Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
American
Bucknell?s Winning Streak Snapped with 60-55 Loss to American
12/31/2014 4:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell women's basketball saw both its four-game winning streak and unbeaten record at home come to an end Wednesday with a 60-55 loss to American in the Patriot League opener for both teams. The Bison dropped to 8-4 overall and 0-1 in the conference with their first defeat in five games this season at Sojka Pavilion.
In a game that had eight ties and 10 lead changes, Bucknell senior Audrey Dotson put her team in good position with a game-tying layup with 5:05 left in regulation. The teams combined for just one field goal in the final five minutes – a shot-clock beating jumper by American senior Jen Dumiak – but the Eagles (6-6, 1-0 PL) hit all four of their free throws to close out the game.
“It was a tough loss,” Bucknell head coach Aaron Roussell said. “It was a game that could have gone either way. We had some good looks late in the game but couldn't finish. American beat us on some hustle plays, which is usually sort of our team identity.”
Trailing 58-55 with under two minutes to play, Bucknell made two key defensive stops to give themselves a chance. Junior Claire Maree O'Bryan hustled back on defense to block a shot out of bounds. The Eagles still had the ball but would miss a jumper as the shot clock was winding down. The Bison then forced a shot clock violation on the Eagles' next possession but were unable to convert on the other end either time.
Both Dotson and Dumiak are prolific scorers, as evident by both reaching 1,000 points for their career on Sunday. Neither player disappointed in Wednesday's game. Dotson couldn't miss for the Bison in the first half, scoring 12 of her team-high 19 points, while Dumiak took over in the second half and finished the game with 19 points, seven assists and five rebounds while playing all 40 minutes.
Bucknell took a 31-30 lead into the half thanks to 6-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc. Dotson, who had made five 3-pointers all season and had a single game career-high of three 3-pointers, made all four of her attempts. O'Bryan, who hit four treys in a win over Binghamton last game, made two of her three attempts and had 10 points at the break.
Dumiak, the Patriot League's fourth-leading scorer at 16.2 ppg, had just three points in the first half. She scored 16, including all five of her field goals, in the second half. She entered the game ranked first in the conference in free throw percentage. She hit all seven of her attempts against the Bison and is now shooting 93 percent (62-67) on the season.
The Bison continued shooting 3-pointers in the second half, but the shots weren't falling like they were in the first. They made just one of their nine attempts. For just the second time this season Bucknell was outscored in the paint, 24-20. The Bison are 0-2 in those games and are 8-2 in games they win the battle inside.
Both Dotson and O'Bryan came up one rebound short of double-doubles. Dotson added nine rebounds to her 19 points. O'Bryan finished with 11 points, pulled down nine rebounds and set a career high with four blocks. Junior Tyler Craig and sophomore Claire DeBoer scored eight points apiece. Senior Micki Impellizeri tallied five points and five rebounds, while also adding two blocks to give her a team leading 17 on the season.
Michelle Holmes and Jordan Light joined Dumiak in double figures for American, scoring 16 and 12 points, respectively. The Eagles had 19 assists on 23 field goals and took care of the ball with only seven turnovers.
Bucknell outrebounded American 37-34, but the Bison had just six offensive boards which led to zero second-chance points.
The Bison will continue conference play when they host Colgate on Saturday at Sojka Pavilion. The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. tipoff.
