Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Holy Cross
Bison Last Unbeaten in Patriot League Play After 58-51 Win at Holy Cross
1/9/2016 7:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball
WORCESTER, Mass. – Freshman guard Kyi English dished out seven assists in her first career start, and Bucknell tallied 16 assists on 18 field goals in a 58-51 win over Holy Cross in a Patriot League women's basketball game at the Hart Center on Saturday. Sophomore guard Jacquie Klotz recorded a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds to help the Bison improve to 10-5 overall and a perfect 4-0 in the conference for the first time since the 2001-02 season.
Bucknell and Holy Cross (6-9, 3-1 PL) were the last remaining unbeaten teams in conference play entering Saturday's game. The Bison kept their unblemished league record intact despite playing on the road for the third time in four games. They trailed by as much 11 in the second quarter and were still down eight early in the third before rallying back to snap a three-game losing streak in the series with the Crusaders.
“What a great, emotional win for our team,” said Bucknell head coach Aaron Roussell. “This group battled back from some adversity, some big deficits, and would just not be denied. I am incredibly proud of what they accomplished today.”
Holy Cross shot 52 percent, including a barrage of mid-range jumpers in the first half, on its way to a 36-27 halftime lead. Bucknell was playing its first game without junior point guard Megan McGurk, who suffered a season-ending injury in a win over American on Wednesday. The Bison had as many as three freshmen on the floor at one time in the first half after senior guard Tyler Craig was limited to just nine minutes after being whistled for two early fouls.
Bucknell's defense stepped up in the second half, and Holy Cross's shots stopped falling. The Crusaders scored 15 points in the final two quarters combined, including just five in the third, and shot 20 percent (5-25) for the half.
The Bison had the nine-point halftime deficit erased before the end of the third quarter. They opened the half with an 8-0 run, including four points from Craig, to pull within one, 36-35. The Crusaders scored five of the next seven points to go up 41-37, but the Bison took their first lead of the game, 44-41, following back-to-back layups by Klotz and junior forward Claire DeBoer and a 3-pointer by freshman forward Kaitlyn Slagus with 32 seconds left on the clock. They kept it going in the fourth quarter, upping their lead to as much as nine.
English added five points and four rebounds to her seven assists, but more importantly she turned the ball over just twice. The Bison finished with a season-low nine turnovers. After averaging 20.1 turnovers through the first 12 games of the season, they have averaged 11.0 over the past three.
Klotz scored her 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including a 4-of-5 mark from beyond the arc, and registered her sixth double-double of the season. DeBoer joined her in double-figures with 11 points, while Slagus finished with nine points and seven rebounds. Craig contributed seven points and four boards.
Infiniti Thomas-Waheed and Tricia Byrne led Holy Cross with 10 points apiece. Molly Hourigan had a solid all-around game with seven points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
The Bison will attempt to start 5-0 in the Patriot League for the first time since the 1999-2000 season when they host Lehigh on Wednesday at Sojka Pavilion. The Mountain Hawks are 9-6 overall and 2-2 in the league after their 59-55 loss to American on Saturday.
