Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Stony Brook
Bucknell Women's Basketball Falls to Stony Brook, 81-72, in Season Opener
11/18/2005 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 18, 2005
STONY BROOK, N.Y. - Jessica Smith scored a game-high 27 points to lead Stony Brook to an 81-72 win over Bucknell in the 2005-06 season-opener for the Bison Friday night at the Stony Brook Sports Complex. Lindsey Hollobaugh (Loganton, Pa./Central Mountain) scored a team-high 14 points to pace Bucknell, which had three players tally double figures. She also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds to record her fourth career double-double.
The game was a close one with the Seawolves' largest lead of the second half (10) coming in the final minutes of the contest, which was plagued by a combined 52 fouls. The Bison saw two players foul out, and had two others with four fouls, while to Stony Brook players finished the game with four fouls.
Bucknell jumped out to a 21-16 lead, its largest of the game, after a second consecutive jumper in the paint by Lauren Schober (Chicago, Ill./Regina Dominican), who tallied all nine of her points in the first half. However, the Bison would tally just one more field goal over the next six minutes as Stony Brook reeled off a 21-5 run. The key to the run was Smith, who scored 13 of her 27 points in less than a four-minute span during that run. That 11-point lead was the largest of the game.
Bucknell ended the first half with a 10-4 run over the final two minutes. Kesha Champion (Chesapeake, Va./Indian River) scored four of her eight points, while Schober and Amanda Brown (Richardson, Texas/L.V. Berkner) each hit 3-pointers in the final minute. Brown's came as time expired.
The second half remained close as Bucknell did not allow Stony Brook to pull away. The Seawolves' lead grew to as many as eight points early in the half, but the Bison drew to within three points on two occasions at 57-54 and 59-56. A basket by Hollobaugh, her first since the opening minutes of the game, with 10:36 to play cut Bucknell's deficit to 57-54. After a pair of free throws by Sidney Orndorff increased Stony Brook's lead back to 59-54, Ashley Branch (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore City College HS) put back an offensive rebound for the first basket of her career. The Seawolves then scored seven of the next eight points to open up a 66-57 lead with 8:38 to play after two pull-up jumpers by Mykeema Ford and a 3-pointer from Kelly Watson.
Bucknell tried valiantly to come back from that nine-point deficit, but could not draw closer than four points the rest of the way.
Six of Hollobaugh's team-high 11 rebounds were of the offensive variety. Schober added eight rebounds as the Bison outrebounded the Seawolves 44-36. Brown, who came off the bench at point guard in place of Kristina Collymore (Montclair, N.J./Montclair), tied Hope Foster (Washington, D.C./Dunbar) for third on the squad with six rebounds.
Brown, who also added a team-high five assists, teamed with Foster to join Hollobaugh in double figures with 12 points. Foster contributed 10 as five Bison tallied at least eight points.
Ford was Stony Brooks only other player in double figures outside of Smith with 19 points on 8 of 15 shooting. She also dished out a team-high seven assists.
With the 52 fouls, both teams went to the free throw line more than 20 times. The Bison were 13 of 22 (59.1 percent), while Stony Brook was 23 of 37 (62.2 percent). Hollobaugh connected on a team-best 4 of 5 for Bucknell. Leah Getz led the Seawolves by making 6 of 7.
One key to the game was the turnover category. Bucknell committed 18 turnovers, while Stony Brook turned the ball over just nine times.
Bucknell ninth-year head coach Kathy Fedorjaka elected to go with veterans in her starting lineup. Five of the six returning players on the Bison roster drew starting nods with Hollobaugh, Champion, Foster, Collymore and Sarah Latham (Mystic, Conn./Fitch) comprising the starting unit.
Bucknell, which scored its most points in a losing effort since a 100-77 loss to Bowling Green Dec. 3, 2004, lost its first game of the season for the fourth straight season. The Bison return to action on Sunday, Nov. 20, at Iona. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.
