Bucknell University
Iona
Bucknell Women's Basketball Nipped by Iona in Defensive Struggle, 45-44
1/3/2007 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 3, 2007
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Martina Weber made a pair of free throws with 0.8 seconds on the clock to give Iona its first lead in nearly 17 minutes as the Gaels defeated Bucknell 45-44 in women's basketball action Wednesday night at Sojka Pavilion. Lindsey Hollobaugh (Loganton, Pa./Central Mountain) led the Bison with a game-high 18 points as they led or were tied for more than 34 minutes in the game that featured a combined 43 turnovers.
Bucknell took its second-largest lead (42-35) of the game with about 6:30 left on the clock on a backdoor layup from Hollobaugh, who was 8-for-12 from the field. However, the Bison would manage just one field goal the rest of the way as the Gaels ended the game on a 10-2 run.
Hollobaugh nearly sealed the game with her third 3-pointer of the game with just over a minute to play that would have put Bucknell up four points in the low-scoring contest. She missed the wide-open jumper and Toni Horvath corralled the defensive rebound.
The Gaels, who took possession down one, were unable to take the lead as Tiara Headen missed a contested jumper with just under a minute to play. Kesha Champion (Chesapeake, Va./Indian River) grabbed the board, her career high-tying eighth of the game. Champion ended up with the ball in her hands as the shot clock wore down on the ensuing possession and launched a long 3-pointer that appeared good when it left her hands, but bounced off the front of the rim and out of bounds, giving Iona the ball with 22 seconds remaining and the chance to win.
The Gaels inbounded the ball with 11 seconds left, but Bucknell still had a foul to give before Iona was shooting one-and-one from the free throw line. After the foul from Champion the Gaels again inbounded the ball, this time with eight seconds left, and found Weber at the foul line. She spun and went strong to the basket, drawing a foul on Hope Foster (Washington, D.C./Dunbar). She then calmly swished the game-winning free throws following a timeout.
Bucknell led most of the way, building an eight-point led on two occasions in the first half and again in the second. The Bison never trailed by more than two points and the first time Iona took a lead late in the first half, Amanda Brown (Richardson, Texas/L.V. Berkner) answered with two of her three first-half 3-pointers to give Bucknell a 24-20 advantage and momentum going into halftime.
Foster narrowly missed her sixth double-double of the season with nine points and a team-high nine rebounds. She also blocked five shots for the first time since Nov. 25 as she pushed her season total over 60. Brown added nine points, all coming in the first half, and a team-high four assists.
Despite registering 13 steals, including a season-high three from Hollobaugh, and forcing a season-high 25 turnovers, Bucknell recorded just one steal in the final seven minutes of play.
The Bison struggled on the boards against the much-larger Gaels as they were outrebounded by their largest margin of the season, 47-28. Iona grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, including four from the 6-5 Weber, who recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Bucknell also struggled from the field against the tough Iona defense, making just 30.9 percent of its shots, including 25.9 percent in the second half. In fact, the Bison were just 28.6 inside the 3-point arc as they made 5 of 13 from 3-point range.
Iona had a difficult time from the field as well against the Bucknell defense the pressure the ball full court the entire game, making just 33.9 percent. The Gaels were just 2 of 14 from 3-point range, although Lauren DeFalco, who was 2-for-13 from the field, made a key long-range shot late in the second half to cut the Bucknell lead to 42-39.
With the loss, Bucknell is now in the midst of its first losing streak of the season. The Bison, who are now 8-7, have not lost three games in a row since the 2004-05 campaign. Iona, which has won four of its last five contests, improved to 7-6 with the victory and is off to its best start since 1988-89.
The 89 combined points was the fewest in a game for the Bison since the third game of Kathy Fedorjaka's 10-year tenure as head coach. The Bison lost to UMBC 52-35 in the third contest of the 1997-98 season.
With its non-conference schedule complete, Bucknell opens Patriot League play Saturday against Navy at 4 p.m. The game will be the third in a four-game homestand for the Bison, who have defeated the Mids in each of their last three meetings.
