Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Towson
Scoring Outbreak Gives Bucknell Women's Basketball 75-62 Victory at Towson
12/19/2012 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 19, 2012
TOWSON, Md. - Four Bison finished in double-digit scoring and Bucknell women's basketball enjoyed one its best all-around efforts as it defeated Towson 75-62 on the road on Wednesday night. Leading the way for the Orange and Blue was Shelby Romine (Centreville, Va./Westfield) with 20 points, while Audrey Dotson(Vienna, Va./Flint Hill School) added a team-best 15 rebounds and six assists. The Bison are now 6-4 on the season having reached six victories in 10 games for the first time since 2006-07.
With its six wins, Bucknell also surpasses its wins total from all of last year. The improvement makes Aaron Roussellthe third coach in program history to increase the team's total victories in his first year as head coach, joining Cindy Connelly (1983-84) and Juliene Simpson (1991-97).
One game after only a single Bison reached double figures in scoring, Bucknell benefited from an all-around effort. Romine now has 12 career games of at least 20 points. Alyssa Dunn (Mason, Ohio/Seven Hills School) and Lindsay Horbatuck (Avon, Conn./Avon) each finished with 12 and Sheaira Jones(Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain) added 11 more to claim a career high.
As play opened, it looked as if it was going to be a long night offensively for the Bison. Towson kicked things off with a zone defense and Bucknell turned the ball over on each of its first three possessions. The Tigers then went up by a score of 7-2, but the tables turned in a hurry. Towson went 6:06 without scoring and Bucknell took advantage.
An 18-2 Bison run gave them a 20-9 lead with just over 11 minutes to play in the first half. Whereas Bucknell had been relying on its interior game for the last several games, it was shooting from the outside that powered this effort. Jones hit back-to-back 3-pointers and brought her first-half total to eight points.
Dunn and Romine picked up where Jones left off. Dunn had seven straight points, including one bucket from behind the 3-point arc, and Romine totaled 11 of the team's final 16 points in the half. Two of Romine's threes came from a nearly identical spot at the top of the key as the Towson zone was slow to rotate.
At the break, Romine led all players with 14 points and Dunn, who went scoreless in Bucknell's last game against Longwood, added 10.
Much of Romine's damage was done behind the arc. The junior was 4-for-5 from 3-point distance, contributing to the team's strong shooting. The Bison were 8-for-17 (.471) from the 3-point line and 13-for-31 (.419) overall. The Tigers were coming along at a slower clip, shooting 1-for-6 (.167) from 3-point range and 8-for-26 (.308) overall.
Bucknell's eight made 3-pointers guaranteed it a single-game high for the season. The Bison's previous best mark had been six against Mount St. Mary's on Nov. 28.
With Towson's shaky shooting, it opened the door for plenty of rebounding opportunities. The Bison had a 25-11 advantage at the half with Dotson outrebounding everyone with 12 total boards.
With a 38-21 lead at halftime, Bucknell had plenty of breathing room down the stretch. The threes came less frequently, but the paint opened up. With that came more opportunities for Dotson, who finished with six points after going scoreless in the first half. Rachel Voss (Cincinnati, Ohio/Loveland) also did all of her damage in the second, tallying eight by the final buzzer.
The range of Bucknell's shots was not the only thing to change. The Bison also got more chances at the free throw line. After shooting 4-for-4 from the line in the first half, Bucknell ultimately closed things out 19-for-20 (.950). The Bison hit each of their first 16 shots at the stripe.
The Tigers were unable to overcome the 17-point halftime deficit as their shooting failed to pick up the necessary pace until late in the game. Not until the 5:42 mark did they hit their second 3-pointer of the game. Towson had five more 3-pointers after that point, but it came too late despite the Bison going without a field goal in the final 3:30.
Towson finished the night at 24-for-60 (.400) from the field and 7-for-18 (.389) from 3-point distance. Bucknell posted similar numbers at 24-for-63 (.381) overall and 8-for-22 (.364) from behind the arc.
After not scoring in the first half, Tanisha McTiller finished with 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting to lead Towson.
Bucknell ultimately also had the lead in rebounding, 46-30. Dotson finished with 15 rebounds. She is now averaging 16.5 boards in her last two games.
Bucknell return to the court on Saturday for a 5 p.m. meeting with St. Peter's in Jersey City, N.J. The Bison trail in the series with the Peacocks 3-1, but that victory came last November, 46-35, at Sojka Pavilion.
