Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Colgate
Women's Basketball Moves to 6-0 in PL with 71-51 Win at Colgate
1/16/2016 8:19:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HAMILTON, N.Y. – Bucknell was going against the top shot-blocking team in the Patriot League on Saturday, but that didn't stop it from attacking the basket in a 71-51 win at Colgate at Cotterell Court. The Bison scored 42 points in the paint as they improved to 12-5 overall and a perfect 6-0 in the conference.
“We weren't perfect today, but we played hard and did some nice things on both ends of the floor,” said Bucknell head coach Aaron Roussell, who guided the Bison to their longest winning streak, six, in his four years with the team. “Offensively, after some early struggles, we were able to score at the rim.”
Junior forward Claire DeBoer recorded her fifth double-double of the season and the 14th of her career with 15 points and 12 rebounds, and was joined in double-figures by junior forward Sune Swart with 13 points and senior guard Tyler Craig with 10. Craig was also impressive on the defensive end, registering a career-high five steals.
“I have not been very happy with our defense as of late, but we were much better today. Tyler was outstanding,” Roussell said. “To go plus-20 on the boards was a positive, as well.”
Bucknell finished with a 49-29 advantage on the boards, winning the rebounding battle for the 16th time in 17 games this season. Five players had at least five rebounds for the Bison, including sophomore guard Jacquie Klotz with eight and freshman forward Kaitlyn Slagus with seven. Freshman guard Kyi English and sophomore forward Catherine Romaine contributed five apiece.
Colgate managed to get its blocks, posting 10, including five from the nation's leading shot blocker, Josie Stockill. But the Bison still finished with a 22-point advantage in points in the paint, only two of which came on a fastbreak.
The Bison pulled away early, jumping out to a 12-0 lead in the first quarter. Their first eight points came in the paint, while their defense stymied Colgate. The Raiders missed their first 14 shots and didn't score until Lara Curtis hit a pair of free throws with 2:56 left in the quarter. They finally hit their first field goal with 1:05 showing on the clock, and the Bison took a 14-5 lead into the second quarter.
The teams played nearly even in the second quarter as Bucknell led 28-18 at the half. The Bison upped the lead to 45-30 after three quarters and continued to pull away with a 26-point outburst in the fourth.
All 10 Bucknell players that dressed played, including eight that saw double-digit minutes. Slagus finished with eight points, while English and Romaine had six apiece. Freshman forward Maegan Mikkelsen shared the team lead with two assists.
The Bison held Colgate to 27 percent shooting on an 18-for-66 mark from the field and 5-for-19 from beyond the arc. Kateri Stone led the Raiders with 16 points, while Stockill added 14.
Bucknell puts its unbeaten conference record on the line when it hosts Loyola (Md.) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Bison are one-third of the way through the Patriot League schedule and have posted wins over the teams picked to finish first, second, third and fifth in the league's preseason poll. The Greyhounds are 7-10 overall and 4-2 in the conference after posting back-to-back wins over Navy and Boston University.
Players Mentioned
