Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Iona
Bucknell Women's Basketball Falters at Iona, Falls 62-55
11/15/2009 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 15, 2009
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - Cosima Higham (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep Country Day) paced the Bison with 15 points and eight rebounds, but the forward's play could not keep Bucknell women's basketball from dropping its second contest at the Iona Tip-Off Tournament, 62-55 against Iona College on Sunday night.
Much like the night before, the Bison got off to a hot start, putting seven on the scoreboard before the Gaels made their first mark on the scoreboard. That seven-point advantage was the largest by either team in the first half, but Bucknell turnovers soon gave Iona the look it needed.
Bucknell committed 13 turnovers in the opening half as Iona forced the issue with a full-court press and up-tempo play.
The Gaels' Anda Ivkovic put her team ahead for the first time at 14:02 with back-to-back buckets for 10-9. Neither team was able to claim momentum from that point on as the lead changed hands three more times in the final minutes of the half.
Cold shooting on both sides resulted in a low-scoring affair. Iona took some ill-advised shots and settled for a single field goal in the final eight minutes of the frame. The squad also had two free throws during that stretch, but the low point production kept it trailing. The bison struggled to get many shots at all and, despite being unable to get a field goal themselves in over four minutes, shot better than 47 percent in the half and took a 27-24 lead into the locker room.
Higham finished the half with a team-best eight points despite playing just 10 minutes. The junior committed two early fouls to put her on the bench. Trisha Krewson (Sandusky, Ohio/Perkins) claimed seven points through the opening half.
It was Higham again in the second half with many of the Bison's scores. The junior tallied seven of the team's first nine points. The otherwise flat start from the field put Bucknell in a difficult spot as Iona kept up its quick play. At eight minutes, the Bison found themselves trailing by their biggest deficit so far at 43-36. Turnovers, fouls and a nearly five minute scoring drought made the hole deeper.
Despite a sluggish pace, Bucknell still managed to shoot nearly 46 percent from the field in the second half. An increased intensity led to a bit of a scoring spurt in the final six minutes to help with that mark. Krewson posted seven points during that stretch and with less than a minute to play, the Bison were back within three points. The Gaels hit their free throws down the stretch, however, and Bucknell came up short in the end with the seven-point loss.
Joining Higham in double-digit scoring was Krewson with a season-high 14 points and Joyce Novacek (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell) with 11. Morgan Wrightson (Gaithersburg, Md./Notre Dame Academy (Va.)) and Rachel Voss (Cincinnati, Ohio/Loveland) shared the team lead in assists with four apiece.
A trio of Gaels also finished in double-figure scoring, led by Thazina Cook with 16. Cook hit three shots from three-point distance in the second half to propel her as the team's top point-getter. Ivkovic and Anna McLean finished with 14 and 10 points, respectively.
After opening on the road, the Bison will return home to Sojka Pavilion on Thursday, Nov. 19. Bucknell's home opener will feature in-state rival Penn State at 7 p.m.
