Preview: Merrimack Warriors at Iona Gaels, Women’s Basketball

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (Interstat) — Two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference teams riding winning streaks will meet Wednesday when the Iona Gaels host the Merrimack Warriors in a women’s Division I basketball matchup at the Hynes Center.

Iona (10-6) enters on a two-game win streak following road victories at Niagara (77-49) and Canisius (60-51). The Gaels are 6-2 at home this season. Merrimack (8-7) has won five consecutive games, its latest an 82-65 road win at Siena on Saturday, to even its conference record.

The matchup features two of the league’s top performers. Merrimack is powered by guard Madison Roman, who is averaging a near triple-double during the win streak. In her last five games, Roman is averaging 17.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists, including a 21-point, 17-rebound, 5-assist effort in a win over Saint Peter’s on Jan. 3.

Iona counters with guard Zoey Ward, who scored a season-high 24 points to go with 7 rebounds and 4 assists in the win at Canisius. Ward has averaged 15.2 points over her last five contests.

Merrimack’s recent surge has been marked by balanced scoring. In the win over Siena, Lydia Melashenko added 22 points and Paloma Garcia scored 13. Iona’s victory at Canisius saw key contributions from Isabellah Middleton, who grabbed 13 rebounds, and Mya Zaccagnini, who scored 11 points.

The Warriors’ defense will be tested by an Iona squad averaging 66.1 points per game. Merrimack allows 66.7 points per contest. This is the first of two scheduled meetings between the teams this season; they are set to play again in North Andover, Massachusetts, on Jan. 29.

Wednesday’s game tips off at 7 p.m. EST. Iona next hosts Saint Peter’s on Monday, while Merrimack returns home to face Quinnipiac the same day.