Women's Basketball Falls to Navy in Regular-Season Finale, 55-49

Wednesday, March 6

Lewisburg, Pa.

6 p.m.

Bucknell University

12-17,9-9Patriot

Navy

13-16,9-9Patriot

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Navy	15	10	7	23	55
Bucknell	13	13	6	17	49

Women's Basketball Falls to Navy in Regular-Season Finale, 55-49

3/6/2024 7:56:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Blake Matthews recorded her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds and the Bucknell women's basketball team held a one-point halftime lead, but Navy opened the second half on a 23-10 run on its way to a 55-49 victory over the Bison Wednesday evening at Sojka Pavilion. Bucknell (12-17, 9-9 PL) saw its three-game winning streak end and will host a first-round Patriot League tournament game Saturday evening in Davis Gym.

The Bison shot 17 of 65 (26.2 percent) from the field, while the Mids were 19-for-54 (35.2 percent).

After trailing 48-36 with just over two minutes to play, Bucknell put together a late run, cutting its deficit to four points (53-49) in the final seconds.

Emma Theodorsson led the Bison with 17 points, including a buzzer-beating tip-in at the end of the first half that staked Bucknell to its halftime advantage. Blake Matthews recorded her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Ashley Sofilkanich added nine points and eight rebounds, while Grace Sullivan tallied six points and nine rebounds.

Zanai Barnett-Gay led Navy (13-16, 9-9 PL) with 23 points, while Kyah Smith registered 15 points.

The game began on an inauspicious note for the Bison as Navy cruised to a 7-0 lead. Bucknell tallied its first point when Sulivan deposited a lay-up. The Orange & Blue drew within 9-6 on a Matthews jump shot and earned 10-9 on a Sofilkanich free throw. The Mids went on a 5-0 run before Bucknell ended the quarter on a 4-0 stretch, thanks to Matthews and Isabella King recording baskets.

The second quarter featured a more promising beginning as the Bison tied the game at 20-20 on a Theodorsson lay-up. Another Theodorsson lay-up provided Bucknell with its first lead. The two teams traded baskets for the remainder of the quarter. Theodorsson gave the Orange & Blue crew a 26-25 halftime lead on her fourth lay-up. Theodorsson scored eight of the Bison's 13 points in the second period.

The third quarter featured a game-low offensive putout from both squads. A basket wasn't scored until 7:45 when Navy's Gay-Barnett made a driving lay-up. The next basket did not arrive until 5:22 when Sullivan converted a clean hook shot. A Navy tally immediately restored the Mids' lead. Bucknell grabbed the advantage back on two Theodorsson free throws. Two more free throws would give Bucknell its largest lead (32-29). Navy erased that with a 3-0 stretch to make it 32-32, entering the final quarter.

Navy broke out on a 7-1 run to start the fourth quarter. The Bison battled back to cut the deficit to 39-36. Bucknell would never inch closer, as the Mids decisively used a 9-0 run to seal the game. The final two points of the streak came with 2:14 seconds left. Bucknell did not quit, countering with a 4-0 Blake Matthews run. The stretch morphed into an 8-1 run, where six points came from Matthews, and Sullivan added a jumper. With the score 49-44 and 18 seconds left, Bucknell had hope. Navy ended the hope by making six more free throws to counter Theodorsson's five points. Two Barnett-Gay free throws ended the scoring at 55-49.

Up Next

The Bison will serve as the eighth seed in the Patriot League Tournament and host the ninth-seeded American Eagles on Saturday at 7 p.m.