Tuesday, November 28
Lewisburg, Pa.
6 p.m.
Bucknell University
2-5,0-0Patriot
46
vs
71
Saint Joseph's
6-0,0-0Atlantic 10
1
2
3
4
F
Saint Joseph's
18
19
22
12
71
Bucknell
9
14
8
15
46
Women's Basketball Falls to Saint Joseph's, 71-46
11/28/2023 7:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Talya Brugler scored the first eight points for Saint Joseph's and finished with a game-high 23 points, and 11 different Hawks players scored as Saint Joseph's defeated Bucknell 71-46 in women's basketball Tuesday evening at Sojka Pavilion. Ashley Sofilkanich scored a career-high 18 points to lead the Bison, who fell to 2-1 at home this year.
Sofilkanich, a freshman, scored 15 points in her last two outings and bettered that thanks to 8-of-11 shooting from the field. She also grabbed five rebounds and blocked a pair of shots.
Bucknell (2-5) fell behind 13-2 in the opening minutes, but Sofilkanich and Ashley O'Connor helped the Bison cut the deficit to 13-8 late in the first quarter. The Hawks opened their lead to 22 points (35-13) midway through the second quarter, and Bucknell again came back, cutting the halftime deficit to 37-23. Sofilkanich scored 12 of her points in the first half.
Saint Joseph's (6-0) registered 22 assists against 11 turnovers.
The first quarter set the tone for the game. Saint Joseph's scored immediately, and Bucknell never led in the matchup, though the Bison did tie the contest at 2-2. The Hawks stormed out to a 13-2 advantage. Bucknell fought back on a 6-0 run powered by two Sofilkanich baskets and an Ashley O'Connor tally. St. Joe's finished the quarter on a 5-1 stretch to conclude the quarter.Â
The Hawks ensured massive separation in the second quarter by consuming most of the period with a 17-4 run. Bucknell recovered from the shock to conclude the half on a 10-2 run. Sofilkanich continued to fuel the Bison engine by scoring six of the Orange & Blue's 10 points. Blake Matthews added a jump shot, and Isabella King provided a layup off a beautiful coast-to-coast play. The deficit was cut to 37-23 at halftime.Â
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Unfortunately, any credible comeback was ended by St. Joe's third-quarter start. The Hawks flew out to a 10-4 run and never looked back. Bucknell attempted to claw its back into the game, and Nicole Davis helped the cause with a traditional three-point play, but St. Joe's continued to build its lead, eventually obtaining a 59-31 status after the third.Â
In the final quarter, St. Joseph's built its largest lead (64-31) before Bucknell could reduce it. Sofilkanich scored four points in the fourth. Caroline Dingler had a traditional three-point score. Davis added a basket to set a career-high seven points for the senior forward. Ashley O'Connor ended the game optimistically with two perfect three-point shots. A final St. Joseph's free throw finalized the score at 71-46.Â
Up Next
The Bison finish the three-game home stretch on Saturday with a contest against Ivy League foe Cornell. The tip is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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Sofilkanich, a freshman, scored 15 points in her last two outings and bettered that thanks to 8-of-11 shooting from the field. She also grabbed five rebounds and blocked a pair of shots.
Bucknell (2-5) fell behind 13-2 in the opening minutes, but Sofilkanich and Ashley O'Connor helped the Bison cut the deficit to 13-8 late in the first quarter. The Hawks opened their lead to 22 points (35-13) midway through the second quarter, and Bucknell again came back, cutting the halftime deficit to 37-23. Sofilkanich scored 12 of her points in the first half.
Saint Joseph's (6-0) registered 22 assists against 11 turnovers.
The first quarter set the tone for the game. Saint Joseph's scored immediately, and Bucknell never led in the matchup, though the Bison did tie the contest at 2-2. The Hawks stormed out to a 13-2 advantage. Bucknell fought back on a 6-0 run powered by two Sofilkanich baskets and an Ashley O'Connor tally. St. Joe's finished the quarter on a 5-1 stretch to conclude the quarter.Â
The Hawks ensured massive separation in the second quarter by consuming most of the period with a 17-4 run. Bucknell recovered from the shock to conclude the half on a 10-2 run. Sofilkanich continued to fuel the Bison engine by scoring six of the Orange & Blue's 10 points. Blake Matthews added a jump shot, and Isabella King provided a layup off a beautiful coast-to-coast play. The deficit was cut to 37-23 at halftime.Â
Â
Started with a Sofilkanich block and ended with a King layup!
— Bucknell WBB (@Bucknell_WBB) November 28, 2023
Coast-to-coast basketball.
Watch: ESPN+ (https://t.co/7cfJAZlMfR)@PatriotLeagueTV | @ESPN | @Sportscenter#rayBucknell | #tst | #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/i4zETpf10m
Unfortunately, any credible comeback was ended by St. Joe's third-quarter start. The Hawks flew out to a 10-4 run and never looked back. Bucknell attempted to claw its back into the game, and Nicole Davis helped the cause with a traditional three-point play, but St. Joe's continued to build its lead, eventually obtaining a 59-31 status after the third.Â
In the final quarter, St. Joseph's built its largest lead (64-31) before Bucknell could reduce it. Sofilkanich scored four points in the fourth. Caroline Dingler had a traditional three-point score. Davis added a basket to set a career-high seven points for the senior forward. Ashley O'Connor ended the game optimistically with two perfect three-point shots. A final St. Joseph's free throw finalized the score at 71-46.Â
Up Next
The Bison finish the three-game home stretch on Saturday with a contest against Ivy League foe Cornell. The tip is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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Team Stats
SJU
Buck
FG%
.475
.396
3FG%
.250
.182
FT%
.600
.600
RB
32
31
TO
11
20
STL
17
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F/G
/ Women's BasketballPG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
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