Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Youngstown State
Defense Not Enough as Bucknell Falls 55-47 to Unbeaten Youngstown State
12/2/2015 7:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell held Youngstown State to 27 percent shooting but was on the wrong side of a 16-1 fourth quarter run in a 55-47 loss in non-conference women's basketball action Wednesday at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison fell to 4-3 after losing back-to-back games for the first time this season, while the Penguins remained unbeaten at 6-0.
Sophomore forward Catherine Romaine hit layups on back-to-back possessions to give Bucknell a 39-30 lead with 26 seconds remaining in the third quarter, but Youngstown State may have shifted momentum with Kelley Wright's 3-pointer that cut the lead to 39-33 with nine seconds left on the clock. Wright's trey was the only field goal of the quarter for the Penguins, who missed their first 16 shots.
The Bison scored the first points of the fourth quarter with a pair of free throws by senior guard Sheaira Jones, giving them a 41-33 lead, but the Penguins responded with six straight points. Indiya Benjamin, who averages 9.8 points per game but didn't score in the first three quarters, scored on two straight possessions, and Alison Smolinski added a layup to pull them within two at 41-39. Following a free throw by Bucknell junior forward Claire DeBoer, Youngstown State's Nikki Arbanas made a layup and Benjamin drilled a 3-pointer to give the Penguins their first lead of the second half, 44-42.
Benjamin would go on to score all 11 of her points in the fourth quarter, and Youngstown State would outscore Bucknell 22-8. Joining Benjamin in double-figures for the game were Arbanas with 15 points and Sarah Cash with 12.
“I thought our defense did a pretty admirable job to hold a team like that to 27-percent shooting, but unfortunately we didn't get it done on the offensive end,” said Bucknell head coach Aaron Roussell. “Romaine did a good job defensively inside, which allowed us to defend the shooters the way we wanted to. Unfortunately they just got loose a little during that stretch in the fourth quarter.”
Bucknell played well defensively against a Youngstown State team that was coming off a 96-point performance in a win over Oakland. The Bison held the Penguins to a 16-of-59 mark from the field and a 5-of-19 (26 percent) clip from long range. The Penguins were able to convert on 18 of their 24 free throw attempts.
DeBoer recorded her second consecutive double-double and her fourth of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore guard Jacquie Klotz came up just short of her fourth double-double of the year, finishing with nine points and 11 boards. Freshman guard Kyi English connected on a pair of 3-pointers in the first half and tallied a career-high eight points, while senior guard Tyler Craig set a season-high with eight points and dished out three assists.
Bucknell won't have to wait long as it looks to get back on track. The Bison will host Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday at 7 p.m. The Knights are 1-4 after a 74-68 win over Grand Canyon on Sunday.
