Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Boston University
Bison Improve to 20-6 with a 72-59 Win at Boston University
2/20/2016 7:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore guard Jacquie Klotz dominated the first half, and junior forward Claire DeBoer took over in the second half as Bucknell posted a 72-59 win at Boston University in Patriot League women's basketball action Saturday at Case Gym. It was the sixth straight win for the Bison, who improved to 20-6 overall and 14-1 in the conference.
“We were not consistently at our best today, but we did enough in some sustained stretches to pull out the win,” said Bucknell head coach Aaron Roussell. “I thought Boston came out with great energy and toughness. We matched it at times, but they made their runs, as well.”
Klotz scored 18 of her game-high 25 points in the first two quarters, helping Bucknell take a 30-25 lead at the break. She connected on four of her first five 3-pointers and finished with five for the game. She moved into fourth on the program's single-season 3-pointer list with 60, and needs just seven more to break the record set by Kate Franks in 2003.
Over the past four games, Klotz is averaging 23.3 points, and the scoring is coming with impressive efficiency. During that stretch she has gone 31-for-46 for a 67 percent mark from the field, including an amazing 17-of-25 for a 68 percent clip from beyond the arc. She has also been solid defensively with nine steals over the past four games, including four in the win over Boston.
Both Klotz and DeBoer finished with four fouls, but that didn't limit their production. DeBoer scored 17 of her 21 points in the second half to help the Bison pull away for their fifth straight win in the series with the Terriers. DeBoer went 8-of-12 from the field, hit all four of her free throws and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
Boston's last lead came with 3:41 to play in the second quarter when Troi Melton's jumper put the Terriers up 22-21. Klotz responded with a 3-pointer just 15 seconds later that gave Bucknell the lead for good. Melton was the Terriers' top player in the game, finishing with 24 points, bolstered by a 10-for-10 mark from the foul line, and eight rebounds.
Bucknell pulled away with a 26-13 advantage in the third quarter. That's when DeBoer did most of her work offensively, scoring 12 points, including six straight for the Bison in a span of 1:26 late in the period.
“Jacquie was great in that first half, and we came out and played an outstanding third quarter,” Roussell said. “I think those were the two keys to us getting a win on the road today.”
Freshman forward Kaitlyn Slagus finished with 14 points and five rebounds, while junior forward Sune Swart contributed five rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Freshman guard Kyi English led the team in assists with three.
Bucknell reached 20 wins in a season for the first time since the 2006-07 team went 20-11 and played in the WNIT. The Bison, who have three regular season games left on the schedule, as well as at least one postseason game, haven't won 21 games in a season since 2001-02.
The Bison remained in a tie with Army West Point for first place in the Patriot League standings. The Black Knights were a 49-34 winners over Navy on Saturday.
Up next for Bucknell is a Wednesday night game with Lafayette at Sojka Pavilion, where the Bison are 11-1 this season. The Leopards dropped to 6-19 overall and 4-11 in the Patriot League with an 80-65 loss to Lehigh on Saturday.
“It's the crunch-time portion of our schedule, and we need to make sure we are ready to be at our best every game,” Roussell said.
