Women's Basketball Wins Fifth Straight, Tops Dartmouth, 53-50

Friday, December 6

Lewisburg, Pa.

6 p.m.

Bucknell University

5-4,0-0Patriot

Dartmouth

3-4,0-0Ivy League

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Dartmouth	14	8	9	19	50
Bucknell	14	12	11	16	53

Women's Basketball Wins Fifth Straight, Tops Dartmouth, 53-50

12/6/2024 7:48:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Isabella King and Ashley Sofilkanich combined to score all 16 of Bucknell's fourth quarter points, leading the women's basketball team to a 53-50 win over Dartmouth on Friday evening at Sojka Pavilion. The win over the Big Green (3-4) marks the fifth straight victory on the season for the Bison (5-4) with two more non-conference games left before the start of Patriot League competition in January.

King scored 15 points shooting an efficient 6-for-7 from the field. Her three-pointer with three minutes, 12 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter gave the Bison a 48-44 lead. She followed that with a driving lay-up on a hand-off from Sofilkanich, while also drawing a foul. King converted the traditional three-point play to extend the Orange and Blue lead to 51-46 with 1:52 remaining. Dartmouth responded with a bucket, but Bucknell countered on a Sofilkanich lay-up on a nice feed from Tuana Coskun. The Big Green made a pair of free throws with nine seconds remaining and forced a Bison turnover. The Orange and Blue defense held, forcing two Dartmouth misses in the final eight seconds for the 53-50 victory.

Sofilkanich recorded game-highs with 17 points and 15 rebounds, her fourth double-double of the year. She also handing out four assists, grabbing three steals, and blocking two shots. Coskun added eight points, seven rebounds, and a pair of blocks. Zeynep Ozel and Victoria Page combined to score 31 of Dartmouth's 50 points.

"I am pleased with the win," said head coach Trevor Woodruff. "That is a tough team that can score in lots of spots. It became a one-on-one game and to get the win is a good thing."

The Bison overcame a slow start as Dartmouth blitzed to a 7-0 lead prompting a Woodruff timeout. The strategy worked like a charm energizing Bucknell to a 10-2 run and the lead. Dartmouth regained the advantage on an Alexandra Eldredge fast break layup before the Bison used a 4-0 run to move ahead 14-11. The Big Green tied the game 14-14 on a Victoria Page trey with 2:51 remaining and the score remained that way entering the second quarter.

The second period featured no scoring until the 6:01 mark when Sofilkanich ended the scoreless stint with a second chance layup. Both teams went ice cold during the stretch with missed shots and turnovers dominating play. Bucknell built a 19-16 lead before a 6-0 Dartmouth run had the Big Green cruising with momentum. The Orange & Blue flipped the switch heading into halftime on a 7-0 stretch with four Sofilkanich points and a perfect Ashley O'Connor three-pointer.

Similar to the first quarter, Dartmouth arrived hot out of the locker room grabbing the 27-26 lead on a 5-0 run. Again, Bucknell counterattacked this time using a 7-2 segment. Olivia Austin hit a layup at 3:59 but the Bison defense would hold the Big Green scoreless for the remainder of the quarter as Bucknell extended its lead to 37-31 on two Coskun free throws.

The Bison earned its largest lead (41-34) halfway through the fourth quarter but the scrappy Big Green would not let the Bison run away with the win. Austin's layup cut the deficit to 45-44 setting the stage for King's huge three-pointer and the eventual sequence of recapped events.

"It is good to see Bella play this way," said Woodruff. "And she has been doing so for most of the non-conference schedule. That is good for us. We need a second consistent double-digit scorer and she made some big baskets during the stretch. We trust her in big moments."

The five-game win streak is Bucknell's longest collection of victories since the Bison won six straight during the 2022-23 season (Jan. 25-Feb. 15) and marks the first time the Orange & Blue have been above .500 since the WNIT game versus Drexel on March 21, 2022.

Bucknell completes its non-conference road schedule on Dec. 10 when the Bison return to the Steel City for the third time to face Atlantic 10 powerhouse Duquesne.