NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- Junior guard
Rylee Derr (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) scored a game-high 23 points and Kutztown led Division I Iona deep into the third quarter before falling, 76-70, in an exhibition game at the Hynes Center Saturday evening.
Despite a late arrival back in Kutztown after playing on the road at Penn State Friday and a quick turnaround to face the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's (MAAC) Gaels less than 24 hours later, the Golden Bears were eager for another chance to improve and clean up some areas of their game that plagued them the night before.
Derr epitomized that thought process. The returning all-conference sharp-shooter found her stroke with eight field goals and was 3-of-8 on 3-point attempts to lead all players in scoring. Freshman
Casey Remolde (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) added 14 points and nine rebounds, and
Karen Lapkiewicz (Southampton, Pa./Saint Basil Academy) reached double figures for the second straight night with 10.
Iona opened up a 6-0 advantage one minute into the game, but Kutztown steadied and took its first lead of the exhibition slate, 7-6, on a
Brianna Tarabocchia (Woodcliff Lake, N.J./Northern Valley Regional) free throw with 6:40 remaining in the first.
Derr and Remolde had six points each and
Zoe Zerman (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) drilled a three with time winding down to tie the game at 21 after 10 minutes of action.
Trailing by five early in the second,
Janet Malouf's club went on a 17-2 run while holding the Gaels to just one field goal in a near seven-minute stretch. Consecutive 3-pointers by
Presley Berryhill (New Oxford, Pa./New Oxford) along with five points from both Derr and
Gabbi Wright (Elkins Park, Pa./Cheltenham) bolstered the spurt that put KU ahead 38-28 with 2:21 left in the half.
Kutztown continued to keep an Iona team returning all five starters from last season at bay well into the third. When the hosts trimmed the Bears' lead to one, 40-39, on two Shyan Mwai free throws, Derr ripped off eight straight KU points to push the lead back to 48-40.
Unfortunately, one empty stretch would foil Kutztown's upset bid. The defending PSAC East champions were held without a field goal for more than seven minutes to end the third and start the fourth. Iona took advantage, closing with an 18-1 run over the final 5:56 of the third to take a 58-49 lead.
The Gaels' edge grew to 12 before Tarabocchia canned a triple with 8:09 remaining. A Juana Camilion jumper with 2:28 left put Iona up 11, 71-60, but the Golden Bears made one last valiant run.
Lapkiewicz scored four points, including a traditional 3-point play, Derr hit a jumper and Wright popped in a pair at the line for a quick 8-0 run that encompassed just 72 seconds and made it a one-possession game, 71-68, with 1:02 to play. The Golden Bears would get no closer, though, as Iona converted its final four attempts at the charity stripe to hold on.
The Maroon and Gold enjoyed a much better shooting effort on Saturday, going 20-of-46 (43.5%) overall and 11-of-21 (52.4%) from deep. KU also got to the foul line 26 times, making 19, after getting just nine attempts at Penn State.
Wright collected seven points in 22 minutes and Derr rounded out her game with six steals and four assists.
Mwai led four Gaels in double figures with 18 points. De'jah Williams had 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench, Paulla Weekes finished with 13 points and Camilion 10. Iona shot 52.1% (25-of-48) and took advantage of its size to win the rebounding battle 35-20, points in the paint 34-16 and second-chance points 14-1.
The six-point final spread marked Kutztown's tightest result against a Division I opponent in 11 exhibition games dating back to the 2013-14 season.
The Golden Bears open the 2019-20 regular season next Friday, Nov. 8, at Lincoln (Pa.) in the PIAA/CIAA Challenge. Game time is set for 8 p.m.
