Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lafayette
Bucknell Women's Basketball Gets First League Win of Season with 55-42 Decision Over Lafayette
1/20/2010 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 20, 2010
| Video Highlights
LEWISBURG Pa. - Bucknell women's basketball earned its first Patriot League victory of the season, defeating Lafayette 55-42 at Sojka Pavilion on Wednesday night. Trisha Krewson (Sandusky, Ohio/Perkins) scored a game-high 21 points and sparked the Bison's 16-2 run in the second half to take them from a three-point deficit to an 11-point lead late in the game.
Krewson drilled her three-point shot from the left corner with 11:22 to play. It was the guard's fifth long-distance basket of the night and tied the contest at 34. Morgan Wrightson (Gaithersburg, Md./Notre Dame Academy (Va.)) reclaimed the lead for Bucknell (5-12, 1-3) for the final time with a three-pointer of her own on the Bison's next possession. By the end of the run in which Krewson tallied seven of the 16 points, the Orange and Blue were back in front by their biggest advantage at the time at 47-36.
Bucknell held on to that lead for the remaining six minutes of play despite making just one more field goal down the stretch. Lindsay Horbatuck (Avon, Conn./Avon) made a very difficult layup through multiple defenders at 2:35, and the Bison connected for six free throws following their run. The win was preserved, however, as Lafayette (4-14, 1-3) scored just six total points during the same time frame.
The second half made all the difference in the game's outcome as both teams stayed evenly matched through the first 20 minutes. Play was knotted up, 23-23, at halftime with both teams making just nine field goals and committing 10 turnovers apiece.
Bucknell improved its shooting in a big way in the second half, going 52.6 percent (10-for-19) from the field, compared to 36.0 percent (9-for-25) in the first. Lafayette's struggles continued throughout, shooting 9-for-21 (42.9 percent) in the first half before falling to 8-for-25 (32.0 percent) in the second.
Neither team had been able to light up the scoreboard in the first half. Bucknell opened with an 11-2 run for a nine-point lead at 12:33. Nine minutes later, the score had progressed to just 17-10, and the Leopards had connected for just four field goals.
Lafayette ended the half with a bit of a streak of its own to put itself back in contention, however. The Leopards closed things out on a 13-6 run, earning its first lead of the game on a free throw by Melissa Downey. The lead was short-lived as Krewson knocked down her third three-pointer of the night with :11 remaining, but the Bison could still not breathe easy at that point. Lafayette's Amanda Smith sent the teams to the locker room with the game still up for grabs with a last-second jumper.
The Leopards opened the second half by regaining the lead but struggled to give themselves much of a cushion. They earned their biggest lead of the night of four points at the 13:28 mark. That did not last long, however, as Bucknell responded with its game-changing scoring run.
Krewson's 21 points marks the seventh consecutive game in which the sophomore has finished in double digits and the third 20-plus scoring night of her career. She reached the total on 8-for-15 shooting, improving her season field goal percentage to .447. She was also 5-for-10 from three-point range, bring her season average to .452.
Cosima Higham (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep Country Day) posted a game-high of her own with 11 rebounds. Horbatuck finished a strong outing with four points, six rebounds and a Bison-best two steals.
Lafayette was led by two players in Elizabeth Virgin and Sarah McGorry with eight points apiece. Virgin also had a team-high eight boards.
Bucknell will go for its second straight win when it hosts Colgate on Saturday, Jan. 23. Tipoff at Sojka Pavilion is slated for 7 p.m. The USA Jump Rope Team will perform at halftime.
