Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lehigh
Bison Women's Basketball Falls to First-Place Lehigh, 56-41
2/24/2010 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 24, 2010
| Video Highlights
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell women's basketball committed 22 second-half turnovers, turning its halftime lead into a 56-41 loss to Lehigh at Sojka Pavilion on Wednesday night. The Bison's record now falls to 7-19 overall and 3-10 in the Patriot League despite getting 16 points from Trisha Krewson (Sandusky, Ohio/Perkins) and 10 more from Cosima Higham (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep Country Day).
The game started with Bucknell looking as if it was making a legitimate push for an upset against the league-leading Mountain Hawks (25-3, 12-1). The Bison claimed the first five points of the game with a jumper from Higham in the paint and a 3-pointer from Krewson. That five-point advantage was the largest of the night for the Bison, as the Mountain Hawks kept things close throughout the opening frame.
Higham soon set the score at 10-6 with her second bucket of the game at 16:50, but Bucknell followed with one of its lengthy scoring droughts. The Bison went just over seen minutes without a field goal, registering just a pair of free throws by Joyce Novacek (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell). Despite the slow scoring, however, Lehigh made only minimal headway. Alyssa Dunn's (Mason, Ohio/Seven Hills School) jumper at 9:41 put an end to the skid and gave the Bison back a lead at 14-12.
It was Bucknell's defense that contained the damage from the Bison's lack of offense. Lehigh's attempts to score in the paint were thwarted as the Bison forwards forced their opponents to adjust their shots. The Mountain Hawks made their job even more difficult by coming up empty on their free throws. Lehigh started the game 0-for-6 from the line before finishing the half 5-for-11 (45.5 percent).
Bucknell and Lehigh traded the lead back and forth several times as the clock wound its way to zero. The first half saw eight lead changes and nine ties. The Bison got the last word before the teams headed to the locker room, however, taking a 24-23 advantage into the break.
Fans saw two very different teams in the second half. Lehigh restarted play much sharper than it had been through the first 20 minutes, and Bucknell saw its offensive production all but disappear. The Bison went more than five minutes without a field goal, a fact that was made worse by their five turnovers during that time. Higham rolled in two free throws at 15:25, but Krewson did not really get Bucknell's offense going until a jumper at 14:39. Even with the slow start, however, the Bison still trailed by just 32-28.
That narrow margin did not last long. Lehigh found its stroke and was more successful from in the paint. Bucknell struggled to contain Williams and Emily Gratch on the block in the second half, especially in the final 10 minutes of action. As a team, the Mountain Hawks shot 14-for-23 (60.9 percent) in the second half, an improvement from 9 of 23 (39.1 percent) in the first.
An inability to take care of the ball sealed the deal for the Bison. Twelve turnovers in the first half turned into 34 for the game, tying a season high. The miscues had a direct impact on Bucknell's ability to get shots off, as the Bison were 5-for-11 in the last 20 minutes.
The Mountain Hawks went on to outscore the Bison 30-7 off turnovers and 42-12 in the paint. At the final buzzer, Lehigh had connected on 50 percent (23-for-46) of its shots, while Bucknell finished at 35.0 percent (14-for-40).
With 16 points, Krewson tallied her 15th double-figure scoring performance in 16 games. It also improves the sophomore's average to 12.7 points on the year. Krewson finished 5-for-8 from the field, including 4-for-4 from 3-point distance. Higham added a team-high six rebounds to her 10 points. It was the fourth consecutive double-figure scoring night for Higham. Rebounding was one area Bucknell did have an advantage, winning the battle of the boards 29-22.
Leading all scorers was Lehigh's Gratch with 22 points on 8-for-10 shooting. Williams also had a game-high nine rebounds.
Bucknell will wrap up its regular-season slate on Saturday with a 7 p.m. matchup at Sojka Pavilion against Army. The Bison will be celebrating Senior Night prior to the start of the game.
