Bucknell University
9-2,0-0Patriot
Buffalo
6-4,0-0MAC
Women's Basketball Defeats Buffalo 80-69 to Post Eighth Straight Win
12/20/2021 7:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Cecelia Collins (21 points), Carly Krsul (17) and Tai Johnson (9) all notched career highs, and the Bucknell women's basketball team posted a season high in points in an 80-69 victory over Buffalo Monday evening at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison won their eighth straight contest as they defeated the 12th-ranked team in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll.
Bucknell (9-2) was dominant early, outscoring the Bulls 29-13 in the first quarter. The Bison registered assists on each of their first 15 field goals and finished the contest with 21 assists for a second straight game, including a game-high six by Marly Walls. Walls registered six points, six rebounds and three steals as well. Taylor O'Brien was the third Bison to score in double figures, posting 17.
Krsul added 13 rebounds, including seven offensive boards, to post her third career double-double. She also connected on eight of her 11 field goal attempts.
Bucknell led 43-26 at halftime and was ahead the entire game. Buffalo (6-4) cut the Bison lead to 62-57 with under eight to play, but could draw no closer. Bucknell made its free throws down the stretch to preserve the double-figure final margin of victory. It was Bucknell's sixth straight double-digit win.
Georgia Woolley led Buffalo, which had won five of its last six, with 22 points off the bench. Dyaisha Fair registered 20, including four made 3-pointers.
The Bison opened the game on a 13-2 run, forcing seven straight Buffalo misses while starting 4-for-4 themselves. Bucknell shot 55 percent (11-of-20) and went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc over the first 10 minutes and held the Bulls to 26.3 percent (5-of-19).
12 of Krsul's 17 points came during the opening frame as she went 6-for-6 with six boards. The 29 points Bucknell hung on the board in the first were the most in a single quarter since scoring as many in the first quarter against Army in March 2020.
A 7-0 Bucknell run to start the second quarter grew the lead to 23, which was as large as it got in the first half. Buffalo never got closer than 15 the rest of the half. The Bulls did manage to knocked down a pair of threes, but the Bison defense limited them to just 30.8 percent (4-of-13) from the field and forced six turnovers. Bucknell also posted three of its five blocks in the second quarter.
Krsul had already secured her double-double by the halftime break, and Bucknell was 4-for-4 on triples and had 15 assists.
While Bucknell maintained its double-digit advantage through most of the third quarter and still shot 50 percent, Buffalo began to threaten the lead with 66.7 percent shooting (12-of-18) and a 5-for-9 showing from beyond the arc. The Bulls hit back-to-back threes to open the quarter, and they worked the deficit down to nine (54-45) with 3:53 to go in the frame.
A Buffalo 3-pointer with just three seconds left in the third brought the visitors within six of tying at 61-55 after outscoring the Bison 29-18 in the quarter.
With 7:53 to play in the fourth, a Woolley layup cut Bucknell's lead to 62-57, and the five-point margin was as close as the game got throughout its duration. Bucknell responded with five straight points, all of which were scored by Collins as the freshman posted eight of her 21 points over the final 10 minutes.
Buffalo was within seven of tying with 1:41 to play in the game, but the Bison hit 6-of-8 at the foul line down the stretch to secure the win.
Bucknell returns to play on Wednesday, Dec. 29 to host Boston U. for the first game of Patriot League play. The Terriers were picked one spot ahead of Bucknell in the Patriot League preseason poll and are currently 4-6 on the season.
