Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Iona
Bucknell Women's Basketball Toppled by Iona, 67-54
12/18/2010 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 18, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell women's basketball struggled to protect the ball, and that hurt the Bison's ability to put points on the board, sending them to a 67-54 loss to Iona at Sojka Pavilion on Saturday night. Iona (3-6) finished with 30 points off Bucknell's 28 turnovers in the game as the Bison dropped to 2-6 on the season.
Bucknell got off to a rocky start following a 13-day layoff for the final exams break. Although Rachel Voss (Cincinnati, Ohio/Loveland) put two quick points on the board with a pair of free throws just seconds into the start of play, the Bison soon found it difficult to make its way to the basket under some tight defense from the Gaels. That defensive coverage resulted in five turnovers for Bucknell before the home team could put its first field goal in the books.
Alyssa Dunn (Mason, Ohio/Seven Hills School) broke the initial scoring drought for the Orange and Blue at the 16:18 mark. The sophomore's layup did little to sway momentum, however. Bucknell then went nearly five more minutes before another layup made the score 16-6 at 11:43. The Bison then started to find a bit of rhythm and eventually got back to within four points as Dunn claimed three points on a layup and a foul.
After turning the ball over nine times in the game's first six minutes, Bucknell was able to calm down and keep Iona's lead in single digits. The strong effort came despite only one field goal in the final eight minutes of the opening half. At the break, the Bison had clawed their way to a score of 28-21, and 14 of their points had come in the paint.
Iona came out of the locker room looking for a repeat of the first half and nearly got it. Bucknell committed seven turnovers in the first 5:12 of the second half, leading to a 45-25 lead for the Gaels.
Iona's advantage hovered around 20 points for the next four minutes before the Bison finally put together a strong stretch. After Anda Ivkovic drilled a 3-pointer for 55-32 at 10:56, Bucknell went on its best run of the night, taking 15 of the next 17 points. That brought Iona's lead down to 10, but that last hurdle of getting back to single digits proved to be the hardest to clear. After coming so close to putting the Gaels on the ropes, the Bison turned the ball over on three of their next four possessions. Strong free throw shooting ended Bucknell's chances of a full comeback, and Iona closed out the night with a 13-point win.
At the end of the night, Bucknell's main advantage came in the paint. The Bison totaled 34 points inside, compared to the Gaels' 22. The Bison also had a 35-31 advantage in total rebounds.
With 13 points, Dunn led Bucknell in scoring for the first time in her career. She was joined in double figures by Voss with 10. Joyce Novacek (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell) finished with a team-best nine rebounds, while her five assists led the team and tied her personal career high. Lindsay Horbatuck (Avon, Conn./Avon) had three steals on the night. Of her six rebounds, five came on the offensive glass.
Iona ended the night with four players in double figure scoring, led by Kristina Ford's 17. Ivkovic and Tomica Bacic also had 15 apiece.
Bucknell will be back in action on Tuesday, Dec. 21 when it travels to Wofford for a 4 p.m. game in Spartanburg, S.C.
