Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Loyola (Md.)
Women's Basketball Beats Loyola 71-64 for Seventh Straight Win
1/20/2016 10:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell women's basketball team has a seven-game winning streak for just the fourth time in program history after beating Patriot League foe Loyola (Md.) 71-64 on Wednesday at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison improved to 13-5 overall and remained the only unbeaten team in the conference at 7-0.
Sophomore guard Jacquie Klotz scored 22 points, junior forward Claire DeBoer added 20, and both players pulled down seven rebounds to lead Bucknell. The Bison, who also received a double-digit effort from freshman forward Kaitlyn Slagus with 10 points, were 56 percent from the field on 23-of-41 shooting. Klotz also led the team's defensive effort with four of the team's 10 steals and two of its seven blocks.
“We grinded one out and I was proud of our players for that,” said Bucknell head coach Aaron Roussell. “You celebrate what you did that night, but we haven't talked about going 7-0 or keeping the streak going or anything like that. I think some of this has to do with the adversity we went through in our non-conference schedule and the injuries we have faced. We dressed 10 players tonight and five were freshmen. They have been in some tough situations and I'm proud of the way they have stepped up.”
Eight players scored for Bucknell and four players had at least five rebounds as the Bison won the battle on the boards 34-22. Slagus and junior forward Sune Swart pulled down five rebounds apiece.
The teams traded runs in the second quarter before Bucknell took a 36-32 lead into the half. The Bison opened the quarter with an 8-0 run, but the Greyhounds responded with an 8-0 run of their own to go up 29-24.
Klotz had a big first half, including the Bison's final five points with a 3-pointer and two free throws in the final minute. She had 14 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists at the break, while DeBoer added 10 points.
The Bison started to pull away in the third quarter, out-scoring the Greyhounds 18-12 to take a double-digit lead, 54-44, into the final 10 minutes. They upped the lead to 56-44 on a layup by DeBoer on their opening possession of the fourth quarter. The Greyhounds made a late run, getting as close as four, 66-62, with 39 seconds left, but Klotz and DeBoer helped put the game away by hitting three of their four free throw attempts. The Bison shot 70 percent from the line, going 21-for-30.
Bucknell won despite turning the ball over 21 times. Loyola scored 29 points off those turnovers, but the Bison's usual dominance on the boards and solid night shooting helped them win their seventh straight game for the first time since the 2006-07 season. Klotz went 5-for-9 from the floor, including a 3-for-4 mark from beyond the arc, and DeBoer was 8-of-15 from the field. Slagus reached double-digits in scoring on an efficient 5-of-8 shooting.
Bucknell holds a one-game lead over second-place Army West Point and a three-game advantage over the three teams tied for third in the league standings, but there is still plenty of basketball left to play with 11 games remaining on the schedule. Up next for the Bison is a home game against Boston University (1-17, 1-6 PL) on Saturday at 4 p.m.
