Tuesday, November 6
West Long Branch, N.J.
6 p.m.
Bucknell University
70
at
32
Monmouth
1
2
3
4
F
Bucknell
15
23
21
11
70
Monmouth
6
11
10
5
32
Photo by: Marc Hagemeier
Women's Basketball Rolls Past Monmouth 70-32 in Season Opener
11/6/2018 9:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Bucknell Has Won Five Straight Season Openers
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Kaitlyn Slagus recorded her 26th career double-double and 11 different players scored for Bucknell as the Bison opened the 2018-19 season with a 70-32 win over Monmouth in non-conference women's basketball action.
Slagus, a senior Preseason All-Patriot League selection finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes on the floor. Kate Walker, also a senior Preseason All-Patriot League selection, joined her in double figures with 11 points, while junior Ellie Mack and sophomore Abby Kapp added nine points apiece.
"I was really proud of our players today," Bucknell head coach Aaron Roussell said. "We came into this one blind in a lot of ways so it was a hard prep, but our group responded to a lot of adjustments early and performed very well."
Bucknell took control early jumping out to an 11-2 lead following 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions by Walker and Slagus. The Bison would go on to lead 38-17 at the half. Slagus was well on her way to a double-double with seven points and eight rebounds. Mack had seven points in the half, while Walker led the defensive effort with three steals.
The Bison picked up right where they left off to start the second half, opening the third quarter with a 12-0 run to go up 50-17. Four players scored during the run, led by Walker with six. Mack, Slagus, and Kyi English scored two apiece.
"The opening of the second half was impressive," Roussell said. "We forced turnovers on one end and got easy buckets on the offensive end. We talked about making a statement and we went out and got it done."
Defense was key the entire game for Bucknell, which forced 22 turnovers by Monmouth. Walker had five of the team's 15 steals, the most by a Bison player since Tyler Craig had five in a game at Colgate on Jan.16, 2016. Slagus tallied three steals, while Kapp and sophomore Autumn Ceppi had two apiece.
Monmouth was held to 21 percent shooting with a 12-for-57 mark from the floor. Rosa Graham paced the Hawks with six points and five steals.
The Bison overcame 21 turnovers themselves by shooting 50 percent (26-52) from the field, 47 percent (8-17) from beyond the arc, and 83 percent (10-12) from the line.
"Outside of a stretch in the third quarter where we threw it all over the gym, I thought it was a very solid opening effort for our team," Roussell said.
As has been the case in all but one season of the Roussell era at Bucknell, the Bison were dominant on the boards, finishing with a 43-30 advantage. Mack contributed seven rebounds, while Walker added six. Monmouth finished with more offensive rebounds (16) than defensive rebounds (14).
The Bison have now won five consecutive season openers. Other opponents during that stretch included Bowling Green, Cleveland State, Binghamton, and Rider.
Bucknell has a huge non-conference matchup upcoming as it welcomes Quinnipiac, the No. 1 ranked mid-major in the country, to Sojka Pavilion for the home opener on Sunday at 4 p.m. The Bobcats, who have won three NCAA Tournament games in the past two seasons, open their season Friday at Drexel.
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Slagus, a senior Preseason All-Patriot League selection finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes on the floor. Kate Walker, also a senior Preseason All-Patriot League selection, joined her in double figures with 11 points, while junior Ellie Mack and sophomore Abby Kapp added nine points apiece.
"I was really proud of our players today," Bucknell head coach Aaron Roussell said. "We came into this one blind in a lot of ways so it was a hard prep, but our group responded to a lot of adjustments early and performed very well."
Bucknell took control early jumping out to an 11-2 lead following 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions by Walker and Slagus. The Bison would go on to lead 38-17 at the half. Slagus was well on her way to a double-double with seven points and eight rebounds. Mack had seven points in the half, while Walker led the defensive effort with three steals.
The Bison picked up right where they left off to start the second half, opening the third quarter with a 12-0 run to go up 50-17. Four players scored during the run, led by Walker with six. Mack, Slagus, and Kyi English scored two apiece.
"The opening of the second half was impressive," Roussell said. "We forced turnovers on one end and got easy buckets on the offensive end. We talked about making a statement and we went out and got it done."
Defense was key the entire game for Bucknell, which forced 22 turnovers by Monmouth. Walker had five of the team's 15 steals, the most by a Bison player since Tyler Craig had five in a game at Colgate on Jan.16, 2016. Slagus tallied three steals, while Kapp and sophomore Autumn Ceppi had two apiece.
Monmouth was held to 21 percent shooting with a 12-for-57 mark from the floor. Rosa Graham paced the Hawks with six points and five steals.
The Bison overcame 21 turnovers themselves by shooting 50 percent (26-52) from the field, 47 percent (8-17) from beyond the arc, and 83 percent (10-12) from the line.
"Outside of a stretch in the third quarter where we threw it all over the gym, I thought it was a very solid opening effort for our team," Roussell said.
As has been the case in all but one season of the Roussell era at Bucknell, the Bison were dominant on the boards, finishing with a 43-30 advantage. Mack contributed seven rebounds, while Walker added six. Monmouth finished with more offensive rebounds (16) than defensive rebounds (14).
The Bison have now won five consecutive season openers. Other opponents during that stretch included Bowling Green, Cleveland State, Binghamton, and Rider.
Bucknell has a huge non-conference matchup upcoming as it welcomes Quinnipiac, the No. 1 ranked mid-major in the country, to Sojka Pavilion for the home opener on Sunday at 4 p.m. The Bobcats, who have won three NCAA Tournament games in the past two seasons, open their season Friday at Drexel.
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Team Stats
F-83
F-439
FG%
.500
.211
3FG%
.471
.091
FT%
.833
.636
RB
43
30
TO
21
22
STL
15
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
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