Tuesday, December 18
Lewisburg, Pa.
11 a.m.
Bucknell University
9-2
73
vs
68
Youngstown State
7-3
1
2
3
4
F
Youngstown St.
12
16
13
27
68
Bucknell
22
14
22
15
73
Photo by: Marc Hagemeier
Women's Basketball Hangs on for 73-68 Win Over Youngstown State on Education Day
12/18/2018 12:58:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Bison Posted Their Seventh Straight Win While Playing in Front of Nearly 2,000 Fans
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Kate Walker and Kyi English combined for 42 points, and Abby Kapp turned in an outstanding defensive effort to help Bucknell women's basketball survive a huge comeback attempt by Youngstown State in a 73-68 win Tuesday at Sojka Pavilion. The game was played in front of 1,990 fans, including more than 1,300 students and staff from seven local schools for Education Day.
Bucknell improved to 9-2, its best 11-game record to open the season since 1986-87. Youngstown State, which had won each of its past three games and has a victory over Pitt this season, fell to 7-3.
Walker scored 22 points and added three assists, while English finished with 20 points and seven rebounds. The point guard is averaging 7.5 rebounds over the last two games. Ellie Mack joined them in double-figures with 11 points, while Kaitlyn Slagus led the team with 10 rebounds.
Bucknell needed the big offensive numbers, as well some key offensive rebounds to hold off a near miraculous comeback by Youngstown State. The Bison led by 19 points with 45 seconds left in the third quarter but saw that lead dwindle to just four points, 61-57, with 6:11 still to play.
Mack and English then scored on back-to-back possessions to help Bucknell go back up seven, 65-58. Following a free throw at the other end, the Bison came through with three straight offensive rebounds before Walker buried a 3-pointer to up the lead to nine, 68-59. The Bison made five of their eight free throw attempts down the stretch to hang on for their seventh-straight win.
"I was proud of our team. We knew this was a game we were going to be challenged," Bucknell head coach Aaron Roussell said. "At no point did I ever think this was going to be a blowout; even when we were up 19. As a coach you'd like to see that fourth quarter go a little differently, but there were a lot of teachable moments that we were going to have to learn at some point anyway."
It was the best game of the season for Walker, a Preseason All-Patriot League selection. She shot 9-of-14 from the field and connected on all three of her attempts from beyond the arc. She was solid from start to finish, scoring nine points in the first half and 13 in the second.
With the exception of the stretch to start the fourth quarter, Bucknell turned in a quality defensive effort, forcing 16 turnovers and tallying 10 steals. It was the team's ninth game this season with at least nine steals.
Kapp helped shut down the Penguins' top scorer, Alison Smolinski, holding her to three points on 0-of-7 shooting. Smolinski averaged 26.0 points while shooting 15-of-27 from long range over the past two games. She made a school-record nine 3-pointers in a win over Canisius earlier this month.
A balanced offense continued to be the norm for Bucknell, which had nine players score. It was the seventh-straight game that at least nine Bison contributed points. Slagus and Kapp finished with seven points apiece, Ally Johnson and Marly Walls each scored two points, and Autumn Ceppi and Tessa Brugler each added a free throw. The Bison have had a different high scorer in each of the past four games.
Playing in front of the largest home crowd during Roussell's seven seasons with the team, the Bison improved to 4-0 at Sojka Pavilion this season and 46-5 over the last four seasons. An average of 1,481 fans have attended Bucknell's three Education Day games, the first of which was played during the 2016-17 season.
"It was an awesome crowd. Hats off to our administrators for everything they did to make this such a success," Roussell said. "I can't say enough about what they were able to do to make this such a great experience for our student-athletes and the local community."
Bucknell closes the non-conference portion of its schedule with a game at Iowa State on Saturday, Dec. 29. The Cyclones sit just outside of the Associated Press Top 25, receiving the most votes of the teams not in the rankings.
Following the game in Ames, Iowa, Bucknell opens league play at home with a game against American on Thursday, Jan. 3.
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Bucknell improved to 9-2, its best 11-game record to open the season since 1986-87. Youngstown State, which had won each of its past three games and has a victory over Pitt this season, fell to 7-3.
Walker scored 22 points and added three assists, while English finished with 20 points and seven rebounds. The point guard is averaging 7.5 rebounds over the last two games. Ellie Mack joined them in double-figures with 11 points, while Kaitlyn Slagus led the team with 10 rebounds.
Bucknell needed the big offensive numbers, as well some key offensive rebounds to hold off a near miraculous comeback by Youngstown State. The Bison led by 19 points with 45 seconds left in the third quarter but saw that lead dwindle to just four points, 61-57, with 6:11 still to play.
Mack and English then scored on back-to-back possessions to help Bucknell go back up seven, 65-58. Following a free throw at the other end, the Bison came through with three straight offensive rebounds before Walker buried a 3-pointer to up the lead to nine, 68-59. The Bison made five of their eight free throw attempts down the stretch to hang on for their seventh-straight win.
"I was proud of our team. We knew this was a game we were going to be challenged," Bucknell head coach Aaron Roussell said. "At no point did I ever think this was going to be a blowout; even when we were up 19. As a coach you'd like to see that fourth quarter go a little differently, but there were a lot of teachable moments that we were going to have to learn at some point anyway."
It was the best game of the season for Walker, a Preseason All-Patriot League selection. She shot 9-of-14 from the field and connected on all three of her attempts from beyond the arc. She was solid from start to finish, scoring nine points in the first half and 13 in the second.
With the exception of the stretch to start the fourth quarter, Bucknell turned in a quality defensive effort, forcing 16 turnovers and tallying 10 steals. It was the team's ninth game this season with at least nine steals.
Kapp helped shut down the Penguins' top scorer, Alison Smolinski, holding her to three points on 0-of-7 shooting. Smolinski averaged 26.0 points while shooting 15-of-27 from long range over the past two games. She made a school-record nine 3-pointers in a win over Canisius earlier this month.
A balanced offense continued to be the norm for Bucknell, which had nine players score. It was the seventh-straight game that at least nine Bison contributed points. Slagus and Kapp finished with seven points apiece, Ally Johnson and Marly Walls each scored two points, and Autumn Ceppi and Tessa Brugler each added a free throw. The Bison have had a different high scorer in each of the past four games.
Playing in front of the largest home crowd during Roussell's seven seasons with the team, the Bison improved to 4-0 at Sojka Pavilion this season and 46-5 over the last four seasons. An average of 1,481 fans have attended Bucknell's three Education Day games, the first of which was played during the 2016-17 season.
"It was an awesome crowd. Hats off to our administrators for everything they did to make this such a success," Roussell said. "I can't say enough about what they were able to do to make this such a great experience for our student-athletes and the local community."
Bucknell closes the non-conference portion of its schedule with a game at Iowa State on Saturday, Dec. 29. The Cyclones sit just outside of the Associated Press Top 25, receiving the most votes of the teams not in the rankings.
Following the game in Ames, Iowa, Bucknell opens league play at home with a game against American on Thursday, Jan. 3.
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Team Stats
YSU
BUCKNELL
FG%
.375
.444
3FG%
.320
.368
FT%
.667
.667
RB
37
37
TO
16
13
STL
6
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
9
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
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