Saturday, February 15
Lewisburg, Pa.
2 p.m.
Bucknell University
14-10,9-4Patriot
62
vs
51
Lafayette
7-17,4-9Patriot
1
2
3
4
F
Lafayette
14
16
10
11
51
Bucknell
20
12
18
12
62
Women's Basketball Posts Third Straight Victory, 62-51 Over Lafayette
2/15/2025 3:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Isabella King recorded her first career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 10 rebounds to lead Bucknell to a 62-51 victory over Lafayette Saturday afternoon at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison never trailed in the contest as they won their third straight game to improve to 14-10 overall and 9-4 in the Patriot League.Â
"Happy with the win," said head coach Trevor Woodruff. "At this point if perfection is the goal, you are going to be disappointed. We are just looking to get better. Second half in particular, we were much tougher. We adjusted well in the second half. I am blessed to have the team that I have. The ladies who start the game on the bench have been mature about their roles and they embrace their scripts. I couldn't be happier with the energy they bring. Their impact is so vital. Shout out to those in uniform and those who are injured. They continue to show up and do a great job at their role."
Ashley Sofilkanich led Bucknell with 20 points, while Reese Zemitis added 10 to give the Bison three players in double figures.Â
Bucknell led by as many as 11 points in the first half, but Lafayette (7-17, 4-9 PL) ended the second quarter on a 16-5 run as the Bison led by two at the half.
The Leopards tied the score at 35-35 early in the second half. Bucknell responded with a 10-0 run keyed by five points from Zemitis and a 3-pointer by Tuana Coskun. Lafayette never got closer than six points the rest of the way. Back-to-back 3-pointers by King midway through the fourth quarter staked the Bison to their largest lead (56-44).
"It was a positive response," said Woodruff. "Most of the time, we aren't stopping teams from shooting. That isn't our defensive style. We want them to take the shots we want not the shots they want. When Lafayette went on their runs, they generated rhythm shots. When we locked in, we were much better. Our runs start because we defended."
Bucknell out-rebounded Lafayette 38-28, including 11 offensive rebounds. Elana Weisman had three of those off the bench for the Bison.Â
King led a hot shooting attack from 3-point range by knocking down 4 of 7, helping Bucknell make 9 of 18 overall. King moved into a tie for sixth place all-time with Lauren Schober (2005-09) with 138 treys.Â
Teresa Kiewiet led the Leopards with 13 points, while Brynn Beffert pulled down 10 rebounds off the bench.
Bucknell led for 38:29 minutes and established its first lead 38 seconds into the game when Tuana Coskun hit a turnaround jump shot. The Bison slowly but surely extended its advantage throughout the first quarter to a 20-14 margin.Â
The Orange & Blue had a 25-14 lead in the second quarter before the Leopards clawed their way back into the game on a 5-0 run. Bucknell went up 32-23 on a Sophia Sabino floater but Lafayette ended the half on a 7-0 run.Â
Both sides started slowly in the third quarter and not a single shot was made until Kiewiet connected on a jumper tying the game. Three free throws reestablished Bucknell's lead but Sauda Ntaconayigize three-pointer tied the game again. It proved the final tie. Bucknell, as mentioned, zoomed forward on a 10-0 run and led 50-40 entering the final quarter.Â
Tasha Chudy cut the deficit to 50-44 before King continued her hot streak of four straight games with two consecutive three-pointers effectively ending the Leopards hopes.Â
"Bella has been playing her best," said Woodruff. "We need another good month out of her. She has done such a great job and she made most of the biggest shots today. It is what you need from a senior captain. I am happy for Bella. She exemplifies what we want to be: intelligent and tough."CROWN HER 4X!
— Bucknell WBB (@Bucknell_WBB) February 15, 2025
King hit back-to-back three-pointers, scoring 14 points and sealing the game for Bucknell. She also had a career-high ten rebounds, for her first double-double!
She moved into a tie for sixth place (3PTs) in Bison history!@PatriotLeagueHQ #rayBucknell | #tst pic.twitter.com/0K4l7CPEtS
Lafayette did slip to within 58-51 with 3:06 remaining but Abby Antognoli missed three straight shots. Sofilkanich added two baskets in the last minute to hit the 20-point mark for the 16th time this year and finalize the scoring at 62-51.Â
Up Next
Bucknell travels to Bethlehem to face Lehigh in a pivotal Patriot League matchup. Bucknell sits tied for third with Colgate while Lehigh looks to solidify its hold on first place.Â
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Team Stats
Laf
Buck
FG%
.393
.397
3FG%
.462
.500
FT%
.500
.875
RB
28
38
TO
10
10
STL
2
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
F/G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's BasketballG/F
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