Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Northeastern
Bison Women's Basketball Wins Second in a Row with 75-67 Victory at Northeastern
12/28/2001 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 28, 2001
BOSTON, Mass. -- Juniors Molly Creamer (Mendham, N.J./West Morris Mendham) and Kate Franks (Philipsburg, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola) combined to score 41 of Bucknell's 75 points, but none were bigger than the four made free throws in the final 26 seconds to secure the 75-67 victory for the team at Northeastern on Friday. With the win, the Bison improve to 5-5 overall, reaching .500 for the first time since December 4. Northeastern falls to 1-9 overall.
The Bison offense struggled early, finding itself in a 7-0 hole to start the game. The Orange and Blue got on the board after a Creamer jumper at the 17:30 mark and quickly got within one at 12-11 with 15:32 left in the half. Bucknell took its first lead of the game on a Rebekah May (Hummelstown, Pa./Hershey) three-pointer at the 10:41 mark of the stanza, going ahead 20-18. Behind eight straight points from Creamer and a defensive effort that held the Huskies scoreless for nearly seven minutes, the Bison extended its lead to 28-18 with 7:06 left in the frame. Northeastern slowly crept back into the game, outscoring Bucknell 12-4 over a four-minute span to get back within two, 32-30, and the Huskies took the lead into halftime, 35-34, after a made free throw to end the frame.
The second half started much the same as the first for the Orange and Blue as the host team opened the last twenty on a 10-5 run to lead by eight, 47-39, with 14:11 left in the game. Costly fouls and turnovers limited the Bucknell opportunities in the first six minutes of the stanza. Another eight-point outburst by Creamer during a 12-4 run knotted the score, 51-51, with just under eight minutes remaining. Two and a half minutes later, the score stood at 58-58 after a Franks jumper, and Creamer gave the Bison the lead for the first time in the half with a three-pointer with 4:42 left in the contest.
Bucknell pushed its lead to as many as eight over the final two minutes, 70-62, but the Huskies kept it interesting, nailing a three-pointer with 27 seconds remaining to get within four, 71-67. Northeastern was forced to foul, and the Bison went four-for-four down the stretch to seal the victory and win their second-straight going away, 75-67.
Northeastern outrebounded the Bison 44-33, but Bucknell took advantage of the Huskies turnovers, scoring 31 points off of 24 giveaways.
Creamer led all scorers with 29 points, including four three pointers, bringing her career total to 88, just two shy of second place on the Bucknell all-time career list. Sophomore Desire Almind (Blairstown, N.J./North Warren Regional) and Franks were also in double figures with 14 and 12 respectively. Senior Monique LeBlanc (Cumberland, R.I./Bishop Feehan) led the squad with nine rebounds and four assists.
Francesca Vanin led all players with 10 rebounds, while also scoring 16 points for the Huskies. Joi Jefferson added 16 and Lori Newsome was the other Northeastern player in double figures with 10 markers.
Bucknell (75)
Almind 6-14 2-2 14, Creamer 9-19 7-8 29, LeBlanc 0-4 1-2 1, Franks 3-8 5-7 12, Quimby 3-7 3-4 9, May 1-1 0-0 3, Hatalsky 0-1 0-0 0, Valdner 0-0 0-0 0, Rounsley 2-6 3-3 7. Totals 24-60 21-26 75.
Northeastern (67)
Vanin 6-11 4-7 16, Demor 0-4 0-1 0, Kowalski 3-11 1-2 9, Newsome 4-4 2-3 10, Jefferson 6-14 3-3 16, Williams 3-6 2-2 8, Alexander 3-7 2-4 8. Totals 25-57 14-22 67.
Halftime: Northeastern 35, Bucknell 34. Three-Point Shots: Bucknell 6-15 (Creamer 4-8, May 1-1, Franks 1-6), Northeastern 3-13 (Kowalski 2-8, Jefferson 1-2, Williams 0-1, Demor 0-2). Rebounds: Bucknell 33 (LeBlanc 9), Northeastern 44 (Vanin 10). Assists: Bucknell 15 (LeBlanc 4), Northeastern 13 (Demor 5). Steals: Bucknell 11, Northeastern 6. Fouls: Bucknell 20, Northeastern 20. Fouled Out: none. Technical Fouls: none. Attendance: 372. Team Records: Bucknell 5-5, Northeastern 1-9.
