November 19th, 2016: Duquesne at Iona

Just the Facts, Ma'am: For the second game in a row, Duquesne came on strong in the third quarter to overcome a first-half deficit and win 61-58, this time over Iona- but the Gaels didn't go down without a fight. Kadri-Ann Lass led the Dukes with 17 points, 8 in the last five minutes of play, while Amadea Szamosi notched six points and 15 rebounds. Alexis Lewis and Marina Lizarazu each had 16 points to pace Iona, with Lizarazu adding nine rebounds and six assists.

For musical interludes, wardrobe malfunctions, overseas leadership, bringing all of the noise, free throw issues, flaring tempers, and common ground, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.


Good morning! We're on the 6 train on our way to Iona, because somehow I just can't get enough of losing to Duquesne. We've already had a bit of drama, as one gentleman at our end of the car has chosen to assume that another gentleman at the other end of the car is indulging in some... self-satisfaction... and is voicing his protests of this behavior quite loudly and profanely, while the second gentleman is disagreeing with the first gentleman's assessment. Fortunately, the second gentleman has departed, so there will be no fisticuffs.

Missed the bus by two minutes, so we had to offset the cost of the cab with eating at the food court. I've had worse food court food, but the college I went to actually got shamed on the local news for food poisoning, so that's not setting the bar very high.

Coming through a tunnel of dancers shaking pom-poms is actually creepier than I thought it would be. (We're not special. They're set up by the door and doing that to everyone.)

To the dude in the Duquesne hoodie: dude. Your bench is clear on the other side of the arena, why are you over here? What is with opposing fans ignoring the seats behind their own bench- the seats that I was always taught you take when you're on the road- and parking on the home side of center court? He did move eventually.

Game is tied at halftime, 24-all. Coach Godsey has been going awfully freshman-heavy in this one, and I don't know if it's working. We've been sloppy, and we can't keep being sloppy in the second half if we're going to survive.

Nasal, dirge-like anthem. Breath control, sister.

Not that Philecia Atkins-Gilmore is rusty or anything, but the first time she came into the game, she almost started play with her jacket on before the official realized he couldn't see her number. (Going with the theory that there's only one hyphen permitted per team, because Tilasha is Okey-Williams on the roster, but only Okey on her jersey.)

The officiating appears to be inspired by the rugby tournament going on outside the arena. Lots of scrums with either no calls or very late held ball calls. Poor Alexis must have dove into the nearest ice bath as soon as the game was over, because she hit the deck a lot, and so did a lot of Duquesne players.

Duquesne really tightened up their rotation in this game. Brianna Thomas had a very brief stint of no remarkability. Paige Cannon actually started off like gangbusters, hitting a couple of shots and boxing out really, really well. Her minutes faded in the second half as Burt ran heavily with his starters. Halle Bovell got a bit more run in this one than she did on Thursday, and she showed some freshman jitters when she did, missing two shots that looked like gift-wrapped opportunities. Juliana Vojinovic, creator of awkward announcement pauses, had some solid minutes on the defensive end and got into scrums.

Chassidy Omogrosso didn't have quite the shooting night she did against St. John's, and when she got called for a touch foul late (in a situation where everyone was expecting the Dukes to use the fouls they had to give), she was all up in her feelings. Two of her teammates had to cool her down as she barked at the ref, and then she committed a frustration shove on Karynda DuPree and got up in her feelings again. She's got to control her emotions a little bit better. She's fun to watch, otherwise- great speed, highlight reel shots, good passing, quick hands. Nina Aho slipped away from the defense quite often for jumpers, and fought hard for loose balls. Conor Richardson was quiet- spent a lot of time in foul trouble. She uses the sideline as a secondary defender very nicely.

Kadri-Ann Lass came up with the big shots when the Dukes needed them in the fourth quarter. She gave Duquesne the lead and hit dagger threes. Points for leadership, too- she was the one who corralled Omogrosso and dragged her away from the ref. Amadea Szamosi owned the boards; she had a putback late to beat the shot clock that I thought was the backbreaker, and the fact that it wasn't is a testament to Iona's toughness. She was everywhere on the glass. Really great nose for the ball and knack for positioning. (Ridiculously ripped shoulders, too, which you can tell because Duquesne has the racerback jerseys with the ridiculously small backs.

In the two games I saw this year, Duquesne came on strong in the second half, which tells me that they're getting really good halftime coaching and learning from it. They're still young enough to struggle with a little adversity, but I think they'll grow out of that.

So should I be calling Tilasha Okey, or Okey-Williams? (See above re: hyphen allocation.) Whatever I should be calling her, it is not "person who should be bringing the ball up the floor". Ever. She's enthusiastic, but she's definitely still working her way into the college game. Iida Ahvenainen brought some tough defense on the ball, and of all the things, she missed the one shot she took long (after all the comments I've made about her lack of strength, I find that amusing). Amelia Motz brought the hustle, but not much else. Philecia Atkins-Gilmore needs to not telegraph her passes. I know she's rusty because of whatever injury kept her out of the last couple of games, and I'm sure she'll get that half-second back in time.

Tori Lesko plays with all the grace of a bull in a china shop, and that's not meant as an insult. She goes hard to the basket when she goes in, like a pinball. I love how hard she works. Someone needs to work with her on her free throw form; there seems to be too much motion in it, and that came back to bite us. Karynda DuPree is a continual frustration with how disconnected she seems from the game at times. I like what she can do anchoring the defense in the middle, but it seems like every big block has to be countered by a fumbled rebound or a missed lay-up, and it's sort of hair-tearing-out-ing. (I don't begrudge her the three-point try, though- it was near the end of the shot clock. I do begrudge her not going hard after the rebound.)

Poor Marina Lizarazu is going to be run ragged by the end of the season, unless Philecia recovers in a hurry. She was gassed by the end of the game, which I think allowed Duquesne to get the last couple of buckets- there's a specific fast break lay-up by Omogrosso that comes specifically to mind, where it looked like Marina didn't have enough in the tank to run her down. Her sense of timing is excellent, especially at the end of the clock. Alexis Lewis forgot to tell her three-point shot what time the game started, and it only arrived in the fourth quarter. But when it did, it arrived in style, and the crowd erupted. She was taking a lot of hits and not getting a lot of calls, and I am not okay with this. I really enjoy watching her play. I enjoy watching Treyanna Clay, too, because Trey gets involved with a lot of plays and I like to watch her kick various and sundry kinds of ass. I kind of wish I could get a +/- from these stats, because I get the feeling her impact isn't always statistical.

(But for the record, Philecia is my favorite right now. Her enthusiasm on the bench and on the Bike To Nowhere is unparalleled and gives us a good starting point to make some noise. She's up on every chant and cheer, and she's always encouraging her teammates. You sing along with "Eye of the Tiger" and do the stomp for "We Will Rock You", you're all right by me.)

(And no, Phee, I'm not just saying this because I know you're reading it.)

I usually come down pretty hard on Coach Godsey, but I thought she made some really good adjustments after Duquesne made their big run. Live by the three, die by the three, but I thought the game plan was solid in the fourth quarter.

Officiating, as always, was hilariously inconsistent.

Duquesne's coach seems like a nice guy.

Place got real loud near the end, and it wasn't just us stomping the bleachers. Give Iona fans an excuse to make noise, and noise will happen, even without Damika's family around.

Between the inconvenient bus schedule and the bus being ten minutes late, we were waiting at the bus stop for more than half an hour, and ran into Philecia (and a couple of teammates who I couldn't immediately place because sometimes I have issues putting names and faces together without a guide). We exchanged pleasantries- and now I know she read, or has read, the GNoD.

I think Iona has really started to internalize the school motto: fight the good fight. That's a mindset I can get behind.