Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Yale
Bucknell Women's Basketball Sneaks Past Yale in Final Seconds, 73-70
11/18/2008 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 18, 2008
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Senior Amanda Brown (Richardson, Texas/L.V. Berkner) drained two three-point shots to tie the game and then give the Bison the lead for good with less than a minute to go as the Bucknell women's basketball team defeated Yale 73-70 on Tuesday night at John J. Lee Amphitheater. The victory gives the Bison (2-0, 0-0) a two-game winning streak with both games coming on the road as Yale (1-1, 0-0) falls in its home opener.
Both teams started out sluggishly, but that all changed in a hurry with a basket by junior Le'Le' LeSeur (Snellville, Ga./ Wesleyan) scored on a fast break. Sophomore Taylor Phillips (South Parkersburg, W. Va./Parkersburg South) followed with a jumper less than a minute later to give the Bison the early lead.
The fast break seemed to be just what both teams need to snap out of their sluggishness, as running became the name of the game. Turnovers and breakaways turned into a number of points for both squads, but Bucknell came out on top on many of those occasions, eventually going up 17-14.
The Bulldogs bounced back and was able to tie it a few possessions later, but they could not pull ahead. Bucknell played tight defense, getting a hand in the middle of plays, forcing errant passes from Yale and creating several offensive opportunities off of steals.
On one of the slower scoring chances of the half, freshman Christina Chukwuedo (Monessen, Pa./Monessen) tallied the first points of her young career on a pair of free throws at 7:47 to put the Bison up 19-17. Yale regained possession of the ball, but it did not last long, as the Bison got the rebound, allowing freshman Morgan Wrightson (Gaithersburg, Md./Notre Dame Academy) to throw the ball ahead to sophomore Cosima Higham (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep Country Day) for an easy transition basket.
The Bison continued to pull away as the half continued and earned their largest lead of the game at halftime, 38-30.
The second half opened much the same way the first did. After a few scoreless minutes, Bucknell heated up on defense, which spurred their play on the offensive side. Brown stole the ball as Yale tried to inbound, resulting in a quick attempt at a jumper by freshman Trisha Krewson (Sandusky, Ohio/Perkins). LeSeur rebounded the miss and was awarded with a layup a few seconds later, showing the same high intensity first demonstrated in the first half and putting the Bison up 42-33.
With Bucknell unable to hit a shot for more than five minutes, Yale was able to work its way back in the game on the strength of its forwards. The Bulldogs earned several offensive boards in the second half and benefited from a number of layups, working the ball into Mady Gobrecht, who finished with 15 points. Slowly but surely, Yale worked its way back into the game, taking a 68-67 lead with 1:44 left in the contest.
The Bulldogs went up by as many as three, but that was not about to discourage Brown. With Yale leading 70-67 with less than a minute to go, the co-captain set up beyond the arc, draining the three-point shot with 41 seconds left, tying the game at 70. After a fruitless possession by Yale, Brown repeated the feat, sinking another three-pointer 35 seconds later. With five seconds to play, the Bison were up 73-70. Bucknell put up a good defensive stop on the next possession and came away with their second win in as many games in the 2008-09 season.
Brown finished with 21 points, marking her second consecutive 20-plus point production and leading the team. Wrightson also finished in double digits with 12 points. LeSeur posted a career-high nine points and tied her career best of seven rebounds.
In addition to Gobrecht's 15 points, three other Bulldogs posted double-digit totals with Melissa Colborne at 16, Haywood Wright at 12 and Jamie Van Horne at 10. Gobrecht also finished with nine boards to lead Yale.
The Bison are back in action on Saturday, Nov. 22 to take on Fordham in Bronx, N.Y. Tip-off against the Rams is slated for 1 p.m.
