Martinez and Robinson tallied 19 points each, with Martinez connecting on six of her 12 attempts from the field along with a 6-for-6 effort from the charity stripe. Robinson knocked down five three-pointers and finished with a game-high nine rebounds and three steals.
Junior forward Cassidee Ranger also recorded five trifectas, and went 6-for-9 from the field to record 17 points. Junior forward Joy Adams scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Adams’ final board of the contest pushed her career total to an even 1,000, becoming just the third player in program history, and 13th in league history, to accomplish the feat.
The Gaels connected on 13 three-pointers, one shy of a season high, and recorded 21 assists on 31 made baskets. Sophomore guard Marina Lizarazu dished out a game-high nine assists.
Iona never trailed in the game, and scored seven of the first nine points to grab a 7-2 lead with 15:47 left in the first half. The Purple Eagles responded with five straight points to even the contest with 14:42 remaining in the period.
A 17-6 run by the Maroon & Gold, aided by a pair of Rangers three-pointers and six points by Adams, pushed the Gaels ahead 24-13 with 9:09 in the stanza.
Seven straight Niagara points cut the margin to four points, before a 6-0 charge by Iona pushed the advantage back to double digits, 30-20, with 6:20 remaining in the first.
The Gaels ended the opening half with a 22-15 run over the final six-plus minutes to take a 52-35 lead into intermission. Iona connected on six threes over the stretch, including two apiece from Ranger and Robinson.
A Robinson three 15 seconds into the second period gave the Gaels a 20-point advantage before another trifecta by Robinson gave the Maroon & Gold its biggest lead of the game, 64-42, with 15:26 remaining.
With Iona ahead 83-64, the Purple Eagles trimmed the deficit as the Gaels went held scoreless over the final five minutes of the game.
Meghan McGuinness and Victoria Rampado each finished with a game-high 21 points for Niagara. Iona is back in action Sunday, when it visits Canisius for a 2:00 pm tip.
