EMMITSBURG, Md. (February 24, 2024) – Trailing by as much as 10, Mount St. Mary's women's basketball rallied to go up by five in the fourth quarter. However, Iona was able to respond and take a 62-56 win Saturday at the Hynes Athletic Center.
The Mountaineers now hold an 11-15 (8-9 MAAC) record this season.
Jessica Tomasetti led the Mountaineers for the third straight game, finishing with 18. The senior now needs 49 points to reach 1,000 for her career.
Jo Raflo contributed a double figure scoring effort with 14 and tied a season high for rebounds with eight.
Iona (10-15, 5-11 MAAC) received a double-double from Sierra DeAngelo and a game-high 19 points from Natalia Otkhmezuri.
Both sides fought to an 11-11 deadlock after the first quarter. Otkhmezuri started the second frame with a triple that began a 7-0 Iona run. The Mountaineers were forced to play catch up for the rest of the half but performed well enough to halve a 10-point deficit down to 29-24 at the intermission.
Storming out of the locker room and led by
Isabella Hunt, the Mount scored eight of the first 11 points to force a Gaels timeout. Tomasetti used a steal from
Jada Lee to generate a fast break layup to tie the score at 32. Iona would go back ahead but found themselves unable to muster a lead larger than five.
Jaedyn Jamison contributed a layup to keep the game within reach, 45-42, after three.
Raflo and Jamison tallied layups that gave the Mountaineers their first lead since 11-9.
Giana Hoddinott capped off the rally with 7:45 left on a Euro step layup. Down 50-45, Iona responded with a floater from Ella Fajardo and a game-tying three from DeAngelo. These events kicked off a 9-0 Gaels run before Raflo pulled up to cut the contest back to two. With one minute left, Iona remained ahead 58-56 when Lee saw a game-tying opportunity slip away as DeAngelo stepped in to take a charge. Foul shots by the Gaels solidified their win.
This Thursday (Feb. 29), Mount St. Mary's is back in Emmitsburg to host Manhattan. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. from Knott Arena.
