Led by 32 points from senior Damika Martinez, the visiting Iona Gaels dropped the Golden Griffins women's basketball team 80-62 at the Koessler Athletic Center on Sunday afternoon. With the victory, the Gaels move to 11-8 overall and improve to 8-2 in MAAC play, while the Griffs fall to 7-12 on the season and .500 in the MAAC with a 5-5 record. 

The Griffs were led by junior Emily Weber, who was the team's leading scorer for just the fourth time this season, with 15 points on 3-4 from beyond the arc. Senior Kayla Hoohuli added 12 points, four rebounds, two steals, two assists and a career-high two blocks. The Griffs shot above 40 percent from the floor and just under 60 percent from behind the 3-point line, but were unable to overcome the hot-shooting Gaels (47.7 from the floor and 47.6 from 3-point land). 

Iona was led by Martinez, 32 points on 12-24 shooting and junior Joy Adams who had 16 points, 16 boards and 7 assists in 31 minutes of action. The Gaels out scored the Griffs in the paint 30-16 and had 19 points off of turnovers, leading to the victory. 

The Griffs made a strong push in the second half to cut the Iona half time lead, 44-32, but were unable to get past the hot-shooting of Martinez and Adams. With 8:47 left to play in regulation, coach Terry Zeh pulled his starters and got his freshmen some solid minutes against the starting squad of the Gaels. 

The line-up of sophomore Tamara Miskovic and freshmen Sarah Cooley, Abby Schwenk, Saliah Serrette and Margret Halfdanardottir held the Gaels to just 10 points in the final 8:47 of regulation, compared to scoring 16 for the Griffs. Serrette led the way for the Griffs, scoring six points, including one 3-pointer, a career-high for the freshman guard. 

The next game for the Griffs will be in West Long Branch, N.J., when the team takes on Monmouth University on Friday, Jan. 30 at 12 p.m.

Game Notes: This was the 52nd all-time meeting between the two schools, with Iona holding a 29-23 lead in the series… The 18-point win for Iona on Sunday stands as the Gaels' second largest in series history… Iona's largest margin of victory in a game between these two clubs was 20, set Jan. 12, 2008… The nine minutes played by freshmen Sarah Cooley and Saliah Serrette was a high fro both players...Serrette's six points in the game was a career-high… Prior to tipoff, Canisius honored Hoohuli with a game ball after she became the 22nd player in program history to join the school's 1,000-point club… At halftime, Canisius inducted the newest class into its Sports Hall of Fame… Joining the Canisius Sports Hall of Fame on Sunday are Dr. Ellen Conley - athletic administrator, Veronica Maher '02 - softball and Jénel Stevens '04, MS '05 - women's basketball. Additionally, Don and Pat McMahon, long-time supporters of Canisius athletics, were honored with the Rev. Paul J. Dugan, S.J. Award, an honor that recognizes individuals for their significant contributions to the Canisius athletic department.