WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J.- Monmouth University's women's basketball team rallied back from a nine-point deficit late in the second half to close to within three points with 16 seconds to play before ultimately losing their first game of the season to Iona College, 53-51 Wednesday night in Boylan Gym.
Trailing by five with eight minutes to play Monmouth's defense did a solid job on the glass but the offense was plagued by missed shots and turnovers as the Hawks fell to 1-1 on the young season. Iona remained undefeated, improving to 3-0. Senior forward Lakia Barber (Clinton, Md./Gwynn Park) tallied her third career double-double, scoring a career-high 22 points to lead all players in the loss.
Down by seven to start the second half, MU outscored Iona 6-4 during the first four minutes of action climbing to within five on a Marbely Montas (Elizabeth, N.J./Cranford) jumper. The two teams traded shots over the next few possessions but Iona was able to improve its lead to 39-30 with 9:30 left in regulation. A Barber jumpshot was followed by Alexis Canady (Forestville, Md./Bishop McNamara) forcing a turnover and then scoring on a fast break to slice the Gael lead to 39-34. Monmouth closed to within three with eight minutes to go when Barber drove out of trouble and hit an off-balance layup.
Iona was able expand its lead to seven, earning a 45-38 advantage on a Suzi Fregosi shot with 4:28 remaining. After the Gaels opened up an 11 point lead with under two to play, Barber converted a tradition three point play to get MU within eight with the Hawks regaining the ball after forcing a Gael turnover. A foul with 40 seconds to go sent Barber to the charity stripe, where the senior converted both her free throws to cut the lead to four. Barber continued to be clutch in the stretch run, hitting a layup with 25 seconds get Monmouth to within four. With one second to play Barber capped her night with a three pointer but Monmouth eventually fell by two.
The Hawks led 2-0 out of the gate but fell behind 9-4 on a Catherine Lutz three ball early in the opening half. Canady got her team back in it with a three pointer to slice the Iona lead to two before Monmouth closed the gap to one on a Bender free throw. The Gaels then proceeded to launch an 8-0 run to take a 16-8 lead with 11:38 to play in the first half. Bender broke the scoring draught for the Hawks minutes later with a layup, but could not get the offense going as Iona held a 18-10 lead with just under seven to go in the opening frame.
The Gaels continued to control the scoring, outscoring the Hawks 7-4 but the Blue & White kept themselves in it with diligent work on the glass. A pair of Jennifer Bender (Staten Island, N.Y./Staten Island Tech) free throws and an 18 foot Marisa Jimenez (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) jumper gave the Hawks a four-point swing, cutting the Iona lead to 25-18 at halftime.
Barber's 22 points led all players, with the senior grabbing 12 rebounds in the game. Bender finished with nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while Montas chipped in eight points.
The Gaels were led offensively by Anda Ivkovic, who had 12 points. Thazina Cook added 10 points and five rebounds for Iona. Monmouth dominated the boards 38-24 but was hampered by 26% shooting in the first half and 24 total turnovers.
Monmouth returns to action on Monday, Nov. 24, when they host Rider at 7 p.m.
