NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona University women's basketball team lost to Providence, 53-50, on Thursday night at the Hynes Center.
Juana Camilion and
Kate Mager finished in double figures and helped lead Iona's comeback, which fell just short at the end.
THE RUNDOWN
Providence jumped out to an early 6-0 advantage, holding Iona points until Camilion connected on a trifecta with 5:47 to play in the opening period. Thoranna Hodge-Carr scored inside to bring Iona within three points, but the Gaels would not score again until the final minute of the quarter. During that span, the Friars built a 10-point lead.
The two sides combined to score just 15 points in the second quarter, seeing Providence take a 24-14 lead into the halftime intermission. Iona's offensive struggles continued into the third quarter, while Providence used a 15-0 run to cushion its lead to 21 points, 41-20, with less than a minute remaining in the frame. Judith Gomez ended the quarter with a buzzer-beating three-pointer that provided Iona with some momentum heading into the fourth quarter.
The Friars padded their lead to 23 points, the largest of the evening, but a run by the Gaels made things very interesting down the stretch. Baskets from Kate Mager, Camilion, Isabelle Lipinski and Natalia Otkhmezuri highlighted a 14-0 run by the Gaels that trimmed the deficit to nine points with four minutes to play. Trifectas down the stretch from Otkhmezuri, Camilion and Mager made it a one-point game with 36 seconds to play. Crooms drove and scored inside to give the Friars a three-point cushion with 10 seconds to play. A last-second three-point try by Otkhmezuri hit the back iron and came off, spelling an end to Iona's late run and the contest.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
- Camilion (14) and Mager (11) combined to score 35 of Iona's 50 points.
- Hodge-Carr pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. Her 10 boards were a new career high for the sophomore from Iceland.
- Athias dished out a game-leading five assists. She led the team in assists for the third consecutive game to start the season.
- Athias also finished with team-highs in blocks (2) and steals (2).
TEAM STATS
- Providence never trailed in the contest, leading for 39:04 of game time.
- The Friars limited the Gaels to a season-low 21.4 percent mark from the floor in the first half.
- Iona shot a blistering 73.3 percent (11-15) from the field in the fourth quarter, ending the contest on a 25-5 run that spanned 7:30.
- Providence went to the line 22 times, knocking down 16 from the charity stripe. The Maroon & Gold finished the night 0-3 at the free-throw line.
- The two sides finished relatively even in three categories:
- Points off turnovers: Iona 25, Providence 23
- Bench points: Iona 12, Providence 11
- Paint points: Iona 26, Providence 26
THE OPPONENT
- Janai Crooms finished with a game-high 18 points on 8-10 shooting from the field.
- Grace Efosa posted team-highs in rebounds (9) and assists (3).
- The Friars' largest lead was 23 points (48-25) with 7:30 to play in the fourth quarter.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Iona heads on the road for a pair of road games, beginning on Sunday at Sacred Heart. The Gaels and the Pioneers tip off at noon at the Pitt Center before getting back on the road to head to Bucknell for a Tuesday morning contest in Pennsylvania.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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