Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Loyola (Md.)
Bucknell Women's Basketball Stumbles at Loyola, 61-52
11/29/2008 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 29, 2008
BALTIMORE - Amanda Brown (Richardson, Texas/L.V. Berkner) reached the 1,000-point plateau for her career and Joyce Novacek (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell) recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, but the performances were not quite enough for the Bucknell women's basketball team as the Bison (3-2, 0-0) fell to Loyola (Md.) 61-52 at Reitz Arena on Saturday afternoon.
After a pair of quick baskets from Novacek, including a put-back in the paint following a Bison miss at 18:39, Bucknell faced a difficult time finding the bottom of the net. Brown also hit a pair of shots in the first 10 minutes. Loyola was more successful from the field in the early goings and took a 14-10 lead with 9:34 left in the first.
With just over nine minutes to go in the half and Bucknell still trailing by four, Morgan Wrightson (Gaithersburg, Md./Notre Dame Academy) had the opportunity to whittle the lead to two points after getting fouled on a layup. The freshman missed the first shot but made the second, getting the Bison to within one basket of tying the game. Cosima Higham (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep Country Day) produced a block on the defensive end, and Bucknell cashed in on the next offensive possession as Wrightson hit a three-pointer, tying the contest at 14 points at 8:50.
In the final minutes of the half, Loyola had a number of inside scoring opportunities, but the home team was unable to convert thanks to some key defensive plays by the Bison. The Greyhounds went scoreless from 9:34 to 4:44 before earning their first points in nearly five minutes via a pair of free throws from Kaitlin Grant.
Grant's charity shots gave Loyola the 16-14 lead. Higham answered, giving her team the advantage for the first time during the afternoon. The forward converted a three-point play at 4:21 after getting fouled on a layup and making her lone free throw.
As time wound down, fouls began giving the Bison trouble, however, allowing Loyola to regain the scoring advantage. After Grant hit her fourth and fifth free throws of the half, Loyola found itself in front, 22-20. A single second before the halftime buzzer sounded, the Greyhounds earned a layup on the fast break to take a 26-20 lead into the locker room.
Le'Le' LeSeur (Snellville, Ga./Wesleyan) opened play in the second half with a high-energy three-point play of her own, successfully making her free throw following a hard-earned layup. Novacek again made a trio of layups early. Just minutes into the half, the Bison had moved ahead, 31-28. The increased intensity exhibited by the Orange and Blue out of the locker room seemed to catch Loyola off guard momentarily. At 14:48, the Bison had extended their advantage to 37-30.
Bucknell continued its struggles with maintaining a lead into the final stretches of the game, however. Loyola worked its way back in the contest off the strong play by Grant. The Greyhounds eventually regained the 43-42 lead with a layup by Grant at 7:18.
With 3:29 remaining, it looked as if the Bison would be able to stage a comeback. Bucknell forced Loyola into a timeout to avoid a five-second violation with the score at 48-44, but it was not enough to slow the Greyhounds to a stop. Brown's tenth point at 1:09 gave her 1,000 for her career at Bucknell, but Loyola converted on seven of eight free throws in the final 1:18 to close the door on its opponent.
Brown finished the afternoon with 12 points and five assists in 40 minutes of play. LeSeur also had a strong outing, setting career highs with 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
Grant completed the game for the Greyhounds with a team-best 19 points and nine boards, followed by 14 points from Alex Berlin. Berlin also finished the day 11-for-12 from the free throw line.
The Bison are back in action on Wednesday, Dec. 3 when they take on the Towson Tigers at 7 p.m. in Sojka Pavilion. The contest is also Take a Kid to the Game Night.
