Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
West Virginia
Bucknell Women's Basketball Downed by West Virginia, 72-30
12/28/2011 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 28, 2011
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - Bucknell women's basketball fell by a score of 72-30 to West Virginia at the WVU Coliseum on Wednesday afternoon. Three Mountaineers finished in double-digit scoring as West Virginia head coach Mike Carey collected his 500th career victory as the home team overpowered the Bison (2-11) in Morgantown. Christina Chukwuedo (Monessen, Pa./Monessen) led Bucknell with nine points, seven of which came in the second half.
An early 6-2 lead in the Bison's favor did not last long due to a tight Mountaineers defense. Bucknell repeatedly tried to punch the ball inside but West Virginia closed down the paint. The only inside play the Bison could muster came on the fast break when they got ahead of their defenders. Chukwuedo was the first recipient of such a play, putting Bucknell in front 4-2 thanks to a long pass down the court from Shelby Romine (Centreville, Va./Westfield).
Alyssa Dunn (Mason, Ohio/Seven Hills School) later cashed in on a pair of layups. The guard tallied her second bucket on a fast break layup after a steal, but by that point the Bison trailed 30-10 with :45 to play in the opening half.
Twice in the first half Bucknell went through difficult scoreless streaks. The first lasted better than eight minutes before Dunn ended the drought at 8:32. For the half, the Bison shot 5-for-24 (.208), including 0-for-7 from behind the three-point line. They did not attempt a free throw and turned the ball over 16 times.
West Virginia briefly had trouble finding the bottom of the net early. The Mountaineers experienced their own 4:15 drought before Ayana Dunning's layup at 14:45. That snapped them out of their funk for the rest of play as they took a 32-10 advantage at halftime.
West Virginia was led by Brooke Hampton with 13 points at the break, including three three-pointers. The guard was held scoreless in the second half, but several other Mountaineers picked up where she left off. Taylor Palmer also finished the day with 13 and Bussie tallied 15. In just the first half, West Virginia shot 12-for-30 (.400) from the field. They were also 4-for-8 (.500) from three-point distance and 4-for7 (.571) from the free throw line.
As the game wore on, West Virginia continued to keep Bucknell from fully executing its game plan. Scoring came a bit more easily thanks, however, thanks in part to some chances at the free throw line. The Bison opened the second half 6-for-6 from the line, making Chukwuedo and Dunn the team's two leading scorers. Seven of Chukwuedo's nine points came in the second half, and Dunn ultimately finished with eight.
One area that was going Bucknell's way was its interior defense. The Bison stayed with the double team in the paint, leading to a handful of steals throughout the game. Bucknell totaled three steals on the day, including a team-high three from Rachel Voss (Cincinnati, Ohio/Loveland). Voss also had three blocked shots.
Bucknell closed out the day shooting 10-for-39 (.256) from the field. They were also 0-for-9 from behind the arc, giving them their sixth game this season without a three-pointer.
In addition to the trio of Mountaineers in double-digit scoring, Asya Bussie and Christal Caldwell also had nine points apiece. Dunning led West Virginia with eight rebounds. The Mountaineers out-rebounded the Bison just 34-30. Bucknell held its opponent to more than 10 boards under its 45.3 season average. Just as important, however, West Virginia held its second straight foe to less than 35 points.
Bucknell will return to action on New Year's Eve. The Bison will travel to Emmitsburg, Md., for 1 p.m. matchup with Mount St. Mary's.
