Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
#2 Holy Cross
Bucknell Women's Basketball's Comeback Falls Short in 64-60 PL Semifinal Loss to Holy Cross
3/4/2006 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 4, 2006
WOCESTER, Mass. - The Bucknell women's basketball team used a 15-3 run to overcome a 13-point second half deficit, but could not take the lead as it fell 64-60 to second-seeded Holy Cross in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals Saturday afternoon at the Hart Center.
The Crusaders, who advance to Wednesday's championship game against top-seeded Army, opened the second half on a 10-2 run to take a 49-36 lead, its largest of the game, with just over 15 minutes remaining.
Bucknell (18-11) drew to within one point on two occasions prior to drawing even for the first time in the second half at 60-60. The first time it closed to within one was after its 15-3 run that featured eight points from Hope Foster (Washington, D.C./Dunbar), who led the Bison with 19 points. The score at that point was 52-51. Holy Cross (16-13) extended the lead back out to five, but Foster connected on two straight field goals, giving her eight consecutive points, to narrow the score to 56-55 with just over six minutes remaining.
Back-to-back baskets by Shannon Bush and Brittany Keil, who were two of the four Crusaders in double figures, extended the Holy Cross lead back to five, but not for long as Lindsey Hollobaugh (Loganton, Pa./Central Mountain) connected on her third 3-pointer of the game from the right corner to bring Bucknell to within 60-58 and force a Holy Cross timeout.
Two possessions later Kesha Champion (Chesapeake, Va./Indian River) drove to the right side of the basket and made a short jumper to tie the score at 60. However, those were the last points for Bucknell.
Laura Aloisi put Holy Cross up 62-60 with a pair of free throws with 2:16 on the clock. Aloisi tallied a career-high 21 points, including 17 in the first half.
Bucknell had a chance to take the lead in the final minute when Hollobaugh attempted another 3-pointer from the right corner, but it bounced on the rim twice and fell off.
Aloisi, who was 7-for-7 from the free throw line to that point, ended up with the ball and was fouled. She missed the front end of the one-and-one with less than 30 seconds to play and the score 62-60. Schober and Foster battled over the rebound and it went out of bounds to Holy Cross. The Bison fouled Shannon Bush and she made both free throws with 20 seconds left to seal the game for the Crusaders. Bucknell missed a pair of shots on its final possession.
The first half, which was played at a fast pace, opened with Holy Cross' Ashley McLaughlin gaining possession of the tip and scoring on a layup five seconds into the contest and it never slowed down. Kesha Champion (Chesapeake, Va./Indian River) answered with a 3-pointer, but Brittany Keil knocked down the first of her three first-half 3-pointers to start an 8-0 Crusader run.
The Bison immediately jumped back out in front by three with a 10-0 run of its own, led by seven consecutive points from Schober in a span of less than two minutes.
The score remained close the rest of the first half with neither team building a lead greater than four points until Holy Cross opened up a 39-32 cushion in the final minute. Hope Foster, who scored the final six points of the half, scored on a turnaround jumper with just under 30 seconds left to make the halftime score 39-34.
Both teams shot well from 3-point range in the first 20 minutes with Holy Cross making 5 of 12, while Bucknell connected on 6 of 9, including two from Hollobaugh.
Foster's 19 points paced four Bison in double figures, while Hollobaugh added 13 and Champion 12. Schober tallied 11, including the seven straight at one point in the first half. Foster added a team-high nine rebounds, although Bucknell was outrebounded 37-29, although just 16-15 in the second half.
After shooting 42 percent in the first half, Bucknell fell off to 31 percent in the second. Holy Cross shot 43 percent overall, including 6 of 10 from Aloisi. Keil (19), Kaitlin Foley (12) and Bush (10) rounded out the quartet of Holy Cross players in double figures. Keil led Holy Cross in rebounding with nine, while Foley added eight.
Bucknell turned the ball over just eight times and forced 17 Crusader miscues.
Bucknell's season came to an end with the loss. The Bison's 18 wins were tied for the fourth-most in program history.
