Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Colgate
Dotson's Buzzer Beater Steals 53-51 Win for Bucknell Women's Basketball over Colgate
1/16/2013 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 16, 2013
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LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell women's basketball led by as many as 11 in the second half but it took a buzzer-beating jumper from Audrey Dotson (Vienna, Va./Flint Hill School) to secure the Bison's 53-51 victory over Colgate at Sojka Pavilion on Wednesday night. The sophomore finished with a game-high 14 points and helped Bucknell head coach Aaron Roussell to his first Patriot League win as the Bison improved to 10-7 overall and 1-1 in the conference.
There were some major swings in momentum throughout the game. Bucknell led 10 midway through the first half but then trailed by six just six minutes later. The Bison then got things back under control and went up by 11 in the second stanza after Katherine Harris (Derry, N.H./Pinkerton Academy) hit a jumper at 13:28 and gave the Bison a 47-36 lead. Colgate (6-10, 0-2 PL) responded by scoring 15 of the next 19 points, however, and knotted things up at 51-51 with 1:00 remaining on the clock.
The Raiders had an opportunity to take their first lead since the end of the first half. Bucknell put together a solid defensive stand. Missy Repoli got off a 3-point attempt but it fell short and Colgate was eventually tagged with a shot clock violation. That put the ball in Bucknell's hands with just 19 seconds left in the contest.
With 7.3 seconds left on the clock, the Bison called a timeout and intended for Shelby Romine (Centreville, Va./Westfield) to take the final shot. The Raiders had other ideas, however. The Bison guard tried to drive the lane, but the Colgate defense collapsed and with a double-team on Romine, Dotson was left open at the elbow. Romine dished the short pass to her teammate who sank the jumper as time expired.
Dotson's 14 points on the night came on 5 of 9 shooting from the field. She was also 4-for-4 from the free throw line. The assist on the game-winner gave Romine a game-high five. She also finished with 11 points, while Lindsay Horbatuck (Avon, Conn./Avon) nabbed a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Alyssa Dunn (Mason, Ohio/Seven Hills School) also had 10 points.
When the game began, it looked as if it were going to be relatively high scoring. The Bison had a 33-32 advantage at halftime, despite being on the losing end of an 18-2 run at one point. Thanks to a 7-0 streak of its own heading into the intermission, Bucknell began to regain control. Bucknell's momentum rolled over into the second half when it opened with a 14-4 run. Again Colgate responded, this time with a 14-4 run of its own. The difference didn't come until Dotson's final shot.
The Bison shot .500 (12-24) from the field in the second half compared to .310 (13-42) for the Raiders. Both teams' percentages dipped in the second half with Bucknell coming in at .250 (9-36) and Colgate at .216 (8-37) in the second. Bucknell held Colgate to 19 second-half points but managed just 20 on its own offensive end.
With the shaky shooting, the teams combined for 98 rebounds in the game. Colgate ultimately won the battle of the boards, 51-47. The Raiders also had 28 offensive rebounds and 19 second-chance points. Kelly Reid led her team with 11 boards, nine on the offensive end, and added 10 points. Repoli, Jhazmine Lynch and Josie Stockill also had 10 points apiece for Colgate.
Dotson's jumper was not her only stat. She also finished with nine rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots and a steal. Harris set a career rebounding high as well with eight boards.
Bucknell hit several milestones with the victory. The Bison have now won nine straight at home over the Raiders and have also doubled their overall wins total from last year. Roussell picked up his first career Patriot League win and also has the second-most wins by a Bucknell coach in their debut season.
Bucknell will go for a second consecutive victory on Saturday when it makes the trip to Easton, Pa., to take on Lafayette. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
