Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Miami (Ohio)
Bucknell Women's Basketball Falls 75-54 to Miami in Season Opener
11/14/2009 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 14, 2009
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – Three Bison finished in double-figure scoring, but that was not enough to keep the Bucknell women's basketball team from dropping its season opener 75-54 to Miami (Ohio) at the Iona Tip-Off Tournament in New Rochelle, N.Y., Saturday night. Morgan Wrightson (Gaithersburg, Md./Notre Dame Academy (Va.)) led the team with 12 points, while Rachel Voss (Cincinnati, Ohio/Loveland) and Cosima Higham (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep Country Day) added 10 apiece.
Bucknell (0-1) got off to a quick start behind Voss, who was playing in her first collegiate game. Voss earned the Bison's first three points of the night, her first basket coming just eight seconds into the start of action. Voss was not the only Bison to burst out of the gates, however. Bucknell shot 50 percent from the field in the first frame and held Miami (1-0) to just 29 percent shooting.
Those numbers reversed in the second half, erasing Bucknell's 34-30 halftime lead. The Bison were just 15.4 percent from the field in the second half, while the RedHawks made an impressive 58.6 percent, outscoring their opponent 45-20.
Although Bucknell took an early advantage, Miami hung around through the opening minutes. Not until about midway through the half did the Bison start to create some distance. Higham hit a layup at 10:46 for the Bison's first double-digit lead at 23-13. Voss drained a three pointer a few minutes later to extend the lead to a dozen.
That 12-point advantage was the largest of the night for Bucknell and it did not last long. The RedHawks ended the half on a 14-6 run. As the teams entered the locker room, Bucknell's lead had been whittled down to four points.
It did not take long for Miami to tie the game. Two minutes after resuming play, the RedHawks had already earned a pair of field goals to knot the contest at 34 apiece. Wrightson hit a three-point shot at 17:00 to give Bucknell the lead again.
That advantage was short-lived as well, however. Less than two minutes later, Miami was ahead by six following a pair of free throws from Rachael Hencke.
Hencke's shots from the charity stripe were her only two points of the half. The forward scored 14 of her game-high 16 points in the first half.
Bucknell struggled to find the bottom of the net from that point on. The squad went nearly eight minutes without a field goal, as two free throws from Lindsay Horbatuck (Avon, Conn./Avon) at 10:27 broke the drought. By that time, the Bison were trailing by 11 and never quite recovered.
Miami continued to press the issue and expand its lead throughout the second half. Its largest advantage of the game came at the very end as a pair of made foul shots from Courtney Brown with less than a minute remaining set the final score at 75-54.
The RedHawks finished the half 17 of 29 from the field, improving their overall shooting mark to better than 43 percent on the night.
Adding to her 10 points, Voss also recorded a team-high four assists and tied teammate Alyssa Dunn (Mason, Ohio/Seven Hills School) for the team high in steals with three. Higham nearly posted her seventh career double-double, grabbing nine rebounds in addition to her 10 points.
Leading all scorers were Miami's Hencke and Courtney Osbourn with 16 apiece. Ashleigh Brown finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds.
Bucknell will be back in action tomorrow to take on either the host Iona Gaels or Arizona in the second day of the tournament. Tipoff is slated for 1 or 3:30 p.m., depending on the opponent.
