MIAMI, FL (11/28/03) - Despite holding a 55-50 lead with under four minutes to go, Saint Joseph's suffered a heartbreaking 62-58 loss at the hands of Iowa in the semifinals of the FIU/Herald Thanksgiving Classic on Friday night in Miami. The Hawks, which went on a 15-2 run to start the second half and claw their way back into the game, were outscored 12-3 over the final 3:41 to drop to 1-1 on the young season. After heading to the locker rooms trailing 30-27, the Hawkeyes scored the half's first five points to take their largest lead of the game, 35-27, at the 18:29 mark. But over the next six minutes, Saint Joseph's would control the action, eventually taking a 42-37 advantage with 12:35 remaining in the game. Senior Elizabeth "Hootie" Mohan, who tied for the team lead with 11 points, began the run with a three-pointer at the 17:45 mark. Senior Erin Brady then made a steal and layup and an old-fashioned three-point play to knot the score at 35, the first tie since the game's first minute. An Iowa (2-1) bucket gave UI a lead, but layups by senior Stephanie Graff and Brady, followed by a tip-in by sophomore Faith Gross put the Crimson and Gray up 41-37. The two teams would go back and forth over the next six minutes before the Hawks began to pull away, or so it seemed. Two free throws by Mohan and senior Amra Mehmedic's first three of the evening put SJU up by five points with 6:29 to go. The lead would reach six at the 5:31 mark, but from that point on, it was all Iowa. The Hawkeyes took the lead on two free throws by Jennifer Lillis with 1:09 to go, 60-58. St. Joe's was able to get several looks from the paint before gaining control of an offensive rebound with 50 seconds left. Brady was then called for an offensive foul, her fifth and final of the contest, with 0:45 to go. Nevertheless, the Hawks still had a chance. Sophomore Kelly Springman, who provided solid minutes at the point with Brady in foul-trouble, made a clutch steal with 28 seconds remaining. Senior Irina Krasnoshiok's turnaround hung on the rim before falling off, along with SJU's hopes for victory, with 10 seconds showing on the scoreboard. UI converted on two free throws to account for the game's final points. Neither team shot particularly well from the floor, with Saint Joseph's coming in at 39% and Iowa at 36.1%. However, the physical Big Ten team controlled the boards, holding a 49-34 advantage. Lillis led the team with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Kristi Faulkner scored 15 points and collected eight boards for Iowa. Krasnoshiok (eight points, five rebounds) followed Brady and Mohan in the scoring column, while Graff grabbed a team-high 10 caroms in defeat. Gross gave SJU eight points (4-5 FG) and four rebounds in 12 solid minutes off the bench. St. Joe' s will meet Appalachian State in the consolation game at 5 p.m., while Iowa advances to the championship game versus host Florida International at 7 p.m.