Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
NJIT
NJIT Makes Late Attack to Defeat Bucknell Women's Basketball 54-53
12/3/2011 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 3, 2011
NEWARK, N.J. - Bucknell women's basketball jumped out to an early lead, but NJIT snuck out with a 54-53 lead at the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon. The Bison (1-8) led by as many as 11 points in the opening frame. A one-point halftime lead flipped back and forth for the remainder of play until the Highlanders' (4-2) Uju Nwankwo hit a free throw with 25 seconds left to give them the final lead.
Bucknell could hardly have asked for a better start. The Bison combined high-pressure defense with an efficient offense and jumped out to a 13-2 lead. NJIT struggled to get any look at the basket in the first 13 minutes of play as Bucknell double-teamed the Highlanders nearly everywhere on the court. The defense forced a number of miscues near midcourt, and NJIT eventually ended the half with 15 turnovers.
While the defense was keeping offense at a premium for the Highlanders, the Bison were enjoying some all-around production on their own offensive end. Bucknell had an 8-2 lead before anyone put in their second basket. Alyssa Dunn (Mason, Ohio/Seven Hills School) opened scoring after drawing her first starting assignment of the season, and Shelby Romine (Centreville, Va./Westfield) and Rachel Voss (Cincinnati, Ohio/Loveland) followed with perfect efforts at the free throw line. Shelby Trotter (Silverhill, Ala./Robertsdale) added a jumper to kick things off.
Bucknell looked as if it would cruise through the opening half, but the shots quit falling with about 12 minutes to play. Felicia Mgbada (Edison, N.J./Blair Academy) hit a shot to put the Bison in front 15-4, but that was the last field goal for the Orange and Blue until 2:41 when Mgbada hit her second shot of the game. During that stretch, NJIT went on a 15-2 run. With Mgbada's second layup, the Bison were in a heated battle at 19-19.
The Highlanders took their first lead of the day at 19-17, but it did not last long as the score flip-flopped several times for the last three minutes. Bucknell regained the advantage just before halftime 25-24, giving them their first halftime lead since hosting Youngstown State on Nov. 16.
Sparking NJIT's offense during the run was Kimberly Dweck. Dweck tallied eight points in the half with nearly all of them coming off hard drives through the paint.
After the Highlanders' slow start, they recovered somewhat to shoot 10-for-26 (.385) from the field in the first half. The Bison came in at 8-for-25 (.320) from the field and 9-for-10 (.900) from the free throw line.
The high intensity and pace that bookended the first half continued into the second. Neither team was hurting for shots, but neither could get them to drop either. Bucknell was 10-for-32 (.313) from the field and 0-for-3 from behind the three-point arc. NJIT shot a deceptive 11-for-25 (.440) overall in the second half.
Bucknell continued to force the issue and with the help of some important hustle on the glass from players like Lindsay Horbatuck (Avon, Conn./Avon), the Bison were able to get a bit of distance from their opponent. The lead was never more than six points in the second half, however. Each time Bucknell looked to be gaining control, NJIT would counter the move and keep the game close.
Things got a little more interesting than the Bison wanted after the clock clicked past five minutes. Sarah Olson hit a three-pointer from the corner to pull her team within two points. The Highlanders then took advantage of a turnover that resulted in a layup for Dweck, tying the contest at 49-49.
Bucknell had the chance to regain the lead after going to the line for a 1-and-1 opportunity, but Mgbada missed the front end. The Bison then turned the ball over on their next two possessions, and NJIT pulled in front 51-49 on a jumper in the paint.
Dunn gave NJIT a taste of its own medicine shortly, converting a turnover into a fastbreak layup for 53-51. The back-and-forth didn't stop there. There were seven lead changes in the second half, but none were quite as significant as the last one on Nwankwo's foul shot that ultimately gave NJIT the 54-53 lead.
Mgbada set a season high with 12 points to lead the Bison, and Romine added 11 more. Nearly all of Romine's scoring came from the free throw line as the guard was 2-for-10 from the floor but 7-for-8 from the line. Horbatuck tied for the game high in rebounding with nine.
For NJIT, Nwankwo led all players with 13 points. Rayven Johnson added 12 and Dweck and Denisa Domiterova each had 10.
Bucknell will be back at home for its next contest, hosting Fordham at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Sojka Pavilion.
