Bucknell University
0-1,0-0Patriot
Penn State
1-0,0-0Big Ten
All Four Bison Newcomers Score as Bucknell Falls to Penn State
11/7/2023 8:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Despite ten players tallying on the scoresheet, the Bucknell Bison women's basketball team (0-1) dropped the opening game of the season, 94-51 to the Penn State Nittany Lions (1-0) on Tuesday night. Bucknell briefly tied Penn State 2-2, but the Nittany Lions controlled the remainder of the game. Isabella King led the Bison attack with 14 points. Caroline Dingler corralled seven rebounds and notched six points. Penn State had six players in double figures, with Shay Ciezki's 18 points leading the way. Both teams were turnover-prone, combining for 45. Bucknell had 26 of the errors.
Woodruff's Review
"Ball security was paramount today, and we didn't get the job done. Give Penn State credit. They present major issues with their ball pressure and ability to turn your mistakes into quick points. Regardless, there were many positives from the game, and I'm excited about what this group can become."
Recap
The Nittany Lions and Isabella King controlled the first quarter. The junior sharpshooter tied the game at 2-2 before PSU went on a 12-2 run to establish separation. Both teams started slowly as King's tying layup came at the 6:59 mark. King kept the Bison in the game, collecting 10 points to lead all scorers in the opening salvo. Julie Kulesza's three-pointer cut the deficit to 19-15, the closest Bison would inch for the rest of the game. A Penn State free throw with 0.3 seconds finalized the first period scoring at 26-17.
Penn State started the second quarter on a 7-0 run, prompting a Bison timeout. The strategy worked as the Bison halted the Lions' explosive offense and kept pace by trading points. An Emma Theodorsson layup cut the lead to 43-31 with one minute remaining. Penn State prevented any entering halftime momentum for Bucknell by using a mini 5-0 run to end the quarter.
The Nittany Lions put the game away by blitzing to a 9-0 run to start the third quarter. The Bison kept fighting and scored occasionally but could not stop Penn State from generally increasing its lead into the 30s. Bucknell ended the third period positively when Grace Sullivan deposited a layup.
Penn State controlled the final quarter, outscoring Bucknell 19-7. Both squads substituted heavily, seeking to find long-term answers and gain experience for newcomers. Sophia Sabino entered in the final minutes and drained a trey for the final Bucknell points and last tally of the game.
Notes
All four newcomers to the Bucknell team (Ashley O'Connor, Sophia Sabino, Rosie Scognamiglio, and Ashley Sofilkanich) scored for the Bison. Sofilkanich was second on the team with eight points. O'Connor started and scored three points. Scognamiglio drained a beautiful three-pointer, and Sabino completed the scoring with a three-tally.
The Bison swiped ten steals. Their high from last season was eight against Lafayette on 2/25/23.
Up Next
The Bison travel to Temple for a Saturday night showdown at 7 p.m.
