Bucknell University
7-0,7-0Patriot
Lehigh
6-3,6-3Patriot
Women's Basketball Clinches Patriot League Central Division with 76-64 Win Over Lehigh
1/30/2021 4:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Taylor O'Brien scored 19 points to lead four Bison in double figures as the Bucknell women's basketball team extended its season-opening win streak to seven games and clinched the Patriot League Central Division title with a 76-64 victory over Lehigh Saturday afternoon at Sojka Pavilion. Tessa Brugler (13), Autumn Ceppi (10) and Ally Johnson (10) joined O'Brien in double figures.
Bucknell (7-0, 5-0 PL Central) led the entire game and outscored the Mountain Hawks in every quarter while shooting 47 percent (31-of-66) from the field. Lehigh (6-3, 2-3 PL Central) shot 37.5 percent from the field and 32.1 percent (9-of-28) from beyond the arc. The Mountain Hawks turned the ball over 14 times, leading to 14 Bison points, and handed out 15 assists as a team. The Bison also outscored the Mountain Hawks 46-20 in the paint and handed out 16 assists.
Ceppi and O'Brien both had strong all-around games. O'Brien added seven rebounds and a team-high five assists, while Ceppi recorded the first double-double of her career thanks to her 10 rebounds. She also contributed four assists, two steals and a block.
The Bison defense held strong in the first quarter as Lehigh favored the 3-pointer through the first 10 minutes of action. The Mountain Hawks hit just three of their 11 attempts from beyond the arc, allowing the Bison to build a lead with points in the paint. A 6-0 scoring run had Bucknell up by as many as nine in the frame, but a pair of Lehigh triples in the last minute narrowed the gap to three before entering the second.
Bucknell again put together a run in the second thanks to three straight Lehigh turnovers that increased the advantage to 13, however, Lehigh once again outscored the Bison 7-0 over the last three minutes of the quarter to cut Bucknell's lead to 37-31 heading into halftime.
Bucknell maintained control of the game throughout the third quarter, going up by double digits on multiple occasions and allowing Lehigh to get no closer than six of tying. Bucknell spread the ball around in the third, with seven different Bison hitting one field goal apiece. A Tai Johnson 3-pointer with 37 seconds left in the quarter put Bucknell up nine, and the team carried a seven-point lead into the final stanza.
The fourth quarter saw the Bison shoot a game-high 61.5 percent (8-of-13) with O'Brien going 4-for-4 with eight points to help her team outscore the Mountain Hawks 20-15. Lehigh opened the quarter just 1-for-8. During a 1:44 span in the middle of the quarter the Bison turned an 11-point lead into a game-high 17-point advantage as Lehigh came up empty on four straight attempts from 3-point range. The Mountain Hawks were just 1-for-7 from deep in the final 10 minutes and were never able to get the deficit back to single digits.
"When you play a high-powered team like that and keep them to 64, we're pleased with that. I thought in large portions of the game our defense was pretty good," said head coach Trevor Woodruff. "For a team that's averaging close to 80, for us to hold them close to 60 is pretty good."
Other notable performances included a well-rounded day for Carly Krsul, who finished with eight points, five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. Abby Kapp also poured in eight points with an assist, two steals and a block.
The 7-0 start is Bucknell's best start to a season since opening 7-0 in 1986. By clinching the Patriot League Central Division, the Bison are guaranteed one of the top three seeds in the Patriot League Tournament in March.
Next up, Bucknell plays Lehigh for a fourth consecutive time on Sunday, Jan. 31 in Bethlehem, Pa. Tip-off is at 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
