Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Holy Cross
Bucknell Women's Basketball Takes Second Straight Tight Loss 65-60 at Holy Cross
2/13/2010 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 13, 2010
WORCESTER, Mass. - For the second game in a row, Bucknell women's basketball suffered a close loss, this time coming 65-60 at the hands of Holy Cross at the Hart Center on Saturday afternoon. Cosima Higham (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep Country Day), Trisha Krewson (Sandusky, Ohio/Perkins) and Lindsay Horbatuck (Avon, Conn./Avon) each finished in double-digit scoring, but were outpaced by the Crusaders' Whitney Fremeau with 16.
The contest started at a frenzied pace and did not let up throughout the first half. Although the Bison (7-16, 3-7) found themselves trailing early, it was not for a lack of effort. Play was physical on both ends of the court, but Bucknell's ability to battle on the boards and hold its own in the paint kept the team in the mix. Higham scored four early to put her team on the board. Many of her seven points in the half came on put backs, evidenced by her five offensive rebounds.
Holy Cross (8-17, 4-6) also battled in the paint throughout the half, but the Bucknell defense kept it from getting clear looks. The Crusaders' difficulty rebounding also limited their scoring opportunities, as they registered just five offensive boards, compared to 13 for the Bison.
Despite the tight play, the Crusaders' found themselves leading through the first 10 minutes. They earned their biggest lead of the afternoon with just over 8 minutes remaining the first half at 23-14. A brief scoring drought by Holy Cross opened the door Bucknell needed, however. After being down nine, the Bison finished the half with a 17-8 run and showed that they would not be that easy to put away.
The rebounding margin, which had the Bison leading 27-12 at the half, was about all that was different between the two teams as they headed into the locker room. The score was knotted up at 31 apiece, and both squads had 12 field goals, including three 3-pointers, on the stat sheet with one half to play.
As if it were possible, play in the second half became even more physical and increased in intensity. Bucknell got off to a bit of slow start offensively, but as Holy Cross struggled with its free throws, making sure action stayed tight. The Crusaders went to the line twice in the first two minutes and missed the front end of each trip.
Just as in the first frame, Higham broke the Bison's scoring silence with a layup and the team's paint dominance continued. Higham's layup tied the game at 33. Although Holy Cross pulled ahead for a short time, Bucknell always had an answer.
Horbatuck kept the Bison within two at 14:28 with a big offensive rebound and a layup. She then retied the game, 39-39, two possessions later on a hard drive past her defender.
Bucknell and Holy Cross continued to go back-and-forth for the next few minutes, and Taylor Phillips (South Parkersburg, W. Va./Parkersburg South) hit a 3-pointer for 45-44 with 10:36 remaining to keep her team within one. After that point, however, the Crusaders began to create some space between them and their opponent. The home team began hitting its jumpers with more consistency and went on an 8-2 run to put it ahead 53-46 at the 6:25 mark.
A successful trip to the free throw line for Horbatuck and a 3-pointer by Morgan Wrightson (Gaithersburg, Md./Notre Dame Academy (Va.)) got things rolling again for the Bison and brought the score to 55-51. Bucknell continued to chip away at the Crusaders' advantage and clamped down on defense to bring it back to within a single point with less than a minute to play. A second 3-pointer by Wrightson with :45 remaining set the score at 61-60, but the Crusaders closed it out with four straight points and kept the Bison from tallying another point.
Despite five ties and several occasions in which the Bison got the score to five or fewer points, Bucknell never earned a lead during the game.
Bucknell's advantage on the glass continued to grow in the second half, and the Bison ended the day ahead 46-25. Holy Cross outshot Bucknell, however, going 24-for-49 (49.0 percent) from the field, compared to 23-for-64 (35.9 percent) for the Bison.
Higham led the Bison with 11 points and shared the team high in rebounds with eight. Horbatuck, who also had eight boards on the day, added 10 points, as did Krewson.
Fremeau's 16 points led all players and, combined with her two blocks and two steals, earned her the game's MVP honor. Also in double figures for the Crusaders were Briana McFadden with 12 and Bethany O'Dell with 11.
Bucknell continues on its road stand with Lafayette at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 17 in Easton, Pa.
