Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Morgan State
Bucknell Women's Basketball Takes 54-52 Home Loss to Morgan State
11/22/2011 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 22, 2011
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LEWISBURG, Pa. - For the second game in a row Bucknell women's basketball nearly pulled off an upset, but turnovers and shaky shooting sent the Bison to a 54-52 loss against Morgan State at Sojka Pavilion on Tuesday night. An 11-point deficit was whittled down to one on a pair of occasions. The Bears (2-2) never allowed the Bison (1-4) to lead, however, and Bucknell dropped its fourth straight game.
Shelby Romine (Centreville, Va./Westfield) took another step closer to finding her shooting touch as she led Bucknell with her season best of 13 points. The sophomore also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out six assists. Finishing in double figures on the glass was Amy Zehner (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua Area), who totaled 13, and Felicia Mgbada (Edison, N.J./Blair Academy) with 11.
As a team, Bucknell shot .375 (24-64) from the field. That percentage was helped in a major way by 50-percent shooting in the second. After going 8-for-32 (25.0%) from the field in the first, the Bison improved to 16-for-32 in the second. For the third game this season, Bucknell did not make a three-point field goal, shooting 0-for-11 from behind the arc.
After trailing by 11 points at the start of the second half, the Bison used an offensive spurt to make things interesting. Rachel Voss (Cincinnati, Ohio/Loveland) hit a jumper to start an 11-4 run that when all was said and done had brought Bucknell to within a score of 44-42. Romine had seven points during that stretch, including the final three that came as she was fouled on a layup. Despite being in a 1-on-2 situation, the guard blew past the defense and laid it in before hitting the free shot from the line.
The Morgan State lead got down to one for the first time on a layup from Shelby Trotter (Silverhill, Ala./Robertsdale) with 1:59 to play. Mgbada then made it 53-52 in favor of the Bears with :44 remaining after Zehner drove to the basket and dumped it off to her teammate on the block.
Trotter finished the night with career highs in scoring and rebounds. The sophomore had eight points and seven rebounds, including four on the offensive glass.
The Bison then fouled Morgan State intentionally with :30 and :07 left on the clock. The second foul sent Whitney Southerland to the line where she hit the first of her two attempts. That set the score at the final of 54-52 as Bucknell was unable to get off a shot in the final seconds.
Bucknell faced a similar situation in its previous game against Buffalo where it overcame a second-half deficit to draw within a single possession. The Bison could not take a lead in either contest, although paint play kept them in contention. Against the Bears, they won the battle inside with a 32-20 advantage in paint points. Bucknell also outrebounded Morgan State, 51-36.
Morgan State had a 17-10 lead in points off turnovers. Bucknell finished with 21 miscues.
Leading the way for Morgan State was Dekeisha Mathis with 20 points. Omara Parker grabbed a team-best seven rebounds. The Bears shot .290 (18-62) from the field.
Bucknell will be back on the road for its next two games. First up is Niagara at 7 p.m. on Friday, while a matchup with Saint Francis (Pa.) in Loretto, Pa., is set for 2 p.m. on Sunday.
