postseason WNITs. Furthermore, these seniors have excelled academically and distinguished themselves as model citizens.
Coach Bozzella emphasized the program’s theme for next year: “We are … Iona.” This theme indicates the team’s unity, confidence, strong sense of identity, and pride in the program’s rich tradition.
The banquet featured an exquisite dinner and dessert.
It was truly a special evening for the Iona College women’s basketball program.

Powell, Dorcas-Eya Round Out Our 2011 Recruiting Class

2011-05-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

Iona College women's basketball head coach Anthony Bozzella has announced the signing of two players to National Letters of Intent during the late signing period. Aleesha Powell, a 5'6" point guard from Philadelphia, PA and Jiya Dorcas-Eya, a 6'2" forward from Lagos, Nigeria will join the Gael squad for the 2011-12 season.

“I am so pleased that these two outstanding student-athletes have decided to join our family here at Iona," said assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Ashlee Kelly. "Aleesha will bring a toughness and great leadership in the point guard role at Iona, and I feel Jiya brings so many intangibles that we need in the program, such as rebounding and blocking shots. She is a true competitor.”

Powell, who will graduate from William Penn Charter School, has averaged 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals per game for her career. She was named MVP during each of her four years at Penn Charter and had 1,510 total career points. Powell is ranked among the Top 100 for point guards in the Class of 2011 by ESPN HoopGurlz and is a McDonald’s All-American nominee. Powell started at point guard for the nationally ranked AAU Philadelphia Belles Nike Elite Team.

"I am really excited to have a player of Aleesha’s character and ability joining our Iona women’s basketball family,” Bozzella added. “I am sure she will follow in the footsteps in our great point guard tradition here at Iona.”

Dorcas-Eya, who will graduate from Northwest Florida State College, is known for her athleticism, rebounding and shot blocking. She helped NJCAA D1 Northwest Florida State to an impressive 24-7 record and an end of the season national ranking of #8. She ended her career at Northwest Florida State losing to undefeated and nationally #1 ranked Pensacola. She is one of five sophomores on her team to go on to play in Division I.

"I am so excited that Jiya has committed to our family. She is a wonderful young woman with tremendous personal qualities and values. I feel that she will have an immediate impact in our program and I am really excited to coach her during the next two years,” said Bozzella.

The duo rounds out the incoming class for 2011-2012, as they will join ESPNU’s Top 100 Nationally Ranked freshman guard Damika Martinez (Meriden, CT/O.H. Platt) and McDonald’s All-American nominee forward Briana Graham (Dearborn, MI/Martin Luther King), as newcomers for the Gaels next season.

Gaels Celebrate Senior Day

2011-03-10T06:44:00.000-08:00

By Michael Sacks

The Iona College women's basketball team celebrated Senior Day on Sunday, February 27, 2011. The Gaels honored seniors Marissa Flagg, Anda Ivkovic, and Catherine Lutz.
The Senior Day celebration occurred in conjunction with the Gaels' final home game of the year, a 57-51 loss to Manhattan. The festivities included a pre-game ceremony and a post-game reception.
This senior class has had a spectacular run at Iona. Over the past four years, the Gaels have amassed 67 wins (an average of about 17 wins per year), advanced to three MAAC final fours, and participated in two postseason WNITs. Furthermore, these seniors have excelled academically and distinguished themselves as model citizens.
"These seniors have been great ambassadors for the program throughout their careers," Head Coach Anthony Bozzella said. "They have represented Iona with class and dignity the whole time."
Flagg, a 5-foot-5 guard from Queens, N.Y., has had an extraordinary career at Iona. She has played in 95 career games, compiling 370 points, 198 assists, and 141 steals. Flagg ranks in the top 20 in program history in career assists and career steals.
A tenacious defender and a gifted playmaker, Flagg has contributed in a number of ways for Iona. Flagg’s talent, leadership, and charismatic personality make her an exceptionally valuable player for the Gaels.
Flagg, a criminal justice major, serves as president of Iona’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (S.A.A.C.).
Ivkovic, a 6-foot-1 forward from Subotica, Serbia, has had a remarkable career at Iona. She has played in 113 career games, scoring 1,159 points, grabbing 479 rebounds, and recording a .420 field-goal percentage.
Ivkovic has had a huge impact on Iona's success. A resilient competitor, Ivkovic has overcome several injuries throughout her career. Ivkovic has distinguished herself as one of the premier players in the MAAC, earning All-MAAC accolades as a sophomore, junior, and senior.
Ivkovic, a criminal justice major, ranks among the program's career leaders in points (10th), free throws made (fifth), and games played (eighth).
Lutz, a 6-foot-1 guard/forward from Easton, Pa., has had an outstanding career at Iona. She has played in 96 career games, compiling 429 points and 141 rebounds.
A terrific shooter and an intelligent player, Lutz has played a key role in the Gaels’ success. Lutz ranks among the program’s all-time leaders in three-point field goals made (106), three-point field goal percentage (.312), and free throw percentage (.756).
Lutz, a psychology major, has earned distinction on the MAAC all-academic team every year in which she has been eligible for this honor.
During the pre-game ceremony on Senior Day, the Gaels presented each of the seniors with a framed replica of their jerseys, a framed action photo, a bouquet of flowers, and balloons.
Iona also honored the team's two senior managers, Eric Alston and Noel Emanuel. The managers play an integral role in the functioning of the program. They perform a multitude of tasks behind the scenes, and they are an immense help to the team.
After the game, the team gathered in the LaPenta Student Union for a reception in honor of Senior Day. This event featured a delicious meal and a touching slide show tribute to the seniors, prepared by Provost Dr. Warren Rosenberg, the program's moderator.
Senior Day was truly a special day for the Iona College women's basketball program.

Senior Night Speech

2011-03-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

Gaels Can't Tame Jaspers on Senior Night

2011-03-01T07:57:00.001-08:00

The Gaels were playing catch-up all second half, but couldn't overcome Manhattan's Abby Wentworth and company. Iona made a 9-3 run at the end of the game to cut it to six, but it was not enough, ending the game with a 57-51 defeat. Juniors Milicia Paligoric and Kris Ford led the Gaels with Paligoric's double-double and Ford's 12 points and seven rebounds. Seniors Anda Ivkovic tallied 10 points and five boards, while Marissa Flagg dished out four assists.

The Gaels take on Manhattan again Friday to open up MAAC Tournament play in Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard in Brideport, CT. Come out and support the Gaels!

Little Hoopstars Play at Iona

2011-02-09T08:15:00.000-08:00

The following is a link to an article written on "the loop" blog by Polly Kreisman.

http://theloopny.com/2011/02/05/little-hoopsters-play-at-iona/

Gaels Lose Two Straight

2011-02-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

The Iona College women's basketball team (9-14, 5-6 MAAC) lost a gutsy overtime battle, falling 67-63 to Fairfield (15-7, 8-3 MAAC) to end a four-game winning streak. The loss also put a stop to the Gaels' string of seven consecutive home victories over the Stags.

After falling behind 4-0 to begin the night, Iona scored eight straight points to lead 8-4 six minutes into the contest. With the exception of a 10-10 tie and a fleeting one-point Fairfield edge, the Maroon & Gold led for the remainder of the first half and was in front by as many as eight points at the 6:21 mark. The Stags cut it to one on an 8-1 run and pulled in front on a layup by Alexys Vazquez with 1:16 to go in the half. A steal by Tomica Bacic led to a Jessica Scannell trifecta as Iona regained the advantage to take a 27-25 lead into the locker room.

The close-matched second half showcased eight tied scores, with the lead changing hands eight times and neither team able to break away by more than five at any point. The Gaels were ahead 57-55 with five seconds left in regulation when Katelyn Linney drove to the basket for a score to force Iona's second overtime situation in three games.

The Gaels controlled the jump ball to open the extra frame and pulled in front by two on a jumper by Bacic. The Stags then registered the next six points, four coming from Taryn Johnson, and went on to outscore Iona 10-6 in the period.

Anda Ivkovic recorded her third consecutive double-double, leading Iona with 20 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Bacic followed with 15 points and eight boards while Marissa Flagg added nine points and led all players with six assists.

On Sunday the 6th,Senior Anda Ivkovic recorded her record-setting fourth consecutive double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds as the Iona College women's basketball team was beaten in double overtime at Rider by a score of 93-87.

Tied at 65 at the end of regulation, Iona opened the first overtime period scoring nine of ten points, including five by Jackie Marshall, to lead 74-66 with 3:07 on the clock. Trailing by eight once again with 2:06 left, Rider ended the frame on an 8-0 run.

The Gaels seemed to have a win in hand, leading 78-75 with time running out. The Broncs' Shereen Lightbourne put up a last-ditch three point shot as the clock ran down to zero, but a foul was called on Iona to send Lightbourne to the line with 0.3 seconds on the board. Lightbourne hit all three attempts, tying the score at 78-all to force a second overtime.

Rider opened the final overtime with a 7-2 run and led by as much as seven (89-82) with 24 seconds remaining. Iona cut the difference to four twice down the stretch, but could not get any closer.

Marshall finished with career highs in points (17), three-pointers (5), rebounds (3), and minutes (21). Kristina Ford posted her fourth double digit performance in five games with 12 points, despite struggling at just 3-for-17 from the floor. Marissa Flagg added ten points and a team-high seven assists while Tomica Bacic also had ten points.

Iona played its third overtime contest in four games, dropping its second straight in extra minutes. The squad next hosts Marist on Feb. 11 in a game to be televised on ESPNU beginning at 4:30 pm.

Gaels Give Back

2011-01-30T14:18:00.000-08:00

On Saturday January 22nd, the Iona players and staff participated in helping give back to the local Mamaroneck community. They traveled to Hommocks Middle School to put on a basketball clinic for young girls interested in sports. The Gaels coached the girls in scrimmages and relay races. The Iona program really enjoyed spending time with the girls and helping them become better players!

Iona Wins Third Straight

2011-01-29T11:34:00.000-08:00

Following Iona's 15 point win against Canisius, the Gaels stayed tough and pulled out an overtime victory at Siena.Kristina Ford and Anda Ivkovic recorded just the second and third Iona double-doubles of the year; Ford leading with a season-best 19 points and 11 rebounds while Ivkovic added 12 points and ten boards. As a team, the Gaels outrebounded the Saints 54-44.

The Saints led 32-23 at intermission and were up by six with 3:44 left in the second half. Ford knocked down a jumper to cut the lead to four with 3:20 to play and Ivkovic drained a three-point shot, bringing the Gaels within one with 1:41 on the clock. Siena's Maja Gerlyng connected on two free throw attempts to push the margin back up to three at 50-47. With 20.7 seconds remaining in regulation, Ford nailed her only trey of the night to knot the score at 50-all and send the game into overtime.

In the five extra minutes, Iona was able to hold Siena to an 0-4 shooting performance while picking up points on a layup by Marissa Flagg and a trio of foul shots by Ford and Tomica Bacic. Iona's defense was once again a key factor in the team's success as the Saints could only manage 18 points in the last 25 minutes of play, with just one field goal and three points past the 9:17 mark of the second half.

Iona Gets Second League Win Against Rider

2011-01-23T05:40:00.000-08:00

NEW ROCHELLE, NY - Junior Tomica Bacic scored a career-high 22 points to lead the Iona College women's basketball team in a 92-61 victory over Rider at the Hynes Athletics Center. The Gaels (6-13 overall) ended a two-game losing streak and picked up their second league win to improve to 2-5 in MAAC play.

Iona led for all but four minutes, when Rider (2-16, 2-5 MAAC) took a three-point advantage on back-to-back field goals by Ali Heller and Caitlin Bopp early in the first half. The Gaels quickly came back from the 10-7 deficit and moved in front for good on a jumper by Bacic at the 10:21 mark. Iona mounted a 21-6 run over the final 9:18 of the half to lead 34-17 at the break.

The squad went on to shoot a sparkling 61.3% in the second half with six three-pointers. Iona had a season-best nine treys in the game and also set a new standard for the year with a 52.5% field goal percentage. The team's 92 points were the most since putting up the same number at Rider during the 2008-09 campaign.

Bacic was one rebound shy of a double-double, adding nine boards to her 22 points. She shot 7-9 from the floor and was a perfect 7-7 at the free throw line. Marissa Flagg had 11 points, and Milica Paligoric and Anda Ivkovic followed with ten points apiece. Paligoric added seven rebounds. Catherine Lutz (9 pts) and Jackie Marshall (8 pts) both picked up season highs.

Iona tries to continue the streak today against Canisius at 2 p.m. at home. Come out and cheer the Gaels on!

CATCHING UP WITH ANNA MCLEAN - ICGaels.com — Official Web site of Iona College Athletics

2011-01-12T13:57:00.000-08:00

CATCHING UP WITH ANNA MCLEAN - ICGaels.com — Official Web site of Iona College Athletics

Gaels Get First MAAC Win Over Niagara

2011-01-12T13:53:00.001-08:00

Iona snapped a five-game losing streak with a 71-56 home victory over Niagara (1-14, 0-4 MAAC) in conference action at the Hynes Center. Anda Ivkovic had a game-leading 22 points to match her season high and recorded her 1,000th career point in the win.

The Gaels trailed by six points at halftime and were down by as much as ten with 15:56 left in the second half. A pair of three-point field goals by Diana Hubbard bookended a 15-4 Iona run which put the squad ahead, 43-42, at the 10:42 mark.

The two sides then swapped the lead four times, with Iona moving in front for good on a Hubbard layup with 6:05 on the clock. Ivkovic scored the next six points and, on a bucket at 4:11, became the 21st player in Iona history and the sixth under head coach Anthony Bozzella to reach the 1,000 career point plateau. The Gaels steadily increased the advantage to take their largest lead by the final buzzer and win by 15.

Iona earned its 12th straight victory over Niagara, whose 36 turnovers were the most by a Gael opponent this season. Sophomores Hubbard and Haley D'Angelo both recorded career highs, Hubbard compiling 13 points and D'Angelo banking six. Kristina Ford had 14 points and joined Ivkovic to lead the squad with seven rebounds apiece. Marissa Flagg added eight points and a game-high six assists. Iona's 18 steals in the contest were also a season best. The Gaels hope to continue their winning way at St.Peter's on January 13th.

Siena Too Much for Iona

2011-01-04T06:12:00.001-08:00

After ending its non-league slate with a two-game trip out west, the Iona College women's basketball team began the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference portion of the season with a home contest against Siena at the Hynes Athletics Center. Playing in New Rochelle for just the fourth time in nearly two months of action, the Gaels (4-9, 0-1 MAAC) dropped a 60-55 decision to the Saints (3-8, 1-0 MAAC).

The close-matched conference opener featured seven ties and ten lead changes, with niether team pulling away by more than seven points at any time. Knotted at 26-26 after the first half of action, Siena scored the first four points of the second half to lead 30-26. Iona answered to tie things up at 34-all with 14:50 on the clock.

The two squads kept it tight until a three-point play by Maja Gerlyng was followed by two straight baskets by Serena Moore, giving the Saints a 55-48 advantage with 4:17 to go. Gerlyng would lead all players with 20 points while Moore totaled 19 points and six rebounds.

Down by six with just 36 seconds left in the contest, Iona put forth one last push and closed the gap to three on a trifecta by Kristina Ford with 20 seconds remaining. Siena then put a cap on the day with a pair of free throws from Gerlyng to secure the win.

Anda Ivkovic led Iona with 19 points, banking 7-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-4 at the stripe. Next was Milica Paligoric with ten points who, along with Tomica Bacic, had a team-high eight boards. Ford and Haley D'Angelo each picked up five assists, and freshman Jackie Marshall made her first appearance in Maroon & Gold.

The Gaels are back in road action when they take on defending MAAC champion Marist at 7:30 pm on Jan. 4.

Gaels Drop Two in Arizona

2011-01-02T07:26:00.000-08:00

The Gaels broke a two-game winning streak with a 79-32 loss at Arizona (9-2).
The Maroon & Gold struggled offensively, shooting a season-low 20.0% from the floor. Junior Kristina Ford was the squad's high scorer with nine points and added five rebounds, one block, and a game-leading four steals. Milica Paligoric led off the glass with eight boards while she and sophomore Diana Hubbard posted five points each.

The Wildcats scored the first four points of the contest before Iona cut it to 4-3 on a three-pointer by Hubbard at 18:14. The hosts then surged to a 28-12 advantage by the 7:45 mark before logging 13 straight points to lead 41-12 with a minute and a half to go in the opening period. The Gaels closed first half scoring on a jumper by Tomica Bacic with 40 seconds remaining. Arizona would then open the second half with a 13-0 run over the first 5:20.

The Gaels were forced to play without senior captain Suzi Fregosi, and the team's second-leading scorer, Anda Ivkovic, was limited to just 14 minutes of playing time with back pain.

On the 28th Iona played at an elevation of 7,000 feet above sea level, the Iona College women's basketball team closed its non-conference schedule at Northern Arizona (5-8). The Gaels (4-8) were defeated by a score of 74-57.

Sophomore Diana Hubbard led three Iona players in double figures with 12 points and also led the squad with seven rebounds. Seniors Anda Ivkovic and Marissa Flagg added ten points apiece while junior Kristina Ford had eight. Sarah Schoof posted a career-high four points.

For the Lumberjacks, Tyler Stephens-Jenkins led all players with 19 points. Northern Arizona led 43-37 on the boards but were outshot by Iona, 40.4% to 39.4%.

The Maroon & Gold opens Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action with a 2:00 pm home contest against Siena today.

Fordham Not Enough for Gaels

2010-12-29T11:42:00.000-08:00

The Iona College women's basketball team defeated Fordham by a score of 47-44 in non-conference action at the Hynes Athletics Center, posting back-to-back wins for the first time this season. The Gaels are now at 4-6 on the year while the Rams dropped below .500 at 6-7.

Iona's largest lead in the contest was seven points, a 13-6 edge at the 13:10 mark of the first half. Fordham went on to score the next ten points and moved ahead, 16-13, on a three-pointer by Arielle Collins at 9:53. The Gaels tied it up on a Samantha Kopp three-point play, and from there, neither team was able to gain a significant advantage.

The Rams were in front through the early part of the second period, but would not lead again in the game after the Gaels took over on a basket by Diana Hubbard with 13:38 on the clock. A 6-0 run capped by a Kristina Ford layup put Iona ahead, 35-30 with ten minutes remaining. Fordham managed to tie the score at 40-all with 7:15 to go, then a timely three-point field goal from Tomica Bacic gave the Maroon & Gold the final lead of the night.

Gaels Down Bucknell

2010-12-20T12:25:00.000-08:00

Junior Kristina Ford's 17 points led four Gaels in double figures as the Iona College women's basketball team made its way to a 67-54 non-conference victory at Bucknell (2-6).

Flagg, who finished with 11 points, was 9-10 at the stripe to help the Maroon & Gold shoot a season-best 94.1% from the line. Ford went 4-4 in free throw attempts and Ivkovic was 3-3.

After leading 28-21 at the half, Iona mounted a 22-6 run over the early part of the second period to go ahead by 23 at the 13:26 mark. While the Bison got back to within ten with 6:31 remaining, the Gaels maintained their double-digit lead to lock down the 13-point triumph.

Ford (17 pts), Ivokovic (15), and Bacic (15) were the high scorers for Iona while Diana Hubbard led the squad with seven rebounds and added five points. Bacic also showed off her defensive prowess, leading all players with a career-high five steals.

Spartans Take Down the Gaels

2010-12-14T09:15:00.000-08:00

The Gaels played their third of four consecutive games away from home with an 85-51 loss at No. 15/20 Michigan State. The Spartans (10-1) were the third ranked opponent faced by the Gaels in the last two seasons, having taken on No. 1 Connecticut and No. 5 Notre Dame a year ago.

Senior Anda Ivkovic led all players with 16 points, shooting a season best 66.7% on an 8-for-12 showing from the field. Juniors Tomica Bacic and Kristina Ford followed with nine points apiece, while classmate Milica Paligoric had four points and a team-high seven boards. Bacic picked up three blocks in the game as the Gaels matched their season-best total with five.

Michigan State pulled out to a 6-0 lead to begin the match and remained in front the rest of the way. Iona chipped a nine-point spread down to four, scoring five straight points on a Bacic three-pointer and a layup by Ivkovic to trail 15-11 just under ten minutes in. From there, the Spartans pushed their advantage to double figures and maintained a comfortable lead.

The Gaels play again on the road Saturday at Bucknell and then come home for their last game before Christmas break vs Fordham.

Hubbard Leads a Comeback to Beat Stony Brook

2010-12-07T08:53:00.000-08:00

Junior Kristina Ford recorded her first double-double of the year with 13 points and 12 rebounds to help lead the Gaels to a 71-67 victory at Stony Brook (3-4). Iona (2-5) snapped a two game losing streak with the non-conference win. Ford has now scored in double figures in four straight contests and in six of seven games this season.

The Gaels were lifted late by the presence of sophomore guard Diana Hubbard, who made her first appearance of the year after missing the first six games due to injury. In a meeting that featured 11 lead changes and four tied scores, the Maroon & Gold found itself trailing 63-58 with less than five minutes remaining.

Anda Ivkovic made one of two shots from the line with 4:45 on the clock, followed by a Ford jumper and another 1-for-2 performance at the stripe from Marissa Flagg which brought the Gaels within one at 63-62 with 2:49 to go. The Seawolves pushed the lead back to three on a basket by Tamiel Murray before Catherine Lutz answered back with a 2:05 bucket, bringing the score to 65-64 in favor of Stony Brook.

Tomica Bacic grabbed a key rebound on a missed attempt by Destiny Jacobs, with Hubbard scoring on the possession to put Iona ahead 66-65 with 30 seconds on the clock. Hubbard then drained four consecutive free throw attempts as the Seawolves turned the ball over on their next two possessions, and Ivkovic sealed the deal with one final free throw to end the game.

Ivkovic was Iona's high scorer with 15 points, her fourth double digit output in six appearances. Bacic added ten points, eight boards, and three assists while Hubbard finished with nine points. Suzi Fregosi picked up five assists and added two points, four rebounds, and a steal. Lutz matched her best scoring effort of the season with eight points.

Gaels Drop One to Marquette

2010-12-07T07:57:00.000-08:00

The Gaels lost to Marquette, 64-50, in non-conference action on the road.Iona kept the game close early, staying within two through the first seven minutes. Down 7-2, freshman Shonice Hawkins converted a three point play with 15:03 on the clock to make it 7-5, and a later basket by Milica Paligoric made it 9-7 in favor of Marquette. From there, the Golden Eagles mounted a surge to take their largest lead of the half, 17 points, by 7:03.

Paligoric kicked off an 11-0 Gael run over the next 2:30 as Iona climbed to within six with three straight triples by Catherine Lutz, Samantha Kopp, and Suzi Fregosi. However, the Gaels did not score over the final 4:30 of the opening half and trailed 37-22 at halftime. Iona narrowly edged Marquette, 28-27, in the second half but could never get closer than 12.

Kristina Ford led Iona with 11 points and seven rebounds. Paligoric matched with seven boards and added six points. Fregosi had a game-high seven assists.

Gaels go 1 and 1 in the Thanksgiving Classic

2010-11-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

The Gaels earned our first victory of the year, snapping a three-game season-opening skid with a 73-67 win over Brown (2-3) in the Iona Thanksgiving Classic. The Gaels more than doubled their first half production with a 50-point second half to claim the come-from-behind triumph.

Anda Ivkovic and Kristina Ford put up nearly identical numbers to lead the Maroon & Gold. Each posted a team-high 18 points on seven field goals, two three-pointers, and two free throws, and both added five rebounds and a steal. Marissa Flagg followed closely with 14 points and a team-best six boards while Suzi Fregosi had seven assists.

The second game of the tournament was not as successful for the Gaels. Iona dropped a 68-60 decision to Toledo in the Iona Thanksgiving Classic finale. The Rockets (3-3) used a significant scoring run in each half in holding off the Gaels (1-4) at the Hynes Center.

Junior forward Kristina Ford led Iona with 16 points and a season-best nine rebounds. Her classmate, Tomica Bacic matched a season-high with 12 points and senior Marissa Flagg posted 11 points and four assists in the loss.

The Maroon & Gold opened up the second half with a flurry. After surrendering a field goal on the first possession, Iona scored eight straight points to cut the deficit to just two points. Bacic was the star of the run, scoring seven points in the 90-second stretch. Ford gave Iona the lead at the 14:50 mark, burying a three-pointer from the wing and putting her squad ahead 38-37. A conventional three-point play by the Rockets and another Bacic jumper on back-to-back possessions knotted the score at 40-40 with 12:40 to play. Toledo began to pull away, scoring 10 straight points over the next 1:10. The Gaels would get as close as five points on two occasions, but could not erase the deficit and free throws in the final minutes accounted for the 68-60 win for Toledo.

Gaels sign Two for 2011

2010-11-27T09:11:00.000-08:00

Head coach Anthony Bozzella has announced the signing of two players to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. Damika Martinez, a 5'7" point guard from Meriden, CT and Briana Graham, a 6'0" forward from Dearborn, MI will join the Gael squad for the 2011-12 season.

"I am so pleased that these two outstanding student-athletes have decided to join our family here at Iona," said Bozzella. "I give coach Kelly, our recruiting coordinator, and the rest of my staff a tremendous amount of credit for bringing in such a talented twosome."

Martinez, who will graduate from Orville H. Platt High School, has averaged 26 points, ten rebounds, and four assists per game with a career total of 1,350 points. She was named Hartford All-Courant Fab 15 in 2009 and New Haven Register All-State HM in 2008 and 2009. Martinez is ranked among the Top 25 point guards in the Class of 2011 by ESPNU and is included in ESPNU's Top 100 National rankings. In 2010, Martinez played AAU with the NYC Gauchos.

"Damika can do so many different things from both guard positions on the floor. She is a dynamic player who I feel will have an immediate impact on our team."

Graham, who will graduate from Martin Luther King High School, has averaged ten points and six rebounds per game as one of four seniors on her team to go on to play in Division I. She is ranked 58th in her position by ESPN Hoopgurlz, is a McDonald's All-American nominee, and has been inducted into the National Honors Society. Graham played AAU basketball with the Michigan Crossover.

"I'm excited because Briana will bring a toughness and aggressiveness to our team at both the guard and post positions. She is a true competitor who will have an exceptional career here at Iona."

Gaels Drop Three in WNIT

2010-11-23T07:50:00.000-08:00

The Lady Gaels have started off the season on a three game skid. Iona College opened its 2010-11 campaign with a 72-40 loss on the road to Charlotte in the Preseason WNIT. The Gaels had double-digit production from senior Anda Ivkovic and junior Kristina Ford, but struggled to keep pace with the quick and athletic 49ers.

Iona then took on the Knights of Central Florida, in Harrisonburg, VA. The Gaels were led by Kristina Ford with 14 points, followed by Cat Lutz and Milica Paligoric with 8 points apiece. After being tied at 18, UCF mounted a 9-1 run to lead by eight at halftime. The Gaels could never catch-up and ended the game losing 59-48.

The last game in the WNIT Tournament ended with the same result as the first two, with a defeat for the Gaels. Iona was paced by Anda Ivkovic with 22 points and 8 rebounds, along with Marissa Flagg who tallied 16 points, and Tomica Bacic with 12 points and 5 rebounds. Despite outscoring St. Francis University 40-36 in the second half the Gaels could not comeback, losing 77-69 to end the WNIT Tournament. The Gaels look to rebound this weekend against Brown University Saturday, and the University of Toledo Sunday in our Thanksgiving Day Tournament at Hynes Center. Come out and support Iona!

Gaels Win in Exhibition Matchup

2010-11-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

The Gaels defeated Philadelphia University by a score of 79-55 in an exhibition matchup at the Hynes Athletics Center. Junior center Milica Paligoric led three Gaels in double digits with 15 points.

Paligoric was followed by classmate Kristina Ford and senior Catherine Lutz who added 12 points apiece. 15 of the 16 Gaels who stepped on the court recorded at least one point in the win. Senior floor leader Suzi Fregosi had a game-leading seven assists.

Iona took a 2-0 lead on a layup by Ford in the opening minutes and remained in front the rest of the way. The squad led by as much as 14 in the first half and pushed the margin as high as 30 in the second. The Gaels forced 27 Hawk turnovers while committing 21.

The regular season gets under way with the Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament beginning Nov. 13. Iona faces Charlotte in the first round at 5:00 pm in North Carolina.

2010-10-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

MAAC Media Day

2010-10-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

2010-10-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

2010-10-27T12:19:00.000-07:00

Lady Gaels Ranked Second in Preseason Poll

2010-10-27T09:13:00.000-07:00

The Lady Gaels had three players named Preseason All-MAAC team and was chosen in second place by a poll of the league's ten head coaches, as was announced at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's annual media day held at B.B. King Blues Club and Grill.

Senior forward Anda Ivkovic and junior guard Kristina Ford were named to the Preseason All-MAAC Second Team. Last year, Ford led all returning players with 9.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game along with 52 steals, while Ivkovic followed with 8.8 points and 3.9 boards per game before a knee injury cut her season short.

Earning a spot on the Preseason All-MAAC Third Team was senior point guard Suzi Fregosi, who had a league-leading 152 assists as a junior.

Maroon Madness 2010

2010-10-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

Maroon Madness Dance

2010-10-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

Maroon Madness Kicks Off Basketball Season

2010-10-24T18:57:00.000-07:00

The Iona College women’s basketball team kicked off the 2010-2011 campaign with the celebration of Maroon Madness on Friday, October 22, 2010 in the Hynes Athletics Center.
“Maroon Madness is a great event,” Head Coach Anthony Bozzella said. “Our student body comes out in full force, and this event gets all the fans fired up for the season ahead. Liz Faia and her staff do a terrific job putting this event together.”
Maroon Madness served as one of the marquee events of Iona's Homecoming Weekend. The evening featured performances by the Iona pipe band, cheerleaders, dance team, step team, and Born Talent (who performed the Iona basketball song). The event also included an assortment of prizes, contests, and promotions.
The players and coaches received a special introduction as they entered the gym one at a time to the roaring applause of the energetic crowd. The gym was packed with Iona students, alumni, and fans of all ages.
“The atmosphere is really exciting,” freshman forward/center Sabrina Jeridore said. “The support of the fans means a lot to us.”
Iona unveiled a banner honoring the Gaels’ 2010 WNIT berth. Senior guard Suzi Fregosi and Director of Basketball Operations Thazina Cook (a senior on last year’s team) conducted the unveiling of the banner.
“It’s a big honor,” Fregosi said. “It’s nice to know that we’ve made our mark.”
The Maroon & Gold posted an 18-14 record (13-5 MAAC) last year, finishing second in the MAAC standings. The Gaels’ appearance in the 2010 WNIT marked the program’s third postseason berth in the last four years.
The team delivered a real treat to the crowd at Maroon Madness by performing a skit that included a workout session, dance-off, and offbeat costumes. Senior guard Marissa Flagg and team manager Eric Alston originated the idea and incorporated suggestions from several players.
“We tried to incorporate everything that’s new and hip,” Flagg said. “Everybody grasped the steps really quickly.”
Senior guard/forward Catherine Lutz and junior Jermel Jenkins from the men’s team each paired up with an Iona student and competed in a shooting contest. Some of the men’s players performed a dunking exhibition.
Assistant Director of Athletics Elizabeth Faia coordinated the festivities. Alumnus Scott O'Donnell (Class of 2010) and Associate AD Brian Beyrer shared the role of master of ceremonies. At the end of the evening, Coach Bozzella and Coach Tim Cluess from the men’s basketball team addressed the audience and thanked the fans for their support.
Maroon Madness was truly a special event for the Iona community.

Article Courtesy of Michael Sacks

Inside Iona Women's Basketball

2010-10-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

Preseason Charades

2010-10-08T08:10:00.000-07:00

Preseason Awards Luncheon

2010-10-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

On Monday we had our annual Preseason Awards Luncheon. At the gathering Coach Bozzella gave out three awards, along with showing two highlight films, and our usual team activity of charades. The awards that were given out were for Most Inspirational, and two for Most Improved. Senior Suzi Fregosi was awarded the Most Inspirational for the second straight year. The whole team did a great job over the summer and during the preseason improving their game, but Juniors Sarah Schoof and Milica Paligoric stood above the rest. Overall it was a great celebration of our preseason and a nice way to begin our first practice of the year!

McLean to Play Professionally in Poland

2010-10-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

Former Iona College women's basketball powerhouse Anna McLean has been signed to play for Polish professional team Utex Row Rybnik out of Rybnik, Poland. McLean graduated as Iona's all-time leader in blocks (185) and games played (128). She was a two-time All-MAAC selection, being named to the Second Team in 2008 and the Third Team in 2010.

"I am very proud of Anna," expressed Gael head coach Anthony Bozzella. "All of her hard work over the years has paid off, and I know she will have success as she continues her basketball career."

The Polish league is one of the best leagues in Europe along with countries such as Russia, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Israel, and France. Utex Row Rybnik played its first game of the year on October 2 and the regular season continues through March 12. Other notable Americans playing in Poland this season are Jane Morris, first round draft pick for the Indiana Fever; Monica Wright, first round draft pick and second pick overall for the Washington Mystics; Janell Burse, center for the Seattle Storm; and Nicole Powell, first round draft pick in 2004 and a starter for the NY Liberty.

McLean is the newest in a long list of Iona athletes to play professionally and the fourth in recent years. Also going on to play in Europe were Jessica Smith '08 (Denmark) and Polina Hadjiyankova '08. Martina Weber '07, who signed with the New York Liberty, is the only player in MAAC history to join the WNBA.

Meet the Coaches Night Speech

2010-10-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

Lady Gaels Supporting Fellow Athletes as Cross Country Meet

2010-09-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

2010-09-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

Hynes Center Receives Renovations

2010-09-15T11:43:00.000-07:00

Our home floor, the Hynes Center, has had major improvements over this year’s summer vacation. New wooden floors were added to our two practice courts that sit to the side of the Hynes Center’s game court. With these two wooden floors, which use to be rubber, all Gael indoor sports can use the gym more efficiently and safely.

2010-09-08T06:44:00.000-07:00

Beginning a Season to the “Next Level”

2010-09-08T05:58:00.000-07:00

The Iona Lady Gaels once again started their pre-season with a bang! On a sunny Saturday the Gaels went on their annual team retreat. This year the players took part in Mindset Combat Training which involved pushing themselves mentally, physically and emotionally to the next level. They were led by Eric Kapitulik, the founder and CEO of The Program, a fitness and leadership training business that works to instill commitment, courage, and integrity through two different training programs; Judgment Day (which Iona took part in last year), and Mindset Combat Training.

This year the players began with learning what a true competitor is and how she can overcome many daily obstacles through a 45 minute informational session given by Marine Joe Morgan. They then moved to the field to prove that they could live up to the next challenge. They went through a thirty minute Marine drill session followed by team Tug of War and Combat Pugil Sticks competition. The final challenge was a one mile uphill mountain run through the woods and rocks carrying sandbags. All the players did fantastic, with Anda Ivkovic winning the hardest worker award. It was a great day that most definitely helped take our team’s first steps to the “Next Level.”

Iona Adds Three More to the Team

2010-08-24T11:07:00.000-07:00

We are very pleased to announce our 2010 recruiting class. Sabrina Jeridore, a 6'4" center from Francis Lewis High School in Queens, NY, guard Jackie Marshall from Hackensack, NJ and Shonice Hawkins, a 5'6" guard out of St. Anthony's High School in Jersey City, NJ are joining the squad for the 2010 season

"They are as talented a group of players as we've brought in and I am looking forward to their development as basketball players in our system," said Anthony Bozzella

Jeridore is coming off a senior season at Francis Lewis (20-5) in which she averaged 10.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 5.2 blocks per game. She was voted First Team All-Queens by the New York Post and Honorable Mention by the Daily News. Jeridore was also ranked as one of the top 250 players in the nation by ESPN Hoopgurlz. "I feel Sabrina has all the tools to be one of the top centers in the MAAC for years to come."

Hawkins recently completed her senior season at St. Anthony's having averaged 13.4 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. She was voted Second Team All-Non Public School by the New Jersey Star Ledger. "Shonice is a dynamic, athletic guard who will be able to play both guard positions for us and be very effective in our defensive pressure."

Marshall, a 5'8" guard just graduated from Hackensack High School, where she led them to a 14 and 8 record. While doing so she averaged 21.3 points per game and accumulated 1,245 total career points.

Bozzella concluded, "These young ladies are excellent students and outstanding people who I am proud to bring into our program."

MAAC Women's Basketball Championship to Air on ESPNU

2010-08-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

We are happy to announce that the 2011 MAAC Women's Basketball Championship Game, scheduled for Monday, March 7 at 1:00 pm, will be broadcast nationally for the first time on ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network. The Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, CT will host the 2011 MAAC Basketball Championships from March 3-7.

"It's a great opportunity for the MAAC to move its premier championship game from a regional network to a national platform like ESPNU," said MAAC Commissioner Richard J. Ensor. "We look forward to the network's 72.5 million viewers tuning in for MAAC Women's Basketball." We hope to be a part of the action!

Gaels Announce Non-Conference Schedule

2010-07-27T18:04:00.000-07:00

Iona College head coach Anthony Bozzella has announced the non-conference portion of the team's schedule for the upcoming 2010-11 campaign. This year, Iona will play an eleven game non-conference schedule with three home contests, seven match-ups on the road, and one site yet to be determined. "As has become customary with Iona women's basketball, our program will be challenged with a tremendous non-league schedule," commented Bozzella. "Having the second most wins in our league (60) over the last five years, combined with three second place finishes and two other top-four finishes, is a direct correlation to the tough opponents we compete against in the non-league portion of our season."

Iona will commence its 2010-11 run with a match-up at Charlotte (Atlantic 10) in the first round of the Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament on Nov. 13, followed by a second WNIT game against a to-be-determined opponent between Nov. 15-20. "It is an honor once again to be one of only 16 teams nationally to be selected to participate in the preseason WNIT," Bozzella added. Iona's last participation in the tournament was in 2006 when the squad defeated BIG EAST opponent St. John's before losing to ACC opponent North Carolina State.

The team's home opener will take place during the Iona Thanksgiving Classic, hosted at the Hynes Center on Nov. 27 and 28. The Gaels face Brown (Ivy League) on the 27th and Toledo (Mid-American) on the 28th. The Gaels will then take the road against Marquette (BIG EAST), Stony Brook (America East), Michigan State (Big Ten) and then finishing its away game run at Bucknell. Last season, the Spartans reached the second round of the NCAA tournament as a fifth seed where they fell to fourth-seeded Kentucky.

The Gaels will return home to take on local foe Fordham (Atlantic 10) Dec. 22. After Christmas break, the team wraps up non-conference play and the month of December with a trip out west. Iona will get a second look at last year's season-opening opponent with a return trip to Arizona (Pac 10) on the 28th. The Gaels take on Northern Arizona (Big Sky) on the 30th in the final game of the non-conference schedule.

On the team's long-distance travel plans, Bozzella offered, "We are continuing our tradition of taking our student-athletes to outstanding educational and exceptional places around the world. Visiting one of the seven natural wonders of the world in the Grand Canyon will be truly awesome." In recent years, Iona has traveled to England, Italy, San Francisco, Cancun, Mexico and Disney World in Florida.

Gaels Add Two More to the Staff

2010-07-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

The Iona Women's Basketball program is happy to announce the addition of Thazina Cook and Jen McNamee to round out the 2010-2011 coaching staff. Cook, as many of you know, had a great career at Iona and led us to a 18-14 record. She now looks to aid our continued efforts of winning a MAAC championship in the position as Director of Basketball Operations. Jen McNamee will be assuming the newly created position of Video Coordinator. McNamee is no stranger to the MAAC having played at league foe Niagara University for the past four years.

Cook is taking over the position from Jess Anger who is now an assistant at UMBC. Anger will be missed but we look forward to watching her succeed in her new program. Cook's responsibilities will include orchestrating team travel arrangements, coordinating community service and school outreach initiatives, and managing the team's academic meetings. While Cook takes over those duties, McNamee's priorities will be tape exchange and film breakdown as well as produce the Gael Gazzette and the team-run web blog. We're excited to welcome Coach Cook and Coach McNamee to our staff!

2009-10 Public Recognition Award

2010-05-17T08:25:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday, the NCAA released that the Iona Women's Basketball program has been honored with the 2009-10 Public Recognition Award. We are very proud to have been given this award, especially since we are the only women's basketball team in the MAAC to be recognized for this accomplishment!

For those of you know are unfamiliar with APR stats...this announcement is intended to highlight teams who demonstrate a commitment to academic progress and retention of student-athletes. Academics are a big part of who we are, at Iona, so this particular award means a lot to us!

Welcome Back DeFalco!

2010-05-10T07:16:00.000-07:00

Coach Bozzella has announced the addition of Lauren DeFalco as an assistant coach for the 2010-11 season. DeFalco is taking over the position following the departure of Toni Horvath, who has been with us for the past 3 years. We will miss Coach Horvath very much but wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors.

It is very exciting to have DeFalco back to be part of the Lady Gaels! She spent the previous 2 seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Sacred Heart, where she assisted in all aspects of the Pioneer program.

DeFalco graduated as Iona's all-time leader in games played, a record she held for two years (now held by graduating senior, Anna McLean). She helped us to the sixth best turnaround in the country in wins total in 2005-06 and to consecutive berths in the WNIT in 2007 and 2008. As a senior, she earned Tournament MVP honors after leading us to our first regular season tournament championship, winning the Bank of Hawaii Invitational. She finished her career with 1,035 points and is Iona's all-time record holder in 3-point field goals made with 167. She is seventh all-time in assists with 315 and fifth in 3-point field goal % (35.4%). Twice she earned a spot on the MAAC All-Tournament team as a junior and a senior after leading us to back-to-back Championship Game appearances.

Needless to say, it is great to have her back as part of our staff. We are confident that DeFalco's success here as a player will now transition into success as an assistant coach!

Senior Dinner

2010-05-10T07:06:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday, May 5th, the Iona Athletics department held a dinner in honor of all of the senior athletes who have put in such much time and effort into their individual sports. Anna McLean and Thazina Cook were 2 seniors who were recognized throughout the night. As we have been saying all year long, we couldn't be more proud of Anna and Z for all of their accomplishments throughout their career and we wish them so much luck in everything they do with their lives! Congrats to all of the seniors!

End of the Year Banquet--Video

2010-05-06T07:12:00.000-07:00

At the end of our banquet last week, Saroya Marsh, one of the best managers that has ever worked for our program, read a poem she wrote about the team. Although it contains a few inside jokes, you can see the family bond that is created amoung all members of our program. Saroya and Mikki, our 2 senior managers, will be missed dearly not only for how hard they worked for us, but as friends!

End of the Year Banquet--Pictures

2010-05-05T07:02:00.001-07:00

End of the Year Banquet--Article

2010-05-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

"The Iona College women’s basketball team held its sixth annual end of the year awards banquet on Friday, April 30 in Spellman Hall. The Gaels gathered together to celebrate one of the most successful years in program history. This year’s team posted an 18-14 overall record (13-5 MAAC). Iona reached the semifinal round of the MAAC Tournament for the fifth year in a row. The 18 victories tie the mark for the third-highest win total in the program's Division I history. The Gaels participated in the WNIT for the third time in the last four years.

While emphasizing that this year’s success was a total team effort, the coaching staff distributed a number of individual awards at the banquet. Senior guard Thazina Cook received the Best Offensive Player Award, presented by assistant coach Ashlee Kelly. An All-MAAC First-Team selection, Cook led Iona in scoring and ranked fifth in the conference with 14.5 points per game. She also led the MAAC in free throw percentage (87%). Cook finishes her decorated career as the eighth leading scorer in program history with 1,283 career points.

Head Coach Anthony Bozzella presented the Sixth Man Award to Iona's Department of Residential Life, represented at the banquet by Michael Labella, assistant director of residential life. Labella and the Residential Life staff go above and beyond the call of duty all year round to accommodate the Gaels whenever they need anything.

Freshman guard Haley D'Angelo received the Best Weightlifter Award, presented by strength and conditioning coach Khyl Farrison. Farrison emphasized that this award goes beyond weightlifting, reflecting the recipient's outstanding commitment, preparation, and motivation in all of the team's workouts. D'Angelo has exhibited an outstanding work ethic throughout the team's rigorous conditioning program.

Junior guard Suzi Fregosi received the Scholar Athlete Award, presented by director of basketball operations Jessica Anger. Fregosi, a biology major, has excelled in her rigorous coursework (compiling a 3.84 G.P.A.) while also meeting the demands of playing college basketball. Fregosi has earned distinction on the MAAC All-Academic Team every year in which she has been eligible for the honor.

Fregosi also received the Best Defensive Player Award, presented by associate head coach Christi Abbate, the team's defensive coordinator. Fregosi led Iona and ranked fifth in the MAAC with 2.2 steals per game. She frequently drew the assignment of guarding the opposing team's top player. Fregosi played a pivotal role in Iona's tenacious defense, which limited opponents to 58.9 points per game and 38 percent shooting.

Freshman forward Samantha Kopp received the Most Improved Player Award, presented by Coach Kelly. Since entering Iona this year as a highly touted recruit after a phenomenal high school career, Kopp has elevated her game to a whole other level this year. She has developed skills she didn't even know she possessed, gaining self-confidence and earning the admiration of her teammates in the process. Kopp has improved dramatically at every facet of her game.

Freshman guard Diana Hubbard received the Rookie of the Year Award, presented by assistant coach Toni Horvath. Hubbard has had an outstanding freshman year for the Gaels, averaging 7.0 points per game, grabbing 37 steals, and knocking down a team-high 43 three-point field goals. She has made an immediate impact, starting 21 games and averaging 20.9 minutes per game. Hubbard earned a place on the All-MAAC Rookie Team.

Sophomore forward Kristina Ford received the Coaches Award, presented by Coach Bozzella. Coach Bozzella praised Ford for her caring, politeness, and positive attitude, saying that she is a pleasure to coach. Her compassion and respectfulness illustrate her exemplary character. Ford represents Iona with distinction both on and off the court. She is a fine role model for her peers.

Fregosi received the Dr. Rosenberg Award, presented by Provost Dr. Warren Rosenberg, the program's moderator. Dr. Rosenberg said that he wanted to present this award to someone who is a good player, a good student, and a good person. After finding several players who met these criteria, he had to use other factors to narrow down the field. Fregosi distinguished herself in the areas of competitiveness, being a team player, academic accomplishment, leadership, coach-ability, willingness to follow instructions, and work ethic. Dr. Rosenberg cited Fregosi's mastery of organic chemistry as something particularly impressive. Fregosi epitomizes the term "student-athlete."

Cook and Fregosi both received the Most Valuable Player Award, presented by Coach Bozzella. Coach Bozzella praised the two co-captains for their leadership, spirit, and desire to win. Cook had an outstanding year, earning a place on the All-MAAC First-Team. She was also selected to the All-Met Division I women's basketball second team, indicating that she is one of the top players in the metropolitan area. Cook averaged 14.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. A stellar defender, she recorded 54 steals and 15 blocked shots. Fregosi also had a remarkable year, earning a place on the All-MAAC Third-Team. She led the MAAC in assists (4.7) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.6). Furthermore, Fregosi ranked ninth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio. An outstanding defender, Fregosi posted a team-high 2.2 steals per game. Fregosi has established herself as one of the top point guards in the metropolitan area.

In addition to the awards, the evening also included two 15-minute video presentations. The first one was a slideshow prepared by Dr. Rosenberg. This slideshow featured about 200 pictures from throughout the year. Dr. Rosenberg's expert photography portrayed the highlights of the season and captured the personalities of the players and coaches. Dr. Rosenberg set the presentation to music, including artists as varied as the Rolling Stones, Eminem, Willie Nelson, the Pussycat Dolls, U2, Cobra Starship, Lady Gaga, and Coldplay, among others.

The second video presentation was a highlight video prepared by Matt Ryan. This video contained a montage of clips from games throughout the season. The presentation also included a tribute to the team's two seniors, Cook and Anna McLean, the two winningest players in the program's Division I history. The music accompanying the video included songs such as "I Got a Feeling," "Empire State of Mind," "Run This Town," and "One Shining Moment," among others.

Near the end of the ceremony, student-manager Saroya Marsh presented a poem she composed about the team. Those in attendance also received copies of a poem written by student-manager Micala Howard about the season in review. Fr. Frank Dixon, the College Chaplain, delivered an invocation at the beginning of the ceremony.

Throughout the evening, Coach Bozzella acknowledged several people who play an instrumental role in the women’s basketball program. The team's student-managers play an integral role in the team's daily operations by performing a multitude of tasks behind the scenes. The managers are Micala Howard, Saroya Marsh, Eric Alston, Nathalie Lovinsky, Noel Emanuel, Michael Ritz, Kara Cerrone, Temma Richardson, and Melody Vega.

Coach Bozzella acknowledged sports information director Jessica Rosenberg, academic advisor Naeemah Ricketts, trainer Aimee Pascale, former trainer Mike Reddington, Tyler Cardinal, Devon Whalen, and Tom Orbacz (all three of whom are from the facilities and operations wing of the athletics department), and the men's basketball team, represented at the banquet by senior Milan Prodanovic. Coach Bozzella also thanked the parents and fans for all of their support.

Coach Bozzella praised the members of the coaching staff for their hard work and tireless devotion to the program. Their combination of dedication, enthusiasm, basketball expertise, passion, and caring for the players rivals that of any coaching staff.

Coach Bozzella paid a special tribute to assistant coach Toni Horvath, who is leaving Iona to become a teacher and to attend graduate school. Horvath has been an indispensable member of the program for the past seven years (four as a student-athlete and three as a coach). Her level of caring and concern for the team is extraordinary. Horvath will surely be missed.

The banquet had about 70 people in attendance and featured an exquisite dinner and dessert. It was truly a special evening for the Iona College women’s basketball program." -Michael Saks

National Student Athlete Day

2010-04-27T08:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the Iona Athletic Department held a BBQ for each of the 21 varsity sports to recognize National Student Athlete Day. This day has been celebrated annually since 1987 and the Iona Athletic Department does a tremendous job of making sure the student-athletes know how much they are truly appreciated. The BBQ, which was moved inside due to the weather, was held to thank all of the student-athletes for what they do on a day-to-day basis at Iona...because for those of you who didn't know, being a Division I student-athlete, no matter what sport you play, requires A LOT of dedication, time and focus.

There was great food, a fun trivia game and awards for Gael of the Year. Each team had one recipient of the Gael of the Year. Our team gave the award to Suzi Fregosi. Although many of the girls on our team deserved the award, Suzi really epitomizes what it is to be a student-athlete..."student" being the first word in that title. She is a natural leader and we are very happy she could be recognized for her great accomplishments! Congrats, Suzi and to all of the other Gael of the Year award winners!

Thazina Cook Earns Second Career All-Met Selection

2010-04-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

A great way to end a stellar career, Thazina was named to the 2009-10 All-Met Division I Second Team. This award was announced by the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and the Met Basketball Writers Association. This is the second year in a row that Thazina has won this award, and she deserves it!

A few of her accomplishments that helped her earn this award this year are...
- Named to the First-Team All-MAAC Team
- Named to the MAAC All-Tournament Team
- Led the MAAC in FT %
- Scored 1,283 career points (8th in Iona WBB history)
- Played in 125 career games (2nd in Iona WBB history)
- Led Iona in scoring
- Ranked 5th in the MAAC for scoring
- Ranked 2nd on Iona in rebounding & steals
- Ranked 7th in the MAAc for rebounding
- Ranked 10th in the MAAC for steals

Congrats Z...we are so proud of you!

Wheelchair Basketball Game

2010-04-19T07:40:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, April 15th, the men's team paired up with our team and participated in a wheelchair basketball game against the United Spinal Nassau Kings. The teams traded their sneakers for wheels to compete against the talented wheelchair squad in what turned into an exciting overtime match up between the two teams...giving the crowd a real treat!

Every year both the men's and women's teams participate in this great event sponsored by the Delta Upsilon fraternity. I know our girls had a blast and even some of our managers got into the action as refs for the game!

Join us at our End of the Year Banquet!

2010-04-01T07:21:00.000-07:00

By now you've probably realized that a lot of what we do throughout the year is based on tradition. The end of the year is no different. Each year we hold a banquet to celebrate the season and award those who have done an outstanding job. This year, we've decided to open up our End of the Year Awards Banquet to all who wish to come! You've been such great supporters that we would love it if you came to celebrate the season with us!!

The banquet will include dinner, dessert, player awards & a slide show by our moderator, Dr. Rosenberg, that is sure to entertain! The info is below...hope to see you there!!

Date: April 30, 2010
Time: 6:00 pm
Location: Spellman Hall Lounge (Iona College)
Cost: $20 per person

RSVP to Jess Anger by April 16th
janger@iona.edu
914-633-2658

Happy Birthday Tomica!

2010-03-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

We had a birthday celebration today for Tomica! Happy Birthday!! It only took her one breathe to blow out the candles :)

Final Game of the Season

2010-03-23T07:34:00.000-07:00

At some point, unfortunately, every season must come to an end...and we have reached ours. Last Friday night, at the University of Maryland, our girls entered that court with every intention of giving UMD a great game and coming back to NY with the "W".

The first 15 minutes of the game were great...we fought hard and stayed right with them (or I could say, they stayed right with us!) Then the Terps kicked it into over-drive and ended the first half with a 20-4 run. We never stopped fighting and played hard all the way til the end.

As we've been saying all year long, we are extremely proud of the team and very happy they got to experience what the Post-Season WNIT has to offer. We wish it could have ended differently for our 2 seniors, Thazina and Anna, but the girls are tough and will bounce back to their normal selves soon.

The team will take a little time off and focus on their studies and getting healthy. We will regroup and come back into our post-season with the will and determination to get better everyday for next season.

WNIT First Round...To Maryland We Go!

2010-03-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

We found out late last night that we will be playing at "Terps" at the University of Maryland this Friday, March 19th at 7:00pm in the first round of the WNIT. We are all excited about the opportunity to play a great team and everyone is ready for the challenge!

This is the third time in 4 years that we have made it to the Post-Season WNIT. This is also the second time we will be facing an ACC team. The last time was on Nov. 11, 2006 in the Pre-Season WNIT against NC State in North Carolina.

"Fear the GAEL!!"

Help Beat Cancer with WBCA and Papa John's

2010-03-09T06:49:00.000-08:00

As a program, we truly believe in the importance of helping others and our community as much as we possibly can. We just came across a great program that many of you can reach out to and help make a difference, as well!

The WBCA (Women's Basketball Coaches Association) has joined with the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund to promote a special offer from Papa John’s Pizza! From March 16 – April 6, Papa John’s will make a $1.00 donation to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund for any online order of an XL, two topping pizza using a special consumer code.

In order to be sure your order goes directly towards the cause, all you need to do it enter the promo code “beatcancer” and your $1.00 donation will be accounted for. We're asking for your help spreading the word about the Papa John’s promotion after Selection Monday, March 15th. Everyone is encouraged to share the program information through e-mails, websites and their social media networks beginning on Wednesday, 3/17! We really appreciate your help with this great cause!

MAAC Tournament

2010-03-08T07:46:00.000-08:00

We started out the weekend with a great win over Siena, 59-43. With this win, we advanced to the Semifinal game to play Fairfield for a chance to play in the Championship game. We knew it was going to be a battle all 40 minutes...and we got what we expected.

From the very beginning of the game, until the last few seconds, both teams fought and played their hearts out. We thought we could push Fairfield to their breaking point, since they only play 6 players and their starters had just come off playing 39 minutes the night before. But this was the MAAC Tournament and for a chance to play in the Championship game...no one was giving up and everyone was leaving it all out on the court.

Unfortunately, Fairfield got the better of us and we lost 61-57. They played a great game and did the things they were supposed to in order to get the job done. As heartbreaking as the loss was to swallow, we will still live to play another game (or two, or three, or more) in the WNIT. Thazina was also named to the All-MAAC Tournament team...we are very happy for her and all of her accomplishments throughout her career.

We'll keep practicing and improving on the things we need to get better at...and we will be ready for anyone that comes our way.

MAAC Awards Ceremony

2010-03-06T03:49:00.000-08:00

We are so proud of the girls for all of their hard work and having it pay off with the awards they were up for winning. Z was a candidate for Player of the Year, being on the All-MAAC First team. Diana made the All-MAAC Rookie Team, making her eligible to win the Rookie of the Year award. Suzi was nominated for the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, while Marissa was nominated for MAAC 6th Man of the Year. Al thought none of the girls won the honors, their hard work throughout the season was recognized this past Thursday night. See the video to hear their thoughts...

Senior Day Post Game Interview

2010-03-03T09:32:00.000-08:00

See what Coach Bozzella, Z and Anna had to say after the game...how they felt about Senior Day, looking back on their accomplishments and looking ahead to the MAAC tournament. It may have been a day to celebrate the seniors and everything they have done for the program...but you better believe they aren't finished yet, we've got more games to go!

Senior Day Reception

2010-03-02T13:05:00.000-08:00

After our game against Rider, the team, coaches, athletic staff, as well as family and friends all gathered together in Spellman Hall for a Senior Day reception. Good food, great company and some interesting speeches from Anna and Thazina had everyone in good spirits. Check out the video dedicated to Anna and Z for all of their hard work and dedication they have put into the program thus far...it's the least they deserve!! Thanks for everything, Seniors!!

Senior Day Slideshow

2010-03-01T11:44:00.001-08:00

Our moderator, Dr. Rosenberg, is at it again. He put together this amzing slideshow for our seniors, Z and Anna, for the Senior Day post-game reception after yesterday's game. Try not to cry...

Senior Day

2010-03-01T08:42:00.000-08:00

"The Iona College women's basketball team celebrated Senior Day on Sunday, February 28, 2010, in the Hynes Athletics Center. The Gaels honored seniors Thazina Cook and Anna McLean. The Senior Day celebration occurred in conjunction with the Gaels' final home game of the year, a 79-43 victory over Rider. The festivities included a pre-game ceremony and a post-game reception.

Cook, a 5-foot-9 guard from Newark, N.J., has had an extraordinary career at Iona. She has played in 122 career games, compiling 1,242 points, 632 rebounds, 100 assists, and 189 steals. A stellar defender and a gifted scorer, Cook has contributed in a multitude of ways for Iona. Her remarkable talent, leadership, and versatility make the two-year captain an exceptionally valuable player for the Gaels.

'Thazina Cook is a tremendous leader and competitor,' head coach Anthony Bozzella said. 'We've had a lot of great players enter our program, and no one is greater than Thazina. She will be missed as much as anyone I've ever coached.'

One of the top players in the MAAC, Cook earned a place on last year's All-MAAC First Team and this year's Preseason All-MAAC First Team. She was also selected to the 2008-2009 All-Met Division I women's basketball second team, indicating that she is one of the top players in the metropolitan area. Cook ranks among Iona's career leaders in scoring (12th), rebounds (ninth), steals (sixth), and games played (third).

McLean, a 6-foot-2 center from Freeport, N.Y., has had an outstanding career at Iona. She has played in 125 career games, amassing 1,028 points, 866 rebounds, and a program-record 180 blocks. A formidable post presence and a defensive stopper, McLean has had a huge impact on Iona's success. Her magnificent combination of talent, devotion, and drive make her an enormously valuable player for the Gaels.

'Anna McLean has meant so much to the Iona women's basketball team's success in the five years she has been a member of our team,' Bozzella said. 'Her competitiveness, teamwork, and drive are unsurpassed by any player I've ever coached.'

McLean has distinguished herself as one of the premier players in the MAAC, earning a place on the 2007-2008 All-MAAC Second Team and this year's Preseason All-MAAC Second Team. McLean holds Iona's career records for blocks and games played, and she also ranks among the program's career leaders in scoring (19th) and rebounds (third). McLean is one of only three players in program history with over 1,000 points and 850 rebounds.

This senior class's stay at Iona coincides with the winningest four-year period in program history (since the Gaels joined Division I in the 1981-1982 season). The Gaels have amassed 76 victories over the past four years, an average of 19 wins a year. Furthermore, Cook and McLean join Naeemah Ricketts as the only players in the program's Division I history whose team has had a winning record all four years of their careers.

During the pre-game ceremony, the Gaels presented Cook and McLean with a framed replica of their jerseys, a bouquet of flowers, and balloons. Bozzella also recognized the team's two senior managers, Micala Howard and Saroya Marsh, both of whom have been an immense help to the team.

Prior to the start of the game, McLean sang the national anthem.

The last career home game for the seniors proved to be a good one for the Maroon & Gold. The Gaels came out firing on all cylinders, jumping out to an 11-2 lead and never looking back en route to their 36-point win. Iona's tenacious defense forced 32 turnovers and limited Rider to 33 percent shooting.

McLean posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Cook recorded 17 points, five steals, and two blocks. Junior point guard Suzi Fregosi dished out a game-high five assists.

After the game, approximately 100 people gathered in Spellman Hall for a reception in honor of Senior Day. This event featured a delicious meal and a touching slide show tribute to the seniors, prepared and presented by Provost Dr. Warren Rosenberg, the team's moderator.

Senior Day was truly a special day for the Iona College women's basketball program." -Michael Sacks

McLean Reaches 1,000 Career Point Milestone

2010-02-27T06:49:00.000-08:00

"Anna McLean reached the milestone of 1,000 career points during Iona's 82-80 overtime loss to Marist on Friday, February 26 in the Hynes Athletics Center. McLean, a 6-foot-2 senior center from Freeport, N.Y., becomes the 20th player in program history to reach the 1,000 point mark.

This feat marks the latest of many achievements in McLean's decorated career in Maroon & Gold. McLean's exceptional talent, work ethic, and dedication make her an enormously valuable player for the Gaels.

'Anna McLean has meant so much to the Iona women's basketball team's success in the five years she has been a member of our team,' head coach Anthony Bozzella said. 'Her competitiveness, teamwork, and drive have enabled her to be a great player and role model for her teammates. Anna is one of the nicest and most respectful young ladies I have had the honor of coaching in my 18 years as a college Head Coach.'

McLean has distinguished herself as one of the top players in the MAAC, earning a place on the 2007-2008 All-MAAC Second Team and the 2009-2010 Preseason All-MAAC Second Team.

McLean becomes the fifth Iona player coached by Bozzella to score 1,000 points, joining Michelle Fahy, Tiara Headen, Lauren DeFalco, and fellow senior Thazina Cook. Following her 14-point outing against Marist, McLean has now scored 1,009 points as a Gael.

In addition to her prolific scoring, McLean ranks third in program history with 856 career rebounds and holds the program record with 180 career blocks.

Since entering Iona as a talented rookie out of Freeport High School four years ago, McLean has developed into one of the premier players in the MAAC. Over the first two years of her career, McLean established herself as a formidable post presence and defensive stopper, leading the team in blocks both years.

McLean had a breakout year as a junior in 2007-2008, when she averaged a double-double (10.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game). She played a pivotal role in helping the Gaels reach the WNIT for the second year in a row. She earned All-MAAC second team honors and won Iona's Best Defensive Player Award at the team's year-end banquet in April 2008.

McLean is putting together another stellar campaign as a senior this year, averaging 11.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. With a few games still to be played, McLean now looks to put the finishing touches on her outstanding career.

'Anna has truly been one of the greatest players to don an Iona College basketball uniform,' Bozzella said." -Michael Sacks

What a Week!

2010-02-22T06:33:00.000-08:00

First, I wanted to say sorry for not keeping everyone updated with this past week's events...it's been a crazy week of games, travelling and more games!!

So, we started off with a home game against Canisius on Monday (2/15). Playing without two of our starters, Anda and Z, we all knew that in order to win, it needed to be a team effort. And sure enough, the whole team came ready to play and we pulled off the W. Anna and Kris both had another double-double, while Milica came up with ten rebounds and five blocks! The inside game was a force to be reckoned with, ending with a 24-6 point advantage in the paint. But when I said it was a team effort, I meant it...we also added nine 3-pointers from five different players (Suzi, Diana, Kris, Tomica & Cat).

After the Canisius game, we had to put the win behind us and focus on Loyola's game on Wednesday (2/17). We were supposed to play Loyola on Friday (2/12), but like I mentioned in the previous post, it got rescheduled due to all the snow Maryland got!

We came into practice on Tuesday and left for MD right after...and when we got down there, we saw why the game got rescheduled! Snow, snow and more snow!! Two-lane roads were now one-lane and you still couldn't walk on the sidewalks because they were buried 3-4 feet under a pile of snow! Snow aside, we knew the game was going to be a tough one. Thazina was back in action but Loyola is NEVER an easy place to play. And, like we expected, it was a battle...the whole game. We ended up winning by 2 after Loyola threw up a full court shot that made all of our stomach's drop for about 2.2 seconds! Another W under our belt, we headed back up to NY to get ready for our Fairfield game.

We played at Fairfield on Friday (2/19). Again, another battle of a game, and our girls pushed through it as much as they could. We couldn't have asked for a better effort, but when you have trouble putting the ball in the basket, it can make it tough to win the game. Unfortunately, that's what happened to us at Fairfield...we performed well in almost every stat possible, except shots made. Again, great effort by every single player on our team, we just came up short in the end.

For the 3rd time of the week, we put the game behind and went into practice focused on our next game, St. Peter's on Sunday (2/21). The team went into St. Peter's, which is one of the hardest places to play in the MAAC, determined to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Defense was the primary focus (as it always is) and we really proved that at St. Peter's, winning 57-41.

With this win, we clinched 2nd place in the regular season standings; however, we still have 2 home games left...Marist this Friday and Rider on Sunday. The Marist game is our "Pack the House" game, so make sure EVERYONE comes to cheer us on...and Rider is our Senior Day, where we will honor our 2 seniors--Z and Anna. Two more regular season games...LET'S GO GAELS!!

Snow!!

2010-02-11T08:18:00.000-08:00

What a day yesterday with all of the snow!! We got about a foot and a half and the school was shut down all day yesterday and early this morning. NY isn't the only place that got hit with the blizzard...MD got another 10 inches on top of the 30 that fell from the storm this past weekend. Because of this, our game at Loyola this Friday has been rescheduled for Wed. Feb 17th at 4:30 p.m. It's going to be a long week of games coming up, but I'm sure everyone is ready for it!! :)

Marist & Siena Trip

2010-02-09T14:25:00.000-08:00

What a weekend!!!!!! Good , bad and UGLY..

Friday night was a crazy setting!!! The top 2 teams in the MAAC....Great rivals!! A showdown for FIRST place in a SOLD OUT environment. It really doesn't get any better than that. Another great reason to be a LADY GAEL!!!

We started off fast, taking a 7-3 lead, to somewhat quiet down the crowd. Unfortunately, Marist got super hot from 3 point range and took the lead from us. We battled hard all night but just couldn't dig out of the early hole. We ended up losing by a score of 10.

We then boarded a bus and headed up to Albany, NY to play Siena. We had a great practice on Saturday (putting the loss behind us) and on Sunday we came out on FIRE!! We led 25-9 and really controlled the whole first half.

Unfortunately, we were reminded of a great lesson...Basketball games are 2 halves!! Siena came out shooting and made 8 of 9 three point attempts and tied the game right at the end. We went to overtime and lost right at the end. It was very disappointing. As well as we played in the first half, we played that bad in the second half.

I know we learned a great lesson and this will only make us stronger for the last 6 regular season games and our MAAC tournament playoffs!!

We are still in second place at 9-3...one game behind first place Marist.
We have 3 home games left...Hope to see you there!!

Rider & Fairfield Highlights

2010-02-04T14:50:00.001-08:00

Check out all the great plays from last week's games!

Another Good Set of Games

2010-02-03T07:07:00.000-08:00

These last two games (at Rider and home against Fairfield) were crucial wins going into the second half of conference play. Our 85-60 win over Rider set a new school record for consecutive regular season MAAC wins, as well as most consecutive overall wins (8 game win streak). The 75-63 win over Fairfield extended that record to 9 wins in a row.

From the opening basket of the Rider game, we led the way and never looked back. Anna led with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks. Cat had 12 points (4-of-5 from three point range) while Kristina, Anda & Z each had 10 points. We were also extremely happy with Marissa's career-high 8 assists! Our bench played a very important role in this game, as every single player played in the game...they contributed 35 points! It was a great team victory.

Our MSG TV game against Fairfield on Monday was a great atmosphere to play in. Cameras, screaming fans and great competition made it exciting to be a part of! Z played extremely well with a career-high 25 points and 13 rebounds (her 3rd double-double of the year). Kristina also had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Our point guard, Suzi, showed what she's capable of with 14 points, 5 assists and 3 steals. Anda also scored in double digits with 12 points and adding 2 steals.

Our win against Fairfield put us tied for 1st place (with Marist) in the MAAC. We play Marist this Friday in Poughkeepsie, NY in front of a sold-out crowd. It's going to be another great Iona-Marist competitive game and we are excited to get it started. We'll also be playing Siena on Sunday, which will also be a very competitive game...can't overlook anyone at any point!

Another highlight video from the last 2 games will be up soon...be sure to check it out!

Manhattan & Niagara Game Highlights

2010-01-28T08:08:00.000-08:00

For those of you who didn't get a chance to see one or both of our games this past weekend, here are a few of the highlights...Enjoy!

Diana Hubbard Named MAAC Rookie of the Week

2010-01-27T11:01:00.000-08:00

We are very excited that our freshman, Diana Hubbard, was recognized for her performance in our games against Manhattan and Niagara this past weekend. She has earned the award by averaging 7.5 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal in the last 2 games.

She netted six points against Manhattan, hitting 2-of-3 from three-point range. In a close first half vs. the Jaspers, it was Diana's trifecta with 3:42 on the clock that put us ahead for good in the contest. Against Niagara, the first-year guard added nine points and four boards with an assist and a steal. Diana is averaging 7.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game in conference play.

We hope she can continue to play well and keep bringing that extra spark in our next set of games...at Rider this Friday, Jan 29th and home against Fairfield on Monday, Feb 1st.

Thazina Cook Named MAAC Player of the Week

2010-01-21T11:49:00.001-08:00

Sorry for the late update, but we wanted to be sure all of our blog fans were aware that our senior co-captain, Thazina Cook, was named MAAC Player of the Week for her performance against Niagara, Siena & St. Peter's (Jan 11-18).

This is the second such award for Z in her career, and the first weekly award for our team this season. Z averaged 19.3 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals per game in our three wins this past week. She extended her double digit scoring streak to seven straight games with a career-high 24 points against Saint Peter's after posting 15 at Niagara and 19 against Siena.

We finish out our 4 game home game streak this weekend with Manhattan tomorrow and Niagara on Sunday. See you all there!

NY Liberty Clinic Goes GREAT!

2010-01-20T13:57:00.000-08:00

On Monday, Jan 18th, the NY Liberty came to Iona and put on a clinic for about 85 kids. They taught them shooting, dribbling, ball handling and passing skills. After everyone went through the 4 stations, they played a dribbling game and did a relay race that got the clinic nice and loud! After the hour of basketball activities, they had a question and answer session for some fun NY Liberty prizes, as well as had a pizza party while our team warmed up for our game against St. Peter's.

Speaking of games, we beat Siena (Jan 16th) and St. Peter's (Jan 18th), pushing our winning streak to 5 games. The girls played well but are now focused on this weekend's home games...Manhattan on Friday the 22nd and Nigara on Sunday the 24th. It's the first 2 teams we are playing for the 2nd time, which means they will be much more competitive and a harder W to get under our belt...but we're ready and can't wait for the games to get here!

Age is Just a Number

2010-01-18T07:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the team went to the Wartburg Adult Care Community to spend some time with the residents. Saying the team had a good time would be an understatement; they went above and beyond to make sure these women had a great day! At one point, they had a group of the staff members crowded around to see what all the commotion was. Singing, dancing, stepping...it all happened, as well as story telling and just getting to know one another.

One nice surprise was we met former player, Jen Ritz, and current manager, Mike Ritz's great aunt! It was so great getting to meet everyone, and I know everyone is looking forward to going back after the season. And we'll try to get them to one of our games, as well :)

2-0 in Buffalo

2010-01-14T05:50:00.000-08:00

Buffalo is always a tough trip...the extremely cold winter weather and the 2 competitive games are always something the team really needs to mentally and physically prepare for. The 5 day trip ended successfully as we beat Canisius on Saturday (60-48) and Niagara on Monday (59-51), neither of which were easy games, to say the least.

The Canisius game started out great, we were scoring, playing great defense and really playing team basketball. However, in MAAC games, you can never let your guard down. Although Canisius got within 3 points at one time during the game, the leaders of the team stepped up and did what they had to do...taking care of the ball was a major key in the victory. Z and Anda both had 14 points, Anna added 12, and Kristina had 9 points (3-3 from beyond the arc).

Sealing the win against Niagara gave us the 2-0 record in Buffalo we'd been looking for to help us have a relaxing trip back to New Rochelle...last time we have done that was during the 2007-08 season. Kristina showed us that she's back on her game, scoring 17 points, grabbing 2 rebounds and getting 3 steals...but her intangibles are what really give us the extra boost (enthusiam, hussle, etc.)

One thing that helped out a lot this year that we have never really experienced up in Buffalo were all the fans cheering for US! Sam Kopp, being from the Buffalo area, brought in vans full of cheering fans. As well as Ashlee Kelly, whose family lives not too far away. We were so happy to have their families there with us, and glad they all could make the trip to see us play. Thanks for the support!! :)

Cook Reached Scoring Milestone

2010-01-09T07:59:00.001-08:00

"Thazina Cook reached the milestone of 1,000 career points during Iona's 79-62 victory over Manhattan on Jan. 5 in Riverdale, N.Y. Cook, a 5-foot-9 senior guard from Newark, N.J., becomes the 19th player in program history to reach the 1,000 point mark.

This feat marks the latest of many achievements in Cook's decorated career in Maroon & Gold. Cook's exceptional talent, leadership, and versatility make the two-year captain a tremendously valuable player for the Gaels.

'I have been blessed to have had the opportunity to coach Thazina these last 3-plus years,' head coach Anthony Bozzella said. 'She has been so easy to coach because of her willingness to learn and her unbelievable work ethic and desire to succeed. Her work ethic is unsurpassed by any player I have ever coached. She is also a tremendous leader and competitor.'

Cook has distinguished herself as one of the top players in the MAAC, earning a place on the 2008-2009 All-MAAC First Team and the 2009-2010 Preseason All-MAAC First Team.
In addition to her prolific scoring, Cook has compiled 527 rebounds, 77 assists, and 156 steals in her career.

Since entering Iona as a talented rookie out of Bloomfield Tech three years ago, Cook has developed into one of the premier players in the MAAC. As a freshman in 2006-07, Cook made an immediate impact, playing in 33 games as the lone freshman on a team that advanced to the WNIT for the first time in school history.

Cook had a breakout year as a sophomore, when she averaged 10.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in her first year as a starter. She helped the Gaels reach the WNIT for the second year in a row.

As a junior, Cook elevated her game to new heights. She led the Gaels in scoring (14.8 points per game) and rebounding (6.7 rebounds per game). Indicative of her defensive prowess, Cook ranked fourth in the MAAC with 2.2 steals per game. Cook recorded eight double-doubles on the season. Cook earned All-MAAC first team honors and won Iona's Most Valuable Player award at the team's year-end banquet in April 2009.

Cook's senior campaign is off to a stellar start, as she is averaging 14.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. With several games still to be played, Cook now looks to put the finishing touches on her outstanding career.

'There is NO doubt in my mind she will go down as one of the greatest players to wear an Iona women's basketball uniform,' Bozzella said." -Michael Sacks

First Week of MAAC Play Ends in Spilt

2010-01-07T12:32:00.000-08:00

After losing a tough game to Loyola on Sunday night, the team came out ready to go on Tuesday at Manhattan.

In our MAAC home opener against Loyola, Diana led the team with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist. Anna almost had another double-double for the year with 9 points and 17 rebounds (2nd best rebounding total since our season-opener). Suzi had 10 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. This game goes to show you (which I'm sure everyone knows), that pre-season rankings do not mean anything...it's all about what you bring on a day-to-day basis. And on Sunday, Loyola brought it harder than we did.

However, Tuesday against Manhattan was a different story for us. We went into that game determined to make sure we got the W. Anna and Kristina both had 14 points and 7 rebounds. Diana scored in double digits with 11 points, as well as Thazina with 20 points. Z (Thazina) reached her 1,000th career point against Manhattan, making her only the 19th player in school history to reach this feat...CONGRATS Z!

We leave tomorrow morning for Buffalo for our games against Canisius and Niagara. Gotta make sure we back lots of scarfs, mittens and sweats to stay warm up there!!

MAAC is Back!!

2010-01-03T05:32:00.000-08:00

What a way to start off the new year and new decade...MAAC play starts today and we all couldn't be more excited and ready! This is what we've been waiting for and working so hard for the last 8+ months. It's why the girls push through early morning summer workouts, preseason conditioning and lifting, and a tough non-conference schedule...we can only hope that they are prepared enough to go out there and do what needs to be done.

We start with a home game tonight against Loyola-MD and then go to Manhattan College on Tuesday (Jan. 5th). Next week we'll be up in Buffalo to play Canisius and Niagara. But we'll keep you updated with all the details as the schedule plays on.

Here we go!!! Let's Go Gaels!!

Happy Holidays

2009-12-27T12:25:00.000-08:00

Seasons Greetings! We had our Holiday Party last week and had a great time playing charades and guessing our Secret Santa's. Everyone gave great gifts and it was nice to relax with the whole team. We wanted to thank all of you who have been such avid followers of our Blog and great supporters of our team. We hope you all have a great New Year...see you in 2010!! :)

Check out the Live Blog for tonight's game vs. Georgia State

2009-12-18T12:41:00.000-08:00

Live Stats and Listen Live | Iona Game Notes | Georgia State Game Notes
Mobile PDA Link | ICGaels.com on Twitter

&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=2d098186fd" mce_href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=2d098186fd" &amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Women's Basketball vs. Georgia State&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

UMES and Fordham "Behind the Scenes" Look

2009-12-11T12:36:00.000-08:00

Videos from our UMES and Fordham games from this past week. Post-game interviews from Diana (UMES) and Thazina (Fordham) are at the end of each video.

Coach Bozzella Interview

2009-12-05T06:26:00.001-08:00

David Greenwald interviews Coach Bozzella about the season up to this point and our upcoming games this week.

Happy Birthday, Anda!

2009-12-05T05:35:00.000-08:00

Anda turned 21 on Thursday...and by now, you all know what that means! A Happy Birthday song led by Anna and a piece of Coach Abbate's cake. We had to get a little creative with the "Happy Birthday" writing on the cake this time around. Great thinking by Kara (one of our managers...not the player) to use Jelly-Belly's and Twizzlers for the letters!

Hola...Cancun Slideshow

2009-12-02T08:02:00.001-08:00

The Cancun Challenge was an amazing tournament to be a part of. We would have most definitely liked the outcome of our games to have been a little different; however, it will be an experience the team will never forget. We got lots of great photos while we were there...check out our slide show!!

Cancun Challenge-Arkansas Game

2009-11-26T21:19:00.000-08:00

First off....Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!! We hope you all enjoyed your day and had time to spend it with your friends and family!! Among many things, we are very thankful for all of the support you, our fans, have shown us and we want to thank YOU for everything you have done!!

I hate to say it, but it was another tough one today. The girls played great and really went out there and gave it their all...unfortunately, we came up short again. We made some great plays and really kept to what we were supposed to do defensively, which we are proud of them for doing. Anna led us with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while freshmen, Diana Hubbard, is really proving herself by shooting 4-6 from beyond the arc. Check out the full online article and stats at http://www.icgaels.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=64325&SPID=7100&DB_OEM_ID=14900&ATCLID=204840729.

The Cancun Challenge Banquet was tonight and all of the teams got together, ate a nice dinner and saw an authentic Mayan ritual on stage (video clips of that to come!!). Coach Bozzella gave a short post-game interview prior to the tournament banquet tonight. We are ready for tomorrow's game...we all know what needs to be done!!

Oh the Places You Will Go

2009-11-24T17:56:00.000-08:00

The Notre Dame trip was a great experience for the girls. The chance to see a ND home football game, as well as play in front of a crowd of 8,511 people is something the team will never forget. The outcome of our game was nothing like what we had hoped for, or have worked so hard for these past few months. The word we are using to describe our performance is disappointment. The girls seem to understand that they need to step it up if we want to do anything special this year because playing like we did on Sunday will most definitely not cut it. However, we still wanted to give all of you a little peek at what we saw while we were at Notre Dame...check out the short video of the football festivities.

Right now we are getting ready to play Arkansas and Cleveland State in the Cancun Challenge in Cancun, Mexico. A bunch of us (staff) are already here in Cancun, and let me tell you...it's pretty amazing! Glad to be getting a little sunshine and warm weather...but it's down to business once the team arrives tomorrow afternoon until our last game Friday afternoon. We'll keep you updated on how it's going down here and hopefully be writing about 2 more wins under our belt soon!

Happy Birthday, Coach Bozzella

2009-11-21T09:54:00.000-08:00

Although the cake tradition wasn't carried out for Coach B's birthday, I think he'll take tickets to the Notre Dame vs UCONN football game any day of the week...no offense to Coach Abbate's yummy cakes!! The team...players, coaches, managers, SID, trainer, moderator, and all of the above...will be going to watch the Irish play for Senior Day today.

We are all so excited!! After practice today on Notre Dame's campus, we saw hundreds (maybe thousands) of Irish fans tailgating all over the place...parking lots, yards, fields, you name it, they were there. It's going to be a crazy day and we can't wait to get it started! And, of course, our game tomorrow will be a great experience for the girls, as well.

Happy Birthday, Coach Bozzella!! Videos from our trip will be up soon!!

Season Opener Against Arizona

2009-11-15T05:45:00.000-08:00

So the end result may not have been what we were looking for in our first game, but what an effort put forth by the girls...especially in the 2nd half! After losing last night to Arizona in our Tip Off Tournament / season opener (75-70 in overtime) we are putting our game-face on and coming ready for tonight's game against Bucknell.

Last night was a true test of the team's character and determination to fight back. Down by 21 points with 19:08 remaining in the game, we chipped away point by point and brought the game into overtime. Unfortunately, Arizona took the lead right away and we never got it back. Anna McLean showed how hard she's worked in the off-season to come back for her senior year and really kick it into gear! She ended the game with 22 points and 19 rebounds. Cat Lutz came ready for game-changing plays...she hit 5-11 from behind the arc, several of them coming at critical points in the game.

The fan attendance was great! They were into the game from the very beginning and stayed loud to the last few seconds. It was nice to see some of the summer camp girls come to support us...they helped out with the water and were great cheerleaders.

If you want to check out the article online or the stats from the game you can see them at http://www.icgaels.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=14900&ATCLID=204834205.

2009-11-11T16:09:00.000-08:00

After a good start with our win in our Dowling exhibition game last Saturday (97-63), everyone is ready for the regular season games to be underway! Our Tip Off Tournament is this weekend and we expect a great showing from all of the teams...Univ. of Arizona, Bucknell Univ, Miami OH Univ., and of course, the Iona Lady Gaels!!

The tournament kicks off this Saturday with Miami (OH) vs. Bucknell at 5:00pm then Iona vs. Arizona at 7:30pm. As we've been saying all year long so far, the girls are working as hard as ever and are excited to see all of their time and effort pay off in the games!!

We look forward to seeing all of our "blog fans" at the games cheering us on! Go Gaels!!

GAMESSS

2009-11-06T08:31:00.000-08:00

It's November and that only means one thing...GAMES ARE STARTING! We have our first exhibition game vs. Dowling tomorrow at 1:00pm and then we are full-swing into the regular season. We are so excited about our Tip Off Tournament on Nov 14th & 15th and having Arizona, Bucknell & Miami (OH) on campus.

The girls have been going so hard these past few weeks in practice, I know we are all ready to get the games going and see all the time spent in the gym pay off! Just like last year, there will be a theme for every home game this year, starting off with Kids Day Out / National Diabetes Day on Nov. 20th against Pacific. The full themed schedule will be up on our website soon, so be sure to check it out!!

Preseason Polls are Out!

2009-10-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

This year, MAAC Media Day turned out to be a record-setting event for the Iona WBB team! This is the first year in school history we've had 4 players named to Preseason All-MAAC teams. We were also chosen 2nd place by a poll of the league's 10 coaches. BUT it's only preseason...the end of the year honors are what counts the most!! (But that doesn't mean we don't appreciate the preseason honors now.) :)

Thazina was named to the Preseason All-MAAC First Team and Anna, Andja and Kristina were all named to the Preseason All-MAAC Second Team. Congrats girls...we are very proud of you all!! (You can check out the full preseason releases with Coaches Polls and All-MAAC teams at http://www.maacsports.com/.)

Suzi, Thazina and Anna all came to the event in the city...looking very nice in their "fancy clothes". You get so used to seeing the team in their sweaty practice gear that it's nice to see them dressed up every now and then; although, I'm not sure if all of them quite enjoy it...I won't mention any names! :)

Bye Bye Teenage Years!

2009-10-26T12:00:00.001-07:00

Another birthday on the team...Jess turns the big 20!! Anna leads the way in song and everyone's beautiful voice follows in harmony...or something like that. Happy 20th Birthday, Jess!!

Make a Difference Clinic

2009-10-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

What a great Saturday we had!! We had practice, watched some of the volleyball game and put on a clinic for the community for Make a Difference Week. Make a Difference Week is a full week of service dedicated to the spirit of helping others and our community...and we are so happy we had the chance to be a part of it!

The players did an outstanding job of getting all 62 children involved and making it fun for everyone. They set up 5 different stations (Agility's, Shooting, Rebounding, Defense & Ball Handling) and did drills and played games. However, it may have been difficult to concentrate with the defensive station being so loud...Jess had the kids screaming and falling all over the place!! All of the groups couldn't wait to get to the defense station...great job Jess!!

At the end, Cat put together a relay race and the rest of the girls gave out awards to the hardest workers. We gave out some Media Guides and signed some autographs...all-in-all, it was a great way to give back to those who show us so much support!

Maroon Madness Marks Beginning of Season

2009-10-22T17:52:00.000-07:00

"Basketball season is officially underway. The Iona College women’s basketball team kicked off the 2009-2010 campaign with the celebration of Maroon Madness on Friday, October 16 in the Hynes Athletics Center.

Maroon Madness, which was one of the marquee events of Iona's Homecoming Weekend, featured performances by the Iona pipe band, cheerleaders, dance team, and Born Talent (who performed the Iona basketball song). The event also included an assortment of prizes and contests.

The players and coaches received a special introduction as they entered the gym one at a time. The team delivered a big surprise to the crowd by performing a rousing rendition of Michael Jackson's "Thriller."

Following the introduction of the men's basketball players and coaches, players from both teams participated in a number of skills competitions. The freshmen and sophomores competed against the juniors and seniors in a 3-point contest, and then one player from each team was paired up with a student in a rapid-fire shooting drill.

Assistant Director of Athletics Elizabeth Faia coordinated the festivities. Associate AD Brian Beyrer and student Scott O'Donnell shared the role of master of ceremonies. At the end of the evening, head coach Anthony Bozzella addressed the audience and thanked the fans for their support. Maroon Madness marks the beginning of what promises to be an exciting year for the Iona women's basketball program!!" -Michael Sacks

Dr. Rosenberg at his Best!

2009-10-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

Dr. Rosenberg, the Provost of Iona College, and our team moderator, does a phenomenal job of putting together slide shows for different parts of our season. He really gets the girls motivated with the pictures and music he puts together. He just finished our End of Preseason slide show...take a look, he's pretty good at what he does!! :)