Bucknell University
4-8,0-1Patriot
Holy Cross
7-5,1-0Patriot
Bucknell Drops Patriot League Home Opener 58-55 Against Holy Cross
12/31/2025 3:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. — Despite coming back to take a 55-54 lead with 58 seconds left in the game, Bucknell women's basketball (4-8, 0-1 PL) dropped its Patriot League home opener 58-55 to Holy Cross (7-5, 1-0 PL) after the Crusaders ended the game with four consecutive free-throws to take the win in Sojka.
The Bison's main scoring efforts generated from Isabella Casey and Tuana Coskun who both saw double-digit scoring. Casey broke her career-high in scoring in a second consecutive game as she notched 19 points in the loss on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. Coskun had a team-high 23 points. Hope Masonius, Anna Kunzwiler and Ella Kreuzer each notched four rebounds and Elena Houghton led the team in assists with seven. Coskun and Casey each had one steal apiece.
Bucknell outperformed Holy Cross in shooting from the field going 22-for-47 (.468) compared to the Crusaders 20-for-51 (.392) performance. Both teams were even from three with three three-pointers each. The difference maker came from the free-throw line in this afternoon's conference matchup as Bucknell went 8-for-11 and Holy Cross went 15-for-16 from the line.
The Bison opened the game with a jumper from Coskun that was immediately answered by a Holy Cross layup. Holy Cross was able to take an 8-4 lead off of their three-point shooting, but Casey closed the gap to two with a strong driving layup. The teams went back and forth through the middle of the quarter before Holy Cross hit back to back shots to take a 16-9 lead with 34 seconds left in the quarter. Coskun made a layup to cut the deficit to five at the end of the first quarter.
Holy Cross opened the second quarter with four consecutive points before Houghton made a layup for the Bison. The teams then saw back-and-forth scoring for the remainder of the second quarter as the Crusaders were able to maintain an eight point lead heading into halftime up 30-22.
Houghton opened a strong third quarter for the Bison with a layup. Holy Cross responded with a Meg Cahalan three-pointer, before Hope Masonius hit a shot for Bucknell. Another back-and-forth bout left the Bison down 36-30 with 6:46 left in the quarter before Bucknell went on an 11-point run, highlighted by an Anna Kunzwiler three, to take a 39-36 lead with two minutes to go in the third. With 21 seconds left in the quarter, Cahalan hit two free-throws to regain the lead for Holy Cross, but not for long as Coskun would be fouled in the final seconds of the quarter and make both free-throws to put the Bison up 41-40 at the end of three.
The final ten minutes saw five lead changes as both teams got gritty to fight for their first conference win. Holy Cross opened the fourth quarter the same as the second with four unanswered points, which gave them the lead, before Coskun had a three-point play to tie the game up at 44. Holy Cross then made two free-throws and a layup to take a 48-44 lead with just over six minutes remaining in regulation. Casey banked in a layup and a three-pointer back-to-back to bring the momentum and lead to the Bison and Kreuzer made two free-throws to put Bucknell up 51-48 with four minutes to go. Simone Foreman made a layup for the Crusaders to bring the score within one, but Casey quickly responded with a layup of her own. Holy Cross was then fouled once again and capitalized on its free-throw shooting to bring the game within one, before Kaitlyn Flannagan hit a jumpshot to take a 54-53 lead with one-and-a-half minutes left. Coskun answered with a jumper of her own to sway the lead to Bucknell with under a minute to go, but Bison fouling would give the Crusaders an opportunity to make four consecutive free-throws to take a 58-55 lead and Coskun's last second throw-up three would be off target as the buzzer sounded to give Holy Cross a narrow victory in Sojka.
Bucknell will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 3 at 2 p.m. as it takes on its next Patriot League foe Lehigh in Bethlehem.
