Dec. 31, 2008

Box Score

(San Francisco, Calif.) A second half comeback fell short Wednesday as the USF women's basketball team dropped a 68-64 decision to visiting Iona in a New Years Eve matinee contest at War Memorial Gym. Senior guard Shay Rollins led the Dons (4-9) past in the Gaels (9-4 overall, 2-0 MAAC) with 18 points, marking her 19th consecutive contest with 10 or more points.

San Francisco fell behind early in the first half as the Gaels opened on a 13-0 run. USF began to chip away at Iona's lead at 16:06, scoring its first points. The Dons continued to trail the entire half, and headed into halftime with a four point, 32-28 deficit. In the opening stanza, San Francisco posted a .391 shot percentage, including shooting .375 from three-point territory.

The Dons opened the second half strong, pulling within one in the opening three minutes, before grabbing a 41-41 tie at 11:02 thanks to a free throw by freshman guard Vania Singleterry. The game remained close throughout the remainder of the half, with the Dons will pulling within one on multiple occasions, and tying the score twice. The Gaels began to secure the victory in the final minute, scoring six points.

Rollins led San Francisco with 18 points, 11 in the second half, with five rebounds and two assists. Joining the senior with double-digit scoring was senior center Necolia Simmons and junior guard Danesha Wright. Simmons posted 15 points with seven rebounds, while Wright added 14 with three assists and a trio of boards.

Nnenna Okereke earned a game-high 14 rebounds for the Dons, doubling her previous career-high of seven. Okereke saw 29 minutes of action off the bench, posting two steals, a block, an assist and two points.

USF held a large 44-29 rebound advantage over Iona, including a 15-6 offensive rebound edge.

The Gaels were led by Anda Ivkovic, who posted a game-high 28 points on 9-for-14 shooting.

San Francisco will hit the road this weekend as it wraps up its non-conference season at Wyoming. The Dons and Cowgirls will face off Saturday at 2 p.m. in Laramie, Wyo.