Thursday, January 5
Bethlehem, Pa.
6 p.m.
Bucknell University
4-10,0-3Patriot
51
at
64
Lehigh
6-8,2-1Patriot
1
2
3
4
F
Bucknell
15
11
9
16
51
Lehigh
14
27
15
8
64
Photo by: Robert Simmons
Women's Basketball Drops Game to Lehigh
1/5/2023 7:41:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Bethlehem, Pa.- The Bucknell Bison women's basketball team fell 64-51 to Lehigh on Thursday night. The Bison led after the first quarter of the game, but a decisive second period (27-11) in favor of the Mountain Hawks provided a lead that Lehigh would never surrender.Â
Bucknell shot 21-out-of-53 (39.6%) on the night. Lehigh was only slightly better at 39.7%, but the Mountain Hawks nailed nine three-pointers to the Bison's two, which proved the definitive margin.Â
Tai Johnson led the way with 14 points, setting a season and career high for the senior. Johnson also tied Emma Theodorsson for the team lead in rebounds with six boards.Â
The Bison came stampeding out of the gate, grabbing the early 13-4 advantage, Theodorsson scored four points, Johnson converted two free throws, Remi Sisselman deposited a bucket, Emma Shaffer added a free throw, and Caroline Dingler flipped in a basket. Lehigh fought back finishing the quarter on a 10-2 run. Johnson landed a pull-up jumper to keep the Bison ahead 15-14 at the end of the period.Â
Lehigh kept its run going into the second quarter. Isabella King drained a three-pointer to tie it up at 18-18, but that would be the last time that Bucknell tied the game. The Mountain Hawks took flight and went on a 23-8 run to finish the period. Theodorsson's driving layup to make it 28-20 would be the closest deficit for the Bison. Afterward, it remained a double-digit lead for Lehigh. A Blake Matthews layup made it 41-26 at halftime.
Lehigh's fury generally cooled in the third quarter as both teams' defenses stepped up. Lehigh gradually expanded the lead to 20+ points. Shaffer drained two free throws during the skein. After Johnson scored a basket at the 5:45 minute mark, neither team scored until the 2:01 spot when Johnson broke the deadlock with a jump shot. Lehigh finished the quarter on a 5-1 run to make it 56-35.Â
The fourth quarter belonged to Grace Sullivan, as the freshman from Antioch, Illinois scored all seven of her points during the final stanza. Her first basket came off a dynamic steal at half-court followed by a smooth layup. Johnson added two more baskets as well. Julie Kulesza drained a jewel of a three-pointer and two more Sullivan baskets cut the deficit to 64-49, necessitating a Lehigh timeout. Alas, it was too late for a dramatic rally but the Bison fought hard to the end, and a Matthews basket ended the scoring and game at 64-51. Bucknell outscored Lehigh 25-23 in the second half
Up Next
The Bison return to home terrain with a Sunday showdown against Lafayette. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m.
Â
Bucknell shot 21-out-of-53 (39.6%) on the night. Lehigh was only slightly better at 39.7%, but the Mountain Hawks nailed nine three-pointers to the Bison's two, which proved the definitive margin.Â
Tai Johnson led the way with 14 points, setting a season and career high for the senior. Johnson also tied Emma Theodorsson for the team lead in rebounds with six boards.Â
The Bison came stampeding out of the gate, grabbing the early 13-4 advantage, Theodorsson scored four points, Johnson converted two free throws, Remi Sisselman deposited a bucket, Emma Shaffer added a free throw, and Caroline Dingler flipped in a basket. Lehigh fought back finishing the quarter on a 10-2 run. Johnson landed a pull-up jumper to keep the Bison ahead 15-14 at the end of the period.Â
Lehigh kept its run going into the second quarter. Isabella King drained a three-pointer to tie it up at 18-18, but that would be the last time that Bucknell tied the game. The Mountain Hawks took flight and went on a 23-8 run to finish the period. Theodorsson's driving layup to make it 28-20 would be the closest deficit for the Bison. Afterward, it remained a double-digit lead for Lehigh. A Blake Matthews layup made it 41-26 at halftime.
Lehigh's fury generally cooled in the third quarter as both teams' defenses stepped up. Lehigh gradually expanded the lead to 20+ points. Shaffer drained two free throws during the skein. After Johnson scored a basket at the 5:45 minute mark, neither team scored until the 2:01 spot when Johnson broke the deadlock with a jump shot. Lehigh finished the quarter on a 5-1 run to make it 56-35.Â
The fourth quarter belonged to Grace Sullivan, as the freshman from Antioch, Illinois scored all seven of her points during the final stanza. Her first basket came off a dynamic steal at half-court followed by a smooth layup. Johnson added two more baskets as well. Julie Kulesza drained a jewel of a three-pointer and two more Sullivan baskets cut the deficit to 64-49, necessitating a Lehigh timeout. Alas, it was too late for a dramatic rally but the Bison fought hard to the end, and a Matthews basket ended the scoring and game at 64-51. Bucknell outscored Lehigh 25-23 in the second half
Up Next
The Bison return to home terrain with a Sunday showdown against Lafayette. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m.
Â
Team Stats
Buck
Lehigh
FG%
.396
.397
3FG%
.222
.273
FT%
.636
1.000
RB
33
39
TO
8
7
STL
3
3
Game Leaders
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F/G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
PG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
F/G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF/G
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