Bucknell University Athletics
Women's Basketball Heads to Holy Cross on Saturday for Matinee Match-Up
1/10/2014 11:21:00 AM | Women's Basketball
What: Bucknell Bison (7-6, 2-1 PL) vs. Holy Cross Crusaders (11-3, 3-0 PL)
Where: Hart Center, Worcester, Mass.
When: Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014, 2 p.m.
Internet Video: Patriot League Network
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Stats: GoHolyCross.com
With a Victory Over Holy Cross, Bucknell Would...
• Improve to 8-6 and 3-1 in the Patriot League, winning three consecutive games for the first time this season.
• Improve to 4-5 overall and 2-1 in league action on the road this season.
• Earn its 15th win over the Crusaders in the 55th meeting between the two teams.
Last Meeting with Holy Cross - February 23, 2013
• Holy Cross 57, Bucknell 49 (Hart Center)
• Lindsay Horbatuck finished with 14 and Audrey Dotson added another 10, but the forwards' effort was not enough to put Bucknell women's basketball in front as it fell 57-49 to Holy Cross at the Hart Center in the last meeting between the two teams. The Bison fell to 13-14 overall and 4-8 in the Patriot League with the defeat.
• Bucknell led Holy Cross in just about every category other than the score at halftime. The Bison had an 18-17 edge in rebounds, with six of those going to Dotson to lead the team. Bucknell was also 7-for-9 (.788) from the free throw line while Holy Cross had missed its only attempt. The Crusaders committed eight fouls in the opening half compared to just three for the Bison.
• As a team Holy Cross finished the first half shooting 15-for-28 (.536) while Bucknell was 5-for-27 (.185) from the field.
• Free throw shooting continued to be a source of offense for Bucknell after the intermission. Nine of its first 11 points came at the line and the Bison ended the day at 19-for-25 (.760).Seven of Horbatuck's points came at the line, as the senior finished 7-for-10.
• Holy Cross made just two trips to the free throw line during the game and finished 2-for-3. Amy Lepley was the lone Crusaders to hit a bucket at the line, and she ultimately finished with nine points. After her offensive outburst in the first half, Molly Hourigan got quieter as the day wore on, but she still finished with a game-high 16 points. Alex Smith also had 14 points and Brisje Malone finished with 11 for Holy Cross.
• Bucknell steadily improved its offense from the field as the game progressed. The Bison shot 9-for-19 (.474) in the second half, raising their overall percentage above 30. Holy Cross simply outpaced Bucknell, however, shooting 27-for-58 (.466) in the game.
• The Bison registered 12 steals in the game. Dotson claimed five of those, while Horbatuck had three. Bucknell's scoring total included 12 points off turnovers by the end of the game.
About the Crusaders
Holy Cross, which is in the midst of a four-game winning streak, has played to an 11-3 record thus far, with its only losses coming at the hands of Fordham (75-49), Boston College (77-60) and Iowa State (72-50). The Crusaders are also 3-0 in Patriot League play and currently sit in a tie with Army and Navy for first place in the conference standings. They have earned victories over Boston University (69-59), American (63-60) and Colgate (70-65) in the opening weeks of action.
Raquel Scott, who ranks fourth in the Patriot League with 16,2 points per game, one spot behind Audrey Dotson, leads Holy Cross offensively, but Alex Smith (12.2 ppg), Emily Parker (11.5 ppg) and Brisje Malone (10.9 ppg) are all averaging in double-digits as well. Scott also leads the Crusaders on the glass, averaging 9.5 rebounds per contest, while Smith is contributing 5.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game.
History vs. Holy Cross
• Holy Cross holds a 40-14 advantage in the series with Bucknell. Most of the Crusaders' wins have come on their own court where they hold a 24-4 record against the Bison.
• Bucknell has scored 60 or fewer points against Holy Cross in ten of their last 13 meetings. The exceptions during that stretch were a 73-67 Crusaders win on Feb. 16, 2008 at the Hart Center and Bucknell's wins on Feb. 12, 2011 (68-52) and Jan. 26, 2013 (62-59) at Sojka Pavilion.
• Holy Cross has been held to less than 60 points 12 times in series history. The Bison are 6-6 in those games, all of which have come since Feb. 11, 2006.
• Shelby Romine is averaging 7.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in six career games against Holy Cross, while Audrey Dotson is averaging 7.7 points and 5.0 rebounds in four career games.
• Bucknell has met Holy Cross in the Patriot League Tournament more than any other opponent. The Bison are 3-5 in eight meetings, but 2-1 in championship games.
Last Time Out
Down by thirteen at the half, the Bucknell women's basketball team outscored Lafayette 42-26 in the second stanza, battling right down to the final buzzer to earn a 75-72 win in a nail-biter on Wednesday evening. With 1:34 on the clock, sophomore Tyler Craig converted a steal by junior Audrey Dotson into a breakaway layup, giving Bucknell its first lead of the night, and Dotson sealed the come-from-behind win with two perfect shots from the line. The Bison, playing their first Patriot League contest of the season in Sojka Pavilion, improved to 7-6 overall and 2-1 in conference play, while the Leopards fell to 6-8 overall and 0-3 in league action.
Dotson put forth a stellar performance on both ends of the court to lead the Bison, scoring a season-high 24 points on 7-of-14 (.500) from the field and 9-of-10 (.900) from the line. The forward also collected a game-high nine rebounds, dished out four assists and made two crucial steals. Senior Shelby Romine joined Dotson in double-digits, using a big second half to score 15 points, hitting 3-of-5 from long range. Romine also handed out a game-high seven helpers, including a pivotal dish to Craig for the go-ahead basket late in the game.
After heading into the locker room with a 46-33 deficit, the Bison came out to start the second with a united sense of determination and energy, steadily whittling away the Leopards' advantage with a 21-10 run to open the second 20 minutes of action. Freshman Megan McGurk, who shot 3-of-7 from three to score nine points in the contest, hit a long-range basket from the wing with 13:03 to play, narrowing the Leopards' lead to 56-54 and forcing them to call a timeout.
Lafayette answered Bucknell's surge with a 9-2 run of its own to extend its advantage to ten with 8:02 to play, but as the seconds ticked off the clock the Bison continued to up the pressure, hitting shots and getting stops to keep themselves in the game.
Dotson brought the Bison within one with 1:58 remaining, hitting her seventh free throw of the night. Just 20 seconds later, Dotson, Craig and Romine combined for the play of the game, sparked by Dotson's crucial steal. Craig took the ball down the court on a breakaway and sent it over to Romine who sent it right back, allowing Craig to finish the layup and give the Bison a 73-72 lead, their first of the night.
With 25 seconds left on the clock it appeared that the Leopards would have the final shot of the game, but Linnel Macklin's jumper fell short, and a subsequent foul by Madeline Fahan sent Dotson to the line for two. The junior sunk both shots, putting Bucknell up 75-72, and Fahan's half-court three at the buzzer bounced off the rim, giving the Bison a thrilling victory in their Patriot League home opener.
Looking Ahead
After playing three of its first four Patriot League contests on the road, Bucknell will return to Sojka Pavilion next week for two home contests against perennial league powerhouses. The Bison will take on Navy at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 15 and Army on 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18. Both contests will be streamed live by Bison Vision and will be available free of charge on the Patriot League Network.
