Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Morgan State
Bucknell Women's Basketball Outlasts Morgan State in 72-64 Win
11/25/2012 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 25, 2012
| BALTIMORE - Bucknell women's basketball led for nearly the entire game and held onto that despite facing some frenzied defense, beating Morgan State 72-64 at Hill Field House on Sunday afternoon. Three Bison finished in double-digit scoring, led by Alyssa Dunn (Mason, Ohio/Seven Hills School) with 15 as the Orange & Blue improved to 3-2 and their first over-.500 record since 2008-09.
With her 15 points today, Dunn is now averaging 15.6 points this season. Most of the senior's scoring today came in the second half after she was held to just three points in the first. Included in Dunn's total was a career-best 9-for-9 performance from the free throw line, where much of both team's scoring came down the stretch.
Morgan State (3-3) continued a fullcourt trapping defense through the second half that really put the pressure on Bucknell's guards. It also put the Bears in a position to foul often, and that effort put the Bison in the bonus with more than 10 minutes to play. As a team, Bucknell was 22-for-26 (.846) from the free throw line.
That shooting from the charity stripe helped to keep the Bison in the lead midway through the second half as they suffered a drought from the floor. With 5:50 to play, Felicia Mgbada (Edison, N.J./Blair Academy) flashed through the paint and finished a layup to give Bucknell a 58-51 lead. The bucket ended a stretch of 4:03 without a field goal, during which time the Bison registered five free throws.
With the Morgan State swarming defense, the game never seemed to be firmly in Bucknell's hands. Even with the clock approaching one minute and the Bison leading by eight at 70-62, tension still ran high. A couple of fast breaks down the stretch gave Bucknell a bit of breathing room and enough of a lead to walk away with the eight-point win.
Bucknell has now won three straight games for the first time since mid-February of last year it defeated Lafayette, Lehigh and Colgate in the second round of Patriot League play. With their win, the Bison also handed Morgan State its first home loss of the season.
Bucknell got an early lead by the truest definition. Morgan State was penalized with a technical foul before the tipoff and Shelby Romine (Centreville, Va./Westfield), who tallied 14 points on the day, hit one of her free throws to put the Bison in front before a second even ticked off the clock.
That advantage held until the final minute of the half when the Bears took their first lead with :18 left on the clock. Whitney Southerland and Bianca Jarrett sank back-to-back 3-pointers to put their team up 30-27. Romine hit a layup just before the buzzer, but Morgan State still took a one-point lead and the momentum into the break.
In between Romine's first and last buckets, it was a battle of opposing styles. Bucknell was able to take advantage of its quicker posts, getting much of its scoring in the post. Audrey Dotson (Vienna, Va./Flint Hill School) and Mgbada routinely beat their defenders off the dribble for layups. At halftime, the Bison duo led the team in scoring as Mgbada had nine points and Dotson added six. Mgbada eventually became the third Bison in double figures, finishing with 13 points.
Morgan State did its damage with quicker guards and the occasional full court press. The Bears got in passing lanes more than once to force turnovers. Even when the Bison did not give up the ball, the defense kept them from getting easy looks at the basket. Bucknell finished with 13 first-half turnovers, giving Morgan State just three points off those miscues. The Bison totaled 22 turnovers by the end of the game.
Morgan State also did its best to recover from its scoring struggles early in the game. After starting 0-for-5 from the field, the Bears went 11-for-37 (.297) in the first half. The Bison were 11-for-26 (.423) from the field at the half. Morgan State was also 4-for-10 (.400) from 3-point distance, 1-for 7 (.143) for Bucknell.
The Bears experienced similar shooting woes in the second half, going 9-for-35 (.257) from the field and finishing the day at .278. The Bison improved and ultimately closed out the day at 24-for-55 (.436) from the field.
Other Bucknell highs included 11 rebounds from Dotson, and as a team Bucknell won the battle of the boards 53-33. Lindsay Horbatuck(Avon, Conn./Avon) finished with nine points and nine rebounds, while Mgbada also had nine boards.
Morgan State's Jarrett tallied 18 points to make her one of four Bison in double-figure scoring. Tracey Carrington, who had 13 points, also led with eight rebounds.
Bucknell will be back in action on Wednesday to host Mount St. Mary's at 7 p.m. at Sojka Pavilion.
