NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – The Saint Peter's University women's basketball team lost to Iona 63-44 Saturday afternoon in the Hynes Center. Sophomore guard Rachel Kuhl scored a career high 15 points. Junior center Kassondra Brown recorded her fifth consecutive double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
The Peacocks got a huge boost from Kuhl in the first quarter. Coming off the bench, she made three straight threes to give the Peacocks an 11-4 lead after six minutes of play. The Gaels closed the quarter out on a 13-0 run to lead 17-11 after one.
Kuhl opened the scoring in the second quarter with a floater to match her career high with 11 points. Sophomore forward Victoria Ikenasio followed that with a jumper to cut the Iona lead to two. The Peacocks were able to tie the game at 20 with 5:38 to go after senior guard Nickelle O'Neil banked in a jumper from the free throw line, which was followed by a triple from Brown from the top of the key. Iona followed that with a 9-0 run to close out the half, leading 29-20.
A slow start from Saint Peter's saw them trailing by 16 points, 42-26, at the media timeout in the third quarter. Brown hit a three, while sophomore forward Sky Castro made a layup and graduate guard Kendrea Williams made a free throw for the six Peacock points up to that point. Saint Peter's was able to trim the deficit to 11 at the end of the quarter, as Kuhl and Brown combined for the final nine Peacock points.
The Peacocks went cold for the first four minutes of the final frame, not scoring any points. Williams broke the drought by making two free throws with 5:55 left. They scored points late from freshman guard Imani Felix, Ikenasio, and Castro, but the deficit was too large as the Gaels came away with the win.
Top Peacock Performers
- Kuhl led the team in scoring for the first time this season, scoring a career high 15 points.
- Brown recorded her ninth double-double on the year and her fifth straight, scoring 11 and adding 11 boards. She also had three assists and two steals.
- Castro scored six points and had five rebounds.
Milestones
- Kuhl: Set career highs in points (15), minutes (22), and field goals (6).
- Brown: Career high three three pointers.
- Felix: Career high one field goal.
Stat Pack
- Saint Peter's shot 17-of-53 from the floor (32.1%) while recording a 6-of-23 mark (26.1%) from downtown. The team shot 4-of-6 (66.7%) at the free throw line.
- The Peacocks grabbed 33 rebounds.
- Saint Peter's had ten assists and two steals.
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