Bucknell University
17-7,8-5Patriot
Holy Cross
16-8,10-3Patriot
Women's Basketball Downs First-Place Holy Cross on the Road, 66-49
2/12/2022 1:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball
WORCESTER, Mass. – The Bucknell women's basketball team went on the road and won big over first-place Holy Cross, defeating the Crusaders 66-49 at the Hart Center. Bucknell (17-7, 8-5) led by as many as 30 in the game and held Holy Cross (16-8, 10-3 PL) to just 28.3 percent (17-of-16) shooting. Taylor O'Brien scored a game-high 17 points while grabbing six rebounds and three steals.
Carly Krsul finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Cecelia Collins was one point shy of a double-double, scoring nine with a career-high 10 rebounds.
Bucknell was 26-of-56 (46.4%) for the game and outrebounded the Crusaders 44-33. The Bison shot 55.6 percent in the first half. They also outscored Holy Cross 40-16 in the paint.
The Bison led wire-to-wire after opening the game on a 12-0 run. They also held Holy Cross to just five points in the second quarter and ended the first half on a 13-3 run. Holy Cross cut into the deficit late, outscoring Bucknell 21-11 in the fourth quarter. The Crusaders were led by Cara McCormack's 11 points, and Avery LaBarbera finished with 10.
Bucknell held Holy Cross off the board over the first 5:42 of the game as the Crusaders got off to a 0-for-5 start with a host of turnovers. Meanwhile, the Bison began the game 6-of-9 with a pair of 3-pointers from Julie Kulesza and Isabella King. The Crusaders finally got on the board with a LaBarbera triple and whittled the deficit down to six at 16-10, but that was the closest they'd get the rest of the game.
Bucknell went 9-of-16 (56.3%) over the opening 10 minutes, including a 2-for-4 effort from the arc.
End of 1st | Bucknell 20, HC 12
— Bucknell WBB (@Bucknell_WBB) February 12, 2022
Bucknell goes 9-of-15 from the field and forced 5 turnovers to lead after 10 minutes. Krsul came on strong at the end of the quarter and has a team-high 6 points. Things are rowdy here in the Hart Center.
Watch: https://t.co/CUn36puGmh pic.twitter.com/RWyH4k1Cqu
The Bison were even better in the second quarter, limiting Holy Cross to 2-of-17 (11.8%) while shooting 6-of-11 (54.5%) themselves. O'Brien drew a foul on a driving layup at the 7:38 mark in the second and converted the and-1 to put Bucknell up by double digits once again. The Bison went on a 10-0 run later in the frame, and they carried a 37-17 lead into the locker rooms. It was the fifth time this season that Bucknell has held a team to five or fewer points in a quarter.
Kulesza opened the second half with a 3-pointer, her second of the game, that sparked a 7-0 run to put Bucknell up 44-17 with 6:16 to go in the third quarter. The Bison managed to grow their lead to 30 (52-22) just a few minutes later.
Bucknell outscored Holy Cross 18-11 in the third, and five of Holy Cross' points came at the foul line as they shot just 3-of-12 from the field.
Holy Cross had its best quarter in the fourth, going 8-for-20 (40%) and 3-of-7 (42.9%) from beyond the arc. Bucknell also struggled with 28 percent shooting and three turnovers, but it wasn't going to be enough to overcome the 27-point deficit. Holy Cross got as close as 14 with 1:40 to play, but King knocked down her second three of the game with 1:12 to play to arrive at the 66-49 final.
Krsul's 16 points came on 8-of-12 shooting, and O'Brien was 6-of-12 for the game. O'Brien was also a perfect 5-for-5 at the foul line, while the rest of the roster went just 4-of-12 at the charity stripe. King finished with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting and three rebounds. Marly Walls supplied a game-high four assists with six rebounds and a 3-pointer.
With the win, head coach Trevor Woodruff earned his 50th career victory with the Orange & Blue.
The Bison return to Sojka Pavilion to host Lehigh on Wednesday, Feb. 16. Bucknell won 56-45 over the Mountain Hawks on the road back in January. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+. It's also Bucknell's annual Play4Kay game, and fans are encouraged to wear pink. Cancer survivors and those currently fighting cancer will receive free admission.
