Bucknell University
3-2,0-0Patriot
North Dakota
1-4,0-0Summit League
Women's Basketball Wins TD Bank Classic Game over North Dakota, 64-59
11/27/2021 5:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BURLINGTON, Vt. – The Bucknell women's basketball team trailed for more than 33 minutes before grabbing its first lead and eventually earning a win in Saturday's TD Bank Classic game against North Dakota, securing a spot in Sunday's championship game against Vermont. Three players scored in double figures, led by senior Taylor O'Brien's season-high 22. Junior Carly Krsul poured in a career-high 16 points with 10 rebounds for her first double-double, and rookie Cecelia Collins went 3-for-5 from beyond the arc to finish with 13 points.
The Bison improved to 3-2 overall with the win, and they've now won back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Bucknell saw its shooting improve each quarter after knocking down just 4-of-19 (21.1%) in the first, and the team ended up hitting on 50 percent in the second half.
Defensively, the Bison forced 14 turnovers and blocked five shots. They held the Fighting Hawks to under 40 percent from the field in three of four quarters.
The Bison limited North Dakota to just 33.3 percent shooting the first quarter, but they were unable to capitalize and trailed 13-8 after the first nine minutes of the game. A Collins 3-pointer with 1:24 to play in the opening frame cut the deficit to 2 heading into the second.
The shooting woes continued into the second quarter for Bucknell, and they committed a game-high 5 turnovers in the period. The Bison managed to pull within one of tying at 22-21 with 4:27 to go in the quarter, but North Dakota ended the half on an 8-2 run to carry a 30-23 lead into the break. Bucknell shot just 24.2 percent (8-of-33) and committed nine of its 13 turnovers in the first half.
The Fighting Hawks scored first to open the second half and grab their largest lead of the game at 32-23, but the Bucknell offense was revamped coming out of the locker rooms. It whittled the deficit down to two following a Marly Walls steal and five straight points from Collins.
O'Brien, who was 4-of-7 with eight of the team's 20 third-quarter points, tied the game for the first time with a driving layup to make it 38-38. North Dakota regained the lead several times over the waning minutes of the third, but the Bison never let it get out of reach. The team hit 8-of-17 field goals and forced four more turnovers to enter the fourth trailing 45-43.
After tying the game three more times in the fourth, Bucknell finally grabbed its first lead of the contest with 1:50 to play on a Collins steal and a Krsul layup. It turned into a 5-0 run, and the Bison led 57-54 with 1:27 left. Bucknell led the rest of the way and made 10 of its final 13 free throws to seal the victory.
Walls finished the game with nine points, seven rebounds and three assists in a noteworthy performance. Junior Emma Shaffer chipped in three assists as well to go with four rebounds and a steal.
Bucknell matches up with tournament host Vermont in the championship game at 2 p.m. on Sunday. The Catamounts defeated Brown in their first game of the tournament, 79-46. It will be Bucknell's second time meeting the Catamounts in a Thanksgiving tournament, as they won 94-81 in the 1986 matchup. Sunday's game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
