Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lafayette
Fedorjaka Wins 200th at Bucknell as Bison Women's Basketball Defeats Lafayette 57-49
1/19/2011 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 19, 2011
EASTON, Pa. - Kathy Fedorjaka claimed her 200th win as Bucknell's head coach and the Bison won their first Patriot League game of the season, defeating Lafayette 57-49 at the Kirby Sports Center on Wednesday night. Leading the way on the court was Shelby Romine (Centreville, Va./Westfield), who led all players with 12 points and set career highs with seven rebounds and seven assists.
In 14 years at the helm of the Orange and Blue, Fedorjaka has a 200-191 record. She has long been the winningest coach at Bucknell, as no former leader has more than 77 victories.
Bucknell (4-12, 1-3) reached another milestone as a team, earning its first road win since Jan. 30, 2010. The Bison have also now snapped a 10-game losing streak against Patriot League foes dating back to last season.
Regardless of the milestones reached, the win was not without its fair share of excitement. Even with a close halftime score of 33-27, the opening frame saw huge swings in momentum. Lafayette began the game with a 6-0 run before Rachel Voss (Cincinnati, Ohio/Loveland) got the Bison on the board with a jumper for 6-2. Bucknell took control soon after and ended up with a 14-2 run. The stretch put the Orange and Blue in front 16-10 and included points from six different Bison.
Lafayette (7-12, 0-4) responded with a 14-2 run of its own, giving the home team back the lead at 24-18 with 7:25 remaining in the half. That stretch saw five different Leopards put points on the board, including four from freshman Danielle Fiacco.
Both teams were shooting better than 50 percent from the field to that point, and Bucknell continued to hit shots as halftime got closer. After going down by six points, the Bison got their offense going for a second time with a layup from Cosima Higham (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep Country Day). Romine then got fouled on a 3-point attempt from the left corner. The freshman connected on two of three shots from the free throw line, bringing Bucknell to within two, 24-22, with five minutes to go.
Taylor Phillips (South Parkersburg, W. Va./Parkersburg South) then got in on the act, draining a 3-pointer from the right corner to make it a one-point game. Voss's back-to-back jumpers gave the Bison a 29-26 lead, their first advantage since 18-17. A three for Alyssa Dunn (Mason, Ohio/Seven Hills School) and another free throw for Romine ended a 15-3 Bucknell run headed into the locker room.
At the break, Bucknell was shooting 52.0 percent (13 of 25) from the field, compared to 44.0 percent (11 of 25) for Lafayette. Voss played a key role in that number for the Bison, shooting a perfect 4-for-4 and leading all players with eight points.
The streaky scoring did not continue into the second half but only because no one could find the bottom of the basket. After 12 minutes of play, Bucknell and Lafayette had combined for just 16 points. With 7:50 to play, Bucknell was still leading, but by just 39-37.
Romine tried to get things going for the Bison with a 3-pointer. The long-distance shot increased Bucknell's lead to 42-37 and snapped a 10-minute scoring drought.
Both teams had had several scoring opportunities during the second half. The Bison were stopped often by Fiacco, who finished the game with three blocked shots and forced countless shot adjustments for Bucknell. Both teams also struggled from the free throw line as well. They combined to go 26-for-48 in the game - 14 of 27 for Bucknell and 12 of 21 for Lafayette.
Despite the slow scoring, Bucknell was able to put some distance between it and Lafayette little by little. After Romine's three, the Bison tallied seven of the game's next nine points. A putback from Joyce Novacek (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell) gave the Bison a 10-point lead, 49-39, with 1:40 left to play.
Lafayette made one last push down the stretch, including five straight points from Melissa Downey, but Bucknell held on. When the Leopards began to foul with the clock reaching zero, the Bison had some of their best free throw shooting on the night. In the final two minutes, Bucknell went 7 of 12 from the line.
Joining Romine in double-figure scoring was Voss with 10. Novacek fell just short of a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. With five points, Higham reached 600 for her career.
As a team, the Bison finished the night shooting 46.5 percent (20 of 43) from the field.
Lauren Jackson led Lafayette with 10 points off the bench. No Leopard had more than five rebounds, as Bucknell won the battle of the boards, 35-31.
Bucknell will return to action on Saturday when it travels to Colgate. Game time in Hamilton, N.Y., is set for 2 p.m.
