Bucknell University
0-1,0-0Patriot
Saint Joseph's
1-0,0-0Atlantic 10
Women's Basketball Falls 66-49 at Saint Joseph's in Season Opener
11/7/2022 9:08:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Bucknell women's basketball team rallied back from an 11-point second-quarter deficit to take a 34-33 lead with five minutes left in the third, but Saint Joseph's shot 56 percent in the second half to defeat the Bison 66-49 at Hagan Arena in the season opener.
Bucknell was within five of tying (43-38) with 50 seconds left in the third quarter before the Hawks went on a 16-2 run that lasted most of the fourth.
Bucknell trailed for all but 2:55 of the game, and Saint Joseph's scored 17 points off 17 Bison turnovers. The Hawks also made the most of their trips to the foul line, knocking down 12-of-13 from the stripe. Saint Joseph's shot 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from the field and made 4-of-11 attempts from beyond the arc. Bucknell shot 37 percent (17-of-46) and made 5-of-15 threes and 10-of-11 free throws.
Emma Shaffer led the Bison with 11 points and nine boards. She was joined in double figures by Tai Johnson and Julie Kulesza, who each registered 10 points. Johnson was 5-for-6 shooting and added two assists.
Cecelia Collins played just six minutes of the first half after picking up two early fouls. She finished the game with five points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist.
Saint Joseph's Mackenzie Smith led all scorers with 19 points, followed by Laura Ziegler's 16 points and seven rebounds. The Hawks held a 29-27 edge on the glass.
"This is one data point on a long season. We'll take it. We'll be really honest with ourselves about what went right and what didn't and just try to get better. It's a long season. We're a young team. We're not great right now, but I do think we have a chance to be really good. It's just going to take time and patience, consistency and purpose to what we're doing every day to get better," said head coach Trevor Woodruff.
The lead went back and forth through the early minutes of the first quarter, but a 12-0 Saint Joseph's run that lasted into the second put the Bison behind 18-8. Bucknell managed to whittle the deficit back down to five with back-to-back Johnson layups, and the Bison entered halftime down 25-20.
Nine of Bucknell's turnovers occurred over the first 20 minutes. The Bison shot 34.6 percent in the half after making just 3-of-12 in the first quarter.
The two teams traded buckets early in the second half before Bucknell made a push for the lead. Trailing 33-29, Kulesza was fouled on a layup and completed the and-1 to pull within a single point of tying. With 5:16 to play in the quarter, Johnson made a paint jumper to put the Bison on top 34-33.
3Q, 5:35 | Bucknell 34, SJU 33
— Bucknell WBB (@Bucknell_WBB) November 8, 2022
AND-1! The Bison have taken the lead. They're 5-of-6 to open the second half. @ESPN
Watch: https://t.co/AbbrKUNz7N pic.twitter.com/BkYEzMKfyd
The Bison opened the second half by making five of their first six field goals. It wouldn't last, however, as Saint Joseph's was fouled on a 3-pointer and made all three free throws to regain the lead.
It turned into an 8-0 run, and Bucknell trailed the rest of the way. Bucknell finished the third by missing its last four shots after the hot start. Saint Joseph's extended its lead back to double figures 22 seconds into the fourth quarter and shot 53.8 percent over the final 10 minutes, making one more three and going 4-for-4 at the foul line.
Kaylee Reinbeau made a pair of 3-pointers for a career-high six points.
Bucknell is back in action on Friday, Nov. 11 when it pays a visit to No. 13 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.
