Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Holy Cross *
Bison Women's Basketball Drops 91-79 Decision to Holy Cross
2/28/2003 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 28, 2003
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell women's basketball team trailed by only one at halftime, 42-41, but a visiting Holy Cross squad outscored the Bison 49-38 in the second to come away with a 91-79 victory on Friday, February 28. With the win, the Crusaders clinched the number one seed in the upcoming Patriot League Championship Tournament.
Both teams put on a three-point shooting display in the opening half. Senior Molly Creamer opened the scoring with a trey just 20 seconds into the contest, and two minutes later a Sarah Placek triple knotted the game at 5-5. Trailing 7-6, Bison freshman Lindsey Geosits put the Orange and Blue back on top with a three of her own, but it was a short lived lead.
The Crusaders' Katie O'Keefe answered with a shot from downtown just 17 seconds later to give HC a 10-9 advantage, jump starting a 13-2 run that pushed the lead to nine, 20-11. Six straight points from Creamer got Bucknell back within three, and another three-pointer from Geosits capped a 13-5 Bison spurt that got the squad within one, 25-24. Holy Cross went back ahead by seven, 35-28, with 5:38 to go before the Orange and Blue started chipping away again.
BU scored six unanswered, including four from junior Katie Hettler, to again make it a one-point game with just under four minutes left in the half, and two minutes later a put-back from sophomore Amy Ketcham tied the contest at 38-38. Creamer hit Bucknell's fourth triple of the half with 19 seconds until the break to put Bucknell up by one, but Holy Cross' Maggie Fontana got a layup to fall with time running out to put HC on top 42-41 at the intermission.
Two early free throws by Creamer in the second half gave Bucknell a 43-42 lead, but it was the last time the Bison would be on top in the contest. Holy Cross scored six-straight to take over and never look back. A put back jumper by junior Desire Almind got BU as close as two, 48-46, but that was as close at the host team would get the rest of the way.
Leading by five, 63-58, with just under 10 minutes left in the game, Holy Cross mounted a 9-1 run to take its largest lead of the game at 13, 72-59, with 5:32 to go. Bucknell cut the lead to single-digits two times throughout the remainder of the game, but the team could get no closer than nine. The Crusaders, who did not go to the foul line in the first half, scored their final nine points of the game on free throws.
Bucknell shot an impressive .556 (15-27) in the first half, before cooling off to .394 (13-33) in the second for a .467 (28-60) clip for the game. Holy Cross improved on a .486 (18-37) first half percentage to shoot .571 (16-28) in the second for a .523 (34-65) final percentage.
Creamer, currently tied for first in the country in scoring, poured in a game-high 28 points, while Almind added 13, senior Kate Franks had 12 and Geosits tallied a career-best 11. Ketcham also reached a career-high with eight points for Bucknell.
Fontana led five Holy Cross players in double-figures with 23. O'Keefe tossed in 17, Liz O'Connor added 13, and Placek and Lisa Andrews both added 12.
The Bison fall to 11-14 overall and 6-7 in the Patriot League. BU closes the regular-season on Sunday, March 2, hosting Colgate at 1:00 p.m. Holy Cross improves to 20-7 overall and 12-1 in conference play.
