Bucknell University
Niagara
Balanced Bucknell Women's Basketball Beats Niagara 77-69
11/21/2012 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2012
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LEWISBURG, Pa. - Alyssa Dunn (Mason, Ohio/Seven Hills School) tallied a career-high 23 points and six assists and Lindsay Horbatuck (Avon, Conn./Avon) recorded her 10th career double-double to help Bucknell women's basketball to a 77-69 win over Niagara at Sojka Pavilion on Wednesday night. The victory was the Bison's first at home this season and improves their record to 2-2 on the year.
Dunn's second consecutive game at better than 20 points also gave Bucknell its second consecutive win. The senior also had 22 points in last Saturday's nine-point win at Canisius. Tonight Dunn hit her 23 points on 6 of 12 shooting from the field and 8 of 8 shooting from the free throw line. In the last two games, she averaged 22.5 points and finished with a field goal percentage of .560 (14-25). She is also a perfect 14-for-14 from the free throw line.
Unlike her performance at Canisius, Dunn did most of her damage in the second half. Through the first 20 minutes of the game against Niagara (1-3), it was Horbatuck who outshined the competition with 10 points and eight rebounds. She ultimately went on to tally a personal-best 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Horbatuck's effort gave Bucknell a 36-20 lead at halftime. It took the Bison some time to get to that 16-point advantage, however. Niagara's Kayla Stroman hit a 3-pointer at 13:57 to draw her team within a single point at 10-9. The Bison then went on a 15-4 run that put them up 12 points with less than seven minutes to go until the break.
Bucknell benefited from a balanced attack during that stretch, getting four points from Horbatuck and Micki Impellizeri (Seaford, N.Y./St. Anthony's), two from Rachel Voss (Cincinnati, Ohio/Loveland), Katherine Harris (Derry, N.H./Pinkerton Academy) and Shelby Romine (Centreville, Va./Westfield) and one from Felicia Mgbada (Edison, N.J./Blair Academy).
Bucknell shot .412 (14-34) from the field in the first half, at one time enjoying a 20-point advantage. The Bison again went up by as many as 20 midway through the second half, twice thanks to a pair of threes from Dunn. Niagara challenged Bucknell down the stretch, however, as its own 3-point shooting began to heat up. Kelly Van Leeuwen hit a three with 9:09 to play, setting the score at 55-39. Six minutes later, the Purple Eagles had Bucknell's lead down to just four points, 62-58. During that 25-9 run, Niagara was 5 of 7 from behind the 3-point arc. The Bison in the meantime had just three field goals and three free throws to show for their effort.
With play getting a bit close for comfort, Romine and Dunn stepped in to give the Bison some breathing room. The duo accounted for 14 of Bucknell's final 15 points. Eight of those came from Dunn at the free throw line, while Romine was 3-for-4 and Horbatuck was 1-for-2.
Bucknell finished the night a season-best 24-for-30 (.800) from the charity stripe. The Bison were also 24-for-54 (.444) from the field, setting another season best. Their 77 points was also the most since Feb. 19, 2011 when they defeated Colgate 79-64 at Sojka Pavilion.
Dunn's 23 points and six assists were not the only career highs set against the Purple Eagles. Her 3-for-3 shooting from behind the 3-point line was also a personal best. Horbatuck's 17 points was the highest total of her career, as was her seven made field goals as she shot 7-for-12 on the night. Mgbada tied her personal record of four assists and Harris snagged her first career blocked shot.
Leading the way for Niagara was Van Leeuwen with 17 points. The guard was 4-for-7 from 3-point distance, playing a major part in the Purple Eagles' comeback bid. Chanel Johnson posted a team-high six rebounds, and Bucknell won the battle of the boards 43-31.
Bucknell will look for a third consecutive win on Sunday when it faces Morgan State in Baltimore, Md. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. It will be the second meeting in series history, with the Bears leading after a 54-52 victory last season.
