Baltimore, MD- Eighteen points a piece from senior
Martina Weber and junior
Lauren DeFalco was not enough to solve Loyola as the Iona College women's basketball team dropped a 73-68 decision in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action at Reitz Arena. The Gaels (12-8, 7-2 MAAC) dropped their second straight decision on the road after a perfect homestand and a program best six-game winning streak.
A see-saw battle in the first half saw eight different lead changes and four ties as neither team could take control of the game. The Greyhounds (12-7, 7-2 MAAC) took their largest lead of the half in the early part of game when a Brittany Dunn layup put her team ahead 11-5 at the 3:30 mark. Dunn torched the Gaels for 18 points in the win. A 13-1 Iona run put the Gaels up by six less than four minutes later. Senior Jessica Anger scored six of her seven points during the stretch draining two jumpers and two free throws. DeFalco and senior Joanne Smith also had a three-point field to help the Gaels take an 18-12 advantage. A seven-point Iona lead with 6:38 to go was erased a little over two minutes later. Loyola had a two-point edge going into the half.
With the score tied at 34, the Gaels scored the next seven points and went up by as many as eight on another DeFalco three at 15:31. The lead evaporated midway through the half, as Loyola went on the offensive a 15-4 run. Vika Sholokhova drained a three pointer to give the Greyhounds a 12-point advantage at 64-52, capping the scoring edge at 30-8 in a little under 10 minutes. Iona made a valiant comeback attempt but fell short by five when the clock hit zero.
Weber shot 7-of-14 from the field and fell one rebound shy of a double-double with nine to lead the Gaels. All four DeFalco field goals came from behind the arc, matching her season high in the statistic. Junior Tiara Headen added eight points while Anger and classmate Regan Pettijohn had seven a piece.
Sholokhova had a game-high 22 for Loyola to go along with eight rebounds.
The Gaels return to the cozy confines of the Hynes Athletics Center on Saturday afternoon and will defend their home turf in a rematch with Canisius. Iona escaped with a 66-63 win over the Golden Griffins in Buffalo in early December. The two teams tip-off in the first game of a doubleheader with the men's team at 1:00 pm
