Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lafayette
Women's Basketball Beats Lafayette, Clinches Share of PL Regular Season Title
3/2/2016 10:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball
EASTON, Pa. – Bucknell closed the regular season with a 68-59 win over Lafayette at the Kirby Sports Center on Wednesday, clinching a share of the Patriot League women's basketball regular season title. It's the first regular season championship for the Bison since they won the league outright in 2007.
The Bison finished the regular season with program records in wins at 23-6 overall and in conference victories at 17-1 in the Patriot League. They tied with Army West Point for first place in the league standings. While not official until the national RPI is released Thursday, the Black Knights are expected to be the top seed in the conference tournament, while the Bison would enter as the second seed and host a quarterfinal game at Sojka Pavilion on Monday.
“It feels good to get a piece of a championship,” said fourth-year Bucknell head coach Aaron Roussell. “This team has been through so much, and for it to result in a banner in the rafters is very rewarding. I've been told Army is one of the better teams in the history of the Patriot League, so for us to match them at 17-1 is an incredible accomplishment.”
Bucknell's run through the league schedule started with an eight-game winning streak, including a victory over Army West Point. The Bison's lone loss came to the Black Knights and has been followed by their current nine-game winning streak that they will take into the postseason. The streak is tied for the longest in program history.
Sophomore guard Jacquie Klotz and freshman forward Kaitlyn Slagus each recorded a double-double in the win. The pair put up identical scoring and rebounding numbers, finishing with 16 points and 11 board apiece. The Bison finished with a 43-30 advantage in rebounds, winning the rebounding battle in 28 of the 29 regular season games.
As has been the pattern in many games this season, Klotz took over offensively in the first half, and junior forward Claire DeBoer led all scorers in the second half. Klotz hit her first six shots, including four 3-pointers and scored all of her points in the first half, helping Bucknell take a 22-7 lead after one quarter and a 33-25 lead at the half.
DeBoer's offensive output was just one free throw in the first half, but she erupted for 20 points in the second half to finish with a game-high 21. She was 7-for-9 from the field, scoring 10 points in each of the final two quarters.
“We got off to a great start tonight and fought off a couple of runs from Lafayette,” Roussell said. “We had some great performances tonight – Klotz in the first half and DeBoer in the second – and we had a lot of moments with three freshmen on the floor. We always want it done easier, but winning against league opponents is difficult and obviously winning on the road is really difficult.”
After trailing by as much as 17 in the first half, Lafayette battled back to make it close in the second half. The Leopards cut the deficit to four, 47-43, on a pair of free throws by Maia Hood with 33 seconds left in the third quarter. They trailed by just five, 57-52, with 3:45 left in the game, but DeBoer made a layup and Slagus scored four straight points to put the Bison back up double-digits.
Slagus registered the first double-double of her career, scoring her 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including a 2-for-4 mark from beyond the arc. The Bison had 15 assists on their 24 field goals, led by DeBoer with four. Senior guard Tyler Craig and Klotz dished out three assists apiece.
Hood paced a group of four Lafayette players in double-figures, scoring 15 points on 11 shots. The Bison shot 46 percent from the field while holding the Leopards to 36 percent shooting.
Bucknell will be back in action Monday as it hosts a Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal game at Sojka Pavilion. The time and opponent are to be determined. The Bison have earned a home game in the quarterfinals in each of the past three seasons.
