Hempstead, NY - Four buckets from downtown by freshman Cat Lutz highlighted what was a valiant effort by the Iona College women's basketball team. The Gaels dropped to 0-2 to start the season with a 62-59 defeat at Hofstra.
Lutz led Iona with 14 points, followed by Thazina Cook (13) and Lauren DeFalco (12). Cook recorded her first career double-double with 13 points, including five-of-six from the line, and a game-leading 12 rebounds. Iona's 35.9% from the field bested the Pride by 2.6 percent.
Cook scored the contest's first four points as the Maroon & Gold charged ahead to a 13-4 advantage with 13:58 on the clock. Iona matched its largest lead of the half, nine points, on a trio of occasions, the last with 7:02 remaining following a layup from Jessica Smith. A pair of free throws by Hofstra's Niki Williams 43 seconds later and a jumper by Linn Quamme with 5:56 remaining closed the Gaels' advantage to five points. Lutz hit two trifectas in a span of under two minutes, bringing the score to 34-29 at the 1:30 mark. Jess Fuller answered back with a three for the final basket of the period, cutting the margin to three heading into the second half.
Quamme evened the score at 34-all with a three-pointer at 18:58 in the second half. The Gaels immediately answered and socred six straight points, including a pair of baskets from rookie Suzi Fregosi. That lead was short-lived, however, as consecutive baskets by Sam Brigham, Fuller, and Natty Fripp tied the game at 40 with just under 14 minutes left. The two teams would go back and forth with Iona taking as much as a seven-point advantage (50-43) with 10:19 left following a Fregosi jumper.
Hofstra would slowly chip away at the deficit and a 7-0 run over two and a half minutes would give the Pride its first lead of the contest at 57-55. Williams started the run, Brigham tied the score at 55 with a three-pointer, and Quamme came up big once again with a bucket to put Hofstra ahead. Cook evened the score at 57 moments later, but a Pride free throw gave the hosts the lead for good with 1:24 left.
Iona will host St. Francis (NY) in its regular season home opener on Nov. 14 at 7:30 pm.
