Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Cleveland State
McGurk Hits Clutch Three to Help Bison Down Cleveland State 59-57
11/13/2015 11:08:00 PM | Women's Basketball
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Megan McGurk hit a go-ahead 3 pointer with 44 seconds left on the clock, and Claire DeBoer posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds to lift Bucknell to a 59-57 win at Cleveland State on Friday at the Wolstein Center.
Bucknell trailed 57-55 with less than a minute to play when senior Tyler Craig's 3-point attempt went off the back of the rim and out to the foul line, where DeBoer was there to get a key rebound. She quickly sent the ball out to McGurk, who drained the open trey, her fourth of the game, to give the Bison a 58-57 lead.
On the other end, the Bucknell defense stepped up big to force a shot clock violation. Cleveland State committed three quick fouls following inbounds passes to send Jacquie Klotz to the line. The sophomore hit one of two free throws to put the Bison up 59-57. Khayla Livingston then took a deep 3-pointer for Cleveland State that hit off the side of the rim as time expired.
Bucknell won a season-opening game on the road against a returning WNIT qualifier for the second straight year. The Bison won at Bowling Green in a game that also went down to a buzzer-beating shot attempt by the opponent last season.
The Bison had a huge first quarter, taking a 27-18 lead thanks to 11-of-15 shooting from the field and 5-for-5 from beyond the arc. Klotz and DeBoer combined for 20 points in the quarter. They led 27-15 at one point, their largest lead of the game.
The shots stopped falling for Bucknell after the big run to start the game. After shooting 73 percent in the first quarter, the Bison shot just 28 percent (11-39) in the final three. The Vikings cut the lead to one (33-32) at the half and took a 37-36 advantage with 7:12 left in the third quarter. It was their first lead in 20:09 of play.
“Every good team has to grind some games out and it happened to be that we had to do that in game one,” said Bucknell head coach Aaron Roussell. “We gutted that out a little bit. I think the rebounding kept us in it, especially in the second half when we were struggling to score.”
Klotz, the reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year, showed no signs of a sophomore slump with 18 points and six rebounds despite missing most of the second quarter after picking up her second foul. She shot 5-of-7 from long range and has now scored in double-figures in seven of the past nine games dating back to last season.
McGurk also had a big game from behind the arc, hitting four of her eight attempts on her way to 14 points. She also shared the team lead with Craig with four assists apiece. The Bison had 19 assists in the game, a total they eclipsed just twice all of last season.
Sophomore forward Catherine Romaine made her first career start and had a solid all-around game. She finished with four points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks. She set DeBoer up with some good looks in the paint and the junior took advantage on her way to posting the 10th double-double of her career.
Livingston led all scorers with 19 points. She was joined in double-figures by Shadae Bosley with 11 points and Ashanti Abshaw with 10. No one on the Vikings had double-digit rebounds as Bucknell finished with a 38-33 advantage on the boards.
Bucknell continues its season-opening road trip when it travels to play No. 3 Notre Dame on Sunday. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Purcell Pavilion.
