Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Navy
Late Effort Falls Just Short in Bucknell Women's Basketball's 50-49 Loss to Navy
1/28/2012 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 28, 2012
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LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell women's basketball drew a five-second call and got off a last-second shot on the ensuing possession, but the attempt fell short as the Bison dropped a 50-49 decision to Navy at Sojka Pavilion on Saturday night. Rachel Voss (Cincinnati, Ohio/Loveland) totaled 13 points and Christina Chukwuedo (Monessen, Pa./Monessen) added 10 of her 12 points in the second half to give Bucknell (2-20, 0-7 PL) a good look at its first Patriot League win. Alix Membreno of Navy (11-10, 4-3 PL) did one better, however, propelling her team to the victory with 15 second-half points.
Bucknell led Navy by as many as six points in the second half as Chukwuedo went on a mini scoring spree. By the time the senior guard tallied her final points, the Bison had wrapped up a 24-10 run that went back to just before halftime. The stretch put Bucknell in control with a 38-32 lead with 12 minutes to play.
Six consecutive points for the Bison from Chukwuedo was followed by seven straight for the Mids by Membreno, giving Navy the 39-38 advantage. Membreno eventually helped Navy extend its lead to 50-44 with a 3-pointer at 3:15 and a pair of free throws a minute later.
Bucknell found itself with its back against the wall with the clock winding down, but Lindsay Horbatuck (Avon, Conn./Avon) turned in a huge 3-point play. The junior retrieved an offensive rebound and got the putback and the foul. With the successful free throw, Bucknell was within one, 50-49, with 1:03 to play.
Neither team scored again after that point, but the game was not without plenty of action. Shelby Romine (Centreville, Va./Westfield) drew a charge on the defensive end with :39 left. The Bison tried to take advantage of the play on the offensive end and although they had three shots on the possession, none of them found the bottom of the net. A running jump shot from Chukwuedo fell short, and a jump ball was called with both teams fighting for the rebound. That gave possession to Navy with 1.7 seconds, but Bucknell came up with yet another key defensive play as it kept the Mids from inbounding the ball. The Bison did get off one last shot before time expired, but Romine's jumper couldn't find the rim.
Bucknell finished the night shooting .310 (18-for-58) from the field, while Navy closed out at .380 (19-for-50). The Mids did much of their damage from behind the 3-point arc as they shot .471 (8-for-17) on the night, and the Bison kept themselves in the game with free throw shooting. Bucknell was 12-for-13 (.923) from the line, including a perfect 10-for-10 in the first half.
That early free throw shooting was the difference maker for the Bison, which took a 23-20 lead into halftime. A four-point Bucknell advantage was quickly turned around after Navy went on a 16-4 run mid-way through the first half. During that stretch, the Bison went nearly 12 minutes without a field goal.
Bucknell's defense during its scoring drought turned out to be a sign of things to come. At the break, the Bison had eight steals in the first half, including one at midcourt with less than two minutes to go. Felicia Mgbada (Edison, N.J./Blair Academy) forced the turnover and then was rewarded with a fast break layup on a 3-on-1 opportunity for Bucknell. The score gave the Bison its first lead since the 8:25 mark and the 23-22 advantage.
Bucknell finished the night with 12 steals and three apiece to Chukwuedo and Romine to lead the team. Mgbada's defense was also felt in the paint where she recorded two blocked shots. The junior now has 63 for her career, moving her into 10th all-time at Bucknell.
With her 13 points, Voss has now led the team in scoring in each of the last three games, and Chukwuedo's 12 points is the most since scoring a career-high 16 in the second game of the season. Horbatuck just missed a second consecutive double-double, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds.
Membreno's 15 points, all of which came in the second half, led all scorers. Jade Geif, the Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year, finished with 13 rebounds, but was held to three points.
Bucknell will begin the second round of Patriot League play on the road next Saturday when it makes the trip to Army. Tipoff at West Point, N.Y., is set for 1 p.m.
