Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Fordham Not Enough for Gaels

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.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Gaels Down Bucknell

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.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Spartans Take Down the Gaels

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.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Hubbard Leads a Comeback to Beat Stony Brook

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

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.