IONA OPEN WITH GOOD SHOWING
12th Oct 2008
LEISUREWORLD Churchfield Iona gave a good account of themselves in their first SuperLeague game against UL on Saturday.
The 19-point difference (68-49) doesn't do the newcomers justice, as they had the former champions rattled up until the fourth quarter.
Iona came within four points of the Shannosiders midway through the second quarter, however a purple patch by UL a minute to the half saw them enter the dressing room with a 10-point lead (34-24).
It was obvious Iona were a new team and were lacking in cohesiveness at times, but the newcomers showed great heart for their first game at the top and unfortunately for them the 19-point difference doesn't reflect the game. In the fourth quarter, UL pulled away as Iona failed to take their chances, but they will take a lot of positives from this encounter.
Canadian Rachael Vanderwal was unstoppable and finished as the game's top scorer with 24 points, while American DeVonda Williams had 15 inside.
"I thought we did very well, and there's a lot of potential in this team. It was obvious at times that we haven't been playing together very long, with our American only here a few days, but we had a very experienced side rattled for a lot of the game.
"We'll take a lot of positives from the game. All of this is new to us, and I think with one or two games behind us, and with a litle bit of gelling, we could definitely compete," said coach Wayne Kiely.
The game's top scorer with 24 points, Rachael Vanderwal said: "It was good to get out there and play at SuperLeague. We've a lot to learn, but all the girls are willing to give this a shot, and I think that with a few more games together then we'll be able to compete. From the start of the game you could see the difference between division one and SuperLeague, and we've a lot to work on, but there's definitely more positives to take than negatives. We kept with one of the best teams in the country for most of the game, and we never gave up."