Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Colgate
Bucknell Women's Basketball Easily Defeats Colgate, 65-36
1/26/2008 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 26, 2008
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LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell women's basketball team jumped out to a 28-5 first-half advantage on its way to an easy 65-36 victory over Colgate Saturday afternoon at Sojka Pavilion. Kesha Champion (Chesapeake, Va./Indian River) paced the Bison with a game-high 16 points as they won by their widest margin since defeating the same Raiders squad by 32 points last February.
Colgate (1-19, 0-5 Patriot League) started the game 1-for-19 from the floor with nine turnovers as Bucknell opened up its 23-point cushion. The Bison never let the Raiders draw closer than 17 the rest of the way and they led 36-16 at halftime.
Bucknell (8-11, 3-2 PL), which snapped a two-game losing streak, did not extend its lead further in the second half until it went on a 15-4 run over the final nine minutes of play. The Raiders made just two of their last 11 field goals, while the Bison converted 7 of 14 over the final nine minutes of play.
Bucknell's freshman class played well as it grabbed 19 of the team's 37 rebounds, with Taylor Phillips (South Parkersburg, W. Va./Parkersburg South) hauling in a team-high seven. Classmates Joyce Novacek (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell) and Cosima Higham (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep) pulled down six apiece, career highs for both.
Another freshman, Jessica Lynch (Pagosa Springs, Colo./Pagosa Springs) came off the bench to knock down 4 of 5 3-pointers for a career-high 12 points in just her third career Patriot League contest. The Bison shot a solid 54.5 percent from 3-point range as Champion was 2 of 5 and Phillips 1 of 1.
Bucknell, which has claimed two of its three conference wins by at least 25 points, scored its most points since Jan. 12 against Navy. Hope Foster (Washington, D.C./Dunbar) contributed to the offensive output with 12 points, her seventh consecutive double-figure scoring game. She also grabbed five rebounds and blocked three shots. The three blocks gave her 309 in her career, tying the Patriot League record that had stood since 1997. Foster also paced the team with a career-high five assists.
The Bison defense pestered Colgate into 21 turnovers as it totaled 11 steals. Champion led the way with a season-high five. She also added four assists and no turnovers in 35 minutes of play.
Bucknell shot a season-high 46.4 percent from the floor, while it held Colgate to 25.5 percent, including 16.1 percent in the first half.
Freshman Sami Kozlowski led the Raiders with 10 points, while Georgia Gier contributed six points, a game-high 10 rebounds and three blocks.
Colgate, which had 17 offensive rebounds, outrebounded the Bison 41-37.
Bucknell, which held an opponent under 40 points for the first time since the last regular-season meeting with Colgate, will return to the road Wednesday, Jan. 30, when it travels to Lehigh. Tip off for the game with the Mountain Hawks, who are 4-1 in conference play, is slated for 7 p.m.
