Sunday, November 18
Syracuse, N.Y.
2 p.m.
Bucknell University
2-2
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70
Syracuse
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Bucknell
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Syracuse
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Photo by: Marc Hagemeier
18th-Ranked Syracuse Pulls Away Late for 70-56 Win Over Bison
11/18/2018 6:19:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Bison led 42-41 Midway Through the Third Quarter
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – A strong defensive effort kept Bucknell close for most of the game before 18th-ranked Syracuse pulled away late for a 70-56 win in a non-conference women's basketball game Sunday at the Carrier Dome.
Bucknell, which fell to 2-2 on the season, battled back to put itself in good position multiple times in the game, starting with a 9-0 to pull within two, 30-28, near the end of the first half. Freshman Marly Walls started the run with a bucket, senior Kyi English followed with five straight points on a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws, and junior Ellie Mack capped it with a putback.
But Syracuse extended its lead to six, 34-28, at the break, thanks to a four-point play in the closing seconds. The Orange then scored the first two points of the second half to go up eight, 36-28.
Bucknell fought to close that gap, eventually doing so with 3-pointers on consecutive possessions. Sophomore Abby Kapp connected from long range to make it a one-point game, and, following a free throw by Syracuse at the other end, sophomore Ally Johnson hit a trey to put the Bison up 42-41 with 4:04 to play in the third quarter.
The Bison trailed by just one after a 3-pointer by senior Kate Walker with 1:44 left in the third quarter, but Syracuse went on a 5-0 run in the final 1:44 of the period, including a two-point jumper by Tiana Mangakahia with two seconds on the clock to go back up six, 48-42.
Syracuse finally pulled away in the fourth quarter, outscoring Bucknell 16-8. The Orange improved to 3-1 on the season, including a win over No. 20 Texas A&M in their previous game. Their lone loss came by just two points on the road against No. 3 Oregon.
"I was very happy with our effort today, especially coming off the Drexel game," Bucknell head coach Aaron Roussell said. "I think you'll see Syracuse continue to prove itself as one of the top teams in the country, and we took them to the brink for most of that game."
Bucknell hung with Syracuse thanks in large part to a solid defensive effort. The Bison forced 24 turnovers and held the Orange below their season average in points (77.7) that was accumulated despite two of three games being against nationally-ranked opponents.
Offensively, though, the Orange defensive pressure proved to be too much as Bucknell committed a season-high 31 turnovers, which were turned into 23 points.
"We wish we would have handled their pressure better, but we will learn from it and get better," Roussell said. "This group has an amazing defensive-attacking mindset and once we get that to translate to the offensive side of things I think you'll see a dangerous team that's a lot of fun to watch."
Mack and Kapp finished with 11 points apiece for Bucknell, while English joined them in double-digits with 10 points. The Bison hit eight of their first 16 attempts from beyond the arc, but finished 9-of-26 for the game.
Senior Kaitlyn Slagus totaled nine points and seven rebounds, while Johnson finished with eight points. English contributed on both ends of the floor adding five steals and four assists. Sophomore Autumn Ceppi turned in a solid 20 minutes of playing time, especially on the defensive end.
Syracuse was led by Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi with 19 points and eight rebounds. Bucknell played well against Mangakahia. The point guard had 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting, two assists and four turnovers. She averaged 17.5 points and 9.8 assists last season, including a career-high 17 assists in a game against Vanderbilt.
"We got better today and showed ourselves a lot," Roussell said. "I hope we can continue to build on this."
Up next for Bucknell are games against UMass, Fairfield and Brown at Brown's Turkey Tip-Off on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Bucknell, which fell to 2-2 on the season, battled back to put itself in good position multiple times in the game, starting with a 9-0 to pull within two, 30-28, near the end of the first half. Freshman Marly Walls started the run with a bucket, senior Kyi English followed with five straight points on a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws, and junior Ellie Mack capped it with a putback.
But Syracuse extended its lead to six, 34-28, at the break, thanks to a four-point play in the closing seconds. The Orange then scored the first two points of the second half to go up eight, 36-28.
Bucknell fought to close that gap, eventually doing so with 3-pointers on consecutive possessions. Sophomore Abby Kapp connected from long range to make it a one-point game, and, following a free throw by Syracuse at the other end, sophomore Ally Johnson hit a trey to put the Bison up 42-41 with 4:04 to play in the third quarter.
The Bison trailed by just one after a 3-pointer by senior Kate Walker with 1:44 left in the third quarter, but Syracuse went on a 5-0 run in the final 1:44 of the period, including a two-point jumper by Tiana Mangakahia with two seconds on the clock to go back up six, 48-42.
Syracuse finally pulled away in the fourth quarter, outscoring Bucknell 16-8. The Orange improved to 3-1 on the season, including a win over No. 20 Texas A&M in their previous game. Their lone loss came by just two points on the road against No. 3 Oregon.
"I was very happy with our effort today, especially coming off the Drexel game," Bucknell head coach Aaron Roussell said. "I think you'll see Syracuse continue to prove itself as one of the top teams in the country, and we took them to the brink for most of that game."
Bucknell hung with Syracuse thanks in large part to a solid defensive effort. The Bison forced 24 turnovers and held the Orange below their season average in points (77.7) that was accumulated despite two of three games being against nationally-ranked opponents.
Offensively, though, the Orange defensive pressure proved to be too much as Bucknell committed a season-high 31 turnovers, which were turned into 23 points.
"We wish we would have handled their pressure better, but we will learn from it and get better," Roussell said. "This group has an amazing defensive-attacking mindset and once we get that to translate to the offensive side of things I think you'll see a dangerous team that's a lot of fun to watch."
Mack and Kapp finished with 11 points apiece for Bucknell, while English joined them in double-digits with 10 points. The Bison hit eight of their first 16 attempts from beyond the arc, but finished 9-of-26 for the game.
Senior Kaitlyn Slagus totaled nine points and seven rebounds, while Johnson finished with eight points. English contributed on both ends of the floor adding five steals and four assists. Sophomore Autumn Ceppi turned in a solid 20 minutes of playing time, especially on the defensive end.
Syracuse was led by Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi with 19 points and eight rebounds. Bucknell played well against Mangakahia. The point guard had 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting, two assists and four turnovers. She averaged 17.5 points and 9.8 assists last season, including a career-high 17 assists in a game against Vanderbilt.
"We got better today and showed ourselves a lot," Roussell said. "I hope we can continue to build on this."
Up next for Bucknell are games against UMass, Fairfield and Brown at Brown's Turkey Tip-Off on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Team Stats
BUCKNELL
SU
FG%
.400
.429
3FG%
.346
.300
FT%
.875
.762
RB
30
35
TO
31
24
STL
11
17
Game Leaders
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
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