Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Youngstown State
Zehner Scores 25 but Bucknell Women's Hoops Falls 57-56 to Youngstown State
11/16/2011 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 16, 2011
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LEWISBURG, Pa. - Amy Zehner (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua Area) had the performance of the night with 25 points and Bucknell women's basketball led by as many as 17 in the second half, but Youngstown State ended the game on a 14-2 run and ended up nipping the Bison 57-56 at Sojka Pavilion on Wednesday. Zehner added five rebounds, six blocks, four assists and three steals to her impressive stat line in the loss.
Zehner was largely responsible for getting Bucknell (1-2) to its 17-point lead with 16:28 left in the game. The freshman hit back-to-back jumpers for a 38-21 Bison advantage. Youngstown State (2-1) followed with its first major run of the night, scoring 11 of the next 12 points.
Although that got Bucknell's lead back down to single digits, the Bison seemed to still have things under control. With a layup, Felicia Mgbada (Edison, N.J./Blair Academy) broke a five-minute stretch of going without a field goal, and Zehner showed off her game at both ends of the court to put the Bison ahead with 10:15 to play. Within a 30-second span, Zehner hit a layup and drew a foul on the play. Although she missed the free throw, she redeemed herself on the next defensive stand, recording two blocked shots then running the length of the court for a layup to take a 45-34 lead.
The score fluctuated little over the next several minutes. Mgbada hit a three with 5:41 left in the game for a 54-44 lead. The Penguins then kicked off its 14-2 run. A good portion of the damage was done from the free throw line. Brandi Brown and Kenya Middlebrooks both completed three-point plays within five seconds of each other after they were fouled on layups. That brought Youngstown State to within a single bucket, 56-54.
As the clock approached one minute, Mgbada recorded a huge blocked shot on Brown. The Horizon League's leading scorer from a year ago, Brown was left open under the basket and looked to have an easy layup. Mgbada came from behind to reject her, however, and Bucknell was fouled on the ensuing rebound.
Mgbada repeated the effort with just 15 seconds left on the clock, blocking Brown. This time, however, Brown got her own rebound and was fouled on the putback attempt. She made the first free throw but missed the second. The Penguins got the offensive board and another chance at regaining a lead. Bucknell fouled Middlebrooks at the nine-second mark, sending the guard to the line for two shots. She sank both to take the ultimate 57-56 lead. It was the Penguins' first advantage since leading 13-11 with 11:11 to play in the first half.
Youngstown State shot 13-for-15 (.867), and 10-for-11 in the second half, from the free throw line. The Penguins also outscored the Bison 38-26 in the second, erasing Bucknell's 30-19 halftime lead.
The Orange and Blue made major headway in the opening frame thanks to a 15-3 run that spanned six minutes. Bucknell went from trailing 13-8 to leading 23-16 during that time. The effort was capped off by Zehner, who scored eight of the final 10 points during that run. The Bison shot a solid 48.1 percent (13-27) from the field in the first half, and that average only got better as the game wore on. They closed out the night with a 51.0 percentage (25-49). Youngstown State was 31.3 percent (20-64) from the field.
Zehner, who shot 12-for-23 from the field, has now finished in double-digit scoring in two of her first three career games with Bucknell. Her 25 points was the most by a Bison since Shelby Romine (Centreville, Va./Westfield) scored 28 against Colgate on Jan. 22, 2011. Her six blocks shots is also tied for sixth all-time at Bucknell.
Mgbada finished with 11 points and two blocks. Lindsay Horbatuck (Avon, Conn./Avon) had the team high in rebounds with seven, and Christina Chukwuedo (Monessen, Pa./Monessen) tallied a career-best eight assists. As a team, Bucknell had 10 blocked shots, which ties the Sojka Pavilion record.
Youngstown State was led by Brown and Middlebrooks with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Brown also grabbed nine boards.
Bucknell will be back in action on Saturday, Nov. 19 when they travel to Buffalo. The Bison vs. Bulls meeting is set for a 5:30 p.m. start.
