Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
American
Bucknell Women's Basketball Falls 62-59 to American at Buzzer
2/22/2012 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2012
| BUY PHOTOS | Video Highlights
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell women's basketball came back from 10 points down, but American hit a three with 0.7 seconds left to hold off the upset 62-59 at Sojka Pavilion on Wednesday night. The Bison (5-23, 3-10 PL) were the stronger team in the second half as they erased the deficit with a 15-0 run. The Eagles (21-6, 13-0 PL) hit the all-important last shot, however, as they won their 13th consecutive game.
Bucknell matched American nearly blow for blow through the first half and entered the break trailing just 29-24. The Eagles extended their lead to 10 points five minutes after play resumed, 40-30. It was the first time either team had led by double-digit points, and it did not last long. Felicia Mgbada (Edison, N.J./Blair Academy) kick started the 15-0 Bison run with a three-point play. Three minutes later, Shelby Romine (Centreville, Va./Westfield) and Rachel Voss (Cincinnati, Ohio/Loveland) hit back-to-back 3-pointers, and at 10:15, Bucknell was back in front 45-40.
Free throws and 3-pointers played a key role for both teams throughout the game. Bucknell shot 17-for-18 (.944) from the free throw line, while American was 16-for-18 (.889). The Bison were also 4-for-5 (.800), including 3-for-3 in the second half, from behind the 3-point arc. The Eagles finished at 6-for-15 (.353) on the night.
A three from Lisa Strack snapped a six-minute stretch with a field goal for American at 8:57. The Eagles soon reclaimed their advantage and, with the exception of Romine tying the game at 48-48 with her second 3-pointer of the night, never let go of their lead.
With 2:43 remaining in the game, American extended its lead back up to seven points. Bucknell made one last run at it with a 7-0 run. Alyssa Dunn (Mason, Ohio/Seven Hills School) sank both her free throw attempts with :14 left on the clock, tying the game at 59-59.
Although they had momentum in their favor, the Bison could not make the final stop. Alexis Dobbs stepped in for a last-second three at the top of the arc and found nothing but the bottom of the net. With less than one second remaining, Bucknell could not get off a shot to send it to overtime.
After her final free throws, Dunn finished with a game-high 20 points. It was her first career 20-point game and came on 6-for-9 shooting from the floor. She was also 8-for-8 from the free throw line after making her first appearance in the starting lineup since Dec. 3.
Bucknell shot .476 (10-for-21) from the field in the second half, a slight improvement over their first-half shooting percentage of .391 (9-for-23). The opening frame saw contributions from several Bison. While Dunn totaled 10 points through the first 20 minutes, Shelby Trotter (Robertsdale, Ala./Silverhill) knocked down her first 3-pointer of the year to beat the shot clock. Voss and Dunn both added two steals on the defensive end, while Micki Impellizeri (Seaford, N.Y./St. Anthony's added another steal that resulted in a three-point play for Romine.
Bucknell benefitted from better protection of the ball this time around as well. After turning the ball over a season-high 33 times when the two teams squared off in Washington, D.C., in January, the Bison limited that number to seven in the first half and 15 for the night.
At the final buzzer, Romine and Mgbada had both joined Dunn in double-digit scoring. Romine had 11 points, while Mgbada added 10, all of which came in the second half. Lindsay Horbatuck (Avon, Conn./Avon) saw her run of three consecutive double-doubles come to an end, but the junior still finished with eight points and a team-high seven rebounds.
For American Strack finished with 19 points, followed by Jen Dumiak with 16 and Dobbs with 10. Dumiak also had seven boards as the Eagles outrebounded the Bison 30-26.
Bucknell will wrap up its regular season on Saturday when it travels to Annapolis, Md., to take on Navy at 7 p.m. The contest will determine the final seeding for the Patriot League Tournament. Bucknell must get the win and hope for a Lafayette loss over American to secure the No. 7 seed. The Bison would drop to eighth with a loss by both Bucknell and Lafayette, or with a Bucknell loss and a Lafayette win. Navy will also be fighting for the No. 3 seed.
Bucknell-American Highlights
