Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Binghamton
Bucknell Women's Basketball Outlasts Binghamton 59-55
11/28/2007 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 28, 2007
VESTAL, N.Y. - Amanda Brown scored a team-high 17 points and Kesha Champion connected on 4 of 4 free throws in the final minute as the Bucknell women's basketball team defeated Binghamton 59-55 Wednesday night at the Events Center. The Bison improved to 2-4 on the season as they picked up their first road win of the campaign, while the Bearcats fell to 0-5.
Bucknell used a pesky full court pressure defense throughout the game to force 21 Binghamton turnovers and limit the Bearcats to 27.6 percent shooting from the floor, the lowest by a Bison opponent since at least 2005-06.
Hope Foster, whose consecutive start streak ended at 71, recorded her 14th career double-double off the bench with 14 points and 12 rebounds for Bucknell.
The game was close throughout with 14 lead changes and three ties, although 12 of those lead changes came in the first half.
Bucknell trailed just once in the second half, and that came in the opening minute of the stanza. The Bison built a six-point lead on two occasions, but could not extend the lead further despite holding Binghamton without a field goal for 13 minutes. However, the Bearcats converted 14 of 21 free throws in the second half to keep the score close. They had just two field goals in the first 16-plus minutes of the half.
Binghamton pulled to within one at 52-51 with after a pair of free throws by Laura Franceski with 2:20 remaining. Two Bison possessions later Brown hit a long jumper from the left wing to put Bucknell up 54-51 and Binghamton never drew closer as Champion made all four of her free throws in the final 35 seconds. Brown sealed the game by making the first of two free throws with 4.6 seconds on the clock to make it a two possession game at 59-55.
The biggest lead by either team in the first half was Bucknell's five-point advantage at 23-18. A 3-pointer by Brown from the right wing that she swished in over the outstretched arm of a Binghamton defender put the Bison up by that margin.
The Bearcats' largest lead was at 30-26, but 3-pointers by Brown and Jessica Lynch in the final 90 seconds of the first half helped Bucknell to its third halftime lead of the season. Lynch's top of the key 3-pointer was the first of her career as she earned first-half playing time for the first time this season. She played five minutes in the first half and a career-high seven overall.
Champion joined Brown and Foster in double figures with 11 points as she was 7-for-9 from the free throw line in the game. She also had four rebounds and a team-high five assists.
Bucknell shot a solid 39.1 percent from the floor and was 12 of 19 from the free throw line. Binghamton knocked down 20 of 31 free throws.
Binghamton had three players in double figures, led by 17 from Laura Sario, while Laura Franceski posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The Bearcats, who also had Laine Kurpniece pull down 10 boards, outrebounded the Bison 49-37.
Bucknell will wrap up its three-game New York road trip Saturday with a 2 p.m. game at Marist. The Red Foxes upended the Bison 57-38 at Sojka Pavilion last December.
