Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
6-14,2-7Patriot
Lafayette
8-12,4-5Patriot
Lafayette's Fourth Quarter Surge Defeats Bison 65-56
1/28/2026 6:18:00 PM | Women's Basketball
EASTON, Pa. — After coming back from a first quarter nine-point deficit to tie the game late in the third quarter and enter the fourth down by just two, Bucknell Women's Basketball (6-14, 2-7 PL) ultimately fell to Lafayette (8-12, 4-5 PL) 65-56 on Wednesday due to being outscored 15-8 in the fourth quarter.
The first half was a story of runs as each team saw a significant stretch of scoring unanswered. The first quarter went back-and-forth for several minutes until the Leopards created separation with a late 9-0 run to end the quarter up 21-12. Bucknell utilized an aggressive second quarter that was led by eight points from Mariah Hardy and featured a 7-0 run to close the deficit to just four heading into halftime. The third quarter saw runs from each team as the Leopards opened with a 9-0 run that the Bison followed up with a 7-0 run. Alongside the other back-and-forth scoring in the quarter, it ultimately ended in Bucknell out-scoring Lafayette 18-16 and a two-point game with ten minutes remaining. The final quarter saw an 11-point run by the Leopards, which was enough to secure their victory at home.
Ella Kreuzer led the team in scoring and broke her career-high in points with 14 on 5-of-10 shooting including 3-of-5 shooting from three. Two other Bison, Mariah Hardy (10) and Reese Zemitis (11) notched double-digit points in the contest. Anna Kunzwiler led the team in rebounds with 10 and was near a double-double with six points on the night. Mariah Hardy led the team in assists with five.
A major change in Lafayette's lineup from the last time the Bison and Leopards faced off was freshman Maddison Krug. The forward, who put up 18 rebounds and six blocks in the last meeting and proved to be difficult for Bucknell to handle on the inside throughout the first half, did not dress for this afternoon's game. Krug's absence allowed the Bison to close the rebounding gap that was evident in the first meeting between the two teams. Rather than being out-rebounded by nine, the Bison were able to keep it close notching 32 rebounds to the Leopards 37. Bucknell also out-scored Lafayette in the paint 26-24 with Krug's absence.
Lafayette had three athletes with double-digit scoring, including game-leader, Talia Zurinskas, who tallied 19 points. Teresa Kiewet was next up with 17.
Anna Kunzwiler opened the game with a three-pointer, but Lafayette answered with a three of its own. Isabella Casey was then fouled on the Bison's next possession and made both of her free-throws. Talia Zurinskas answered with a quick layup and then after Lafayette got a stop, Teresa Kiewet knocked down a three. After the Bison called a timeout with 7:03 left in the first quarter, Tuana Coskun worked hard underneath the basket and tossed the ball to Elena Houghton, who got the layup to make it a one-point game. Coskun then got a steal and was shortly after fouled while shooting, she made one of her two free-throws to tie the game. Kiewet then got a layup and was fouled on the shot. She was unable to make the free-throw, but gave Lafayette a two-point lead. Coskun then notched a layup to tie the game at 10. Both teams then saw missed shots, before Emma Heaney got an offensive board and put in the layup to give the Leopards the lead back. Both teams were unable to turn each of their next possessions into points. With three minutes left in the quarter Casey made a layup to tie the game, but the Leopards then went on a 9-0 run to take a 21-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Lafayette opened the second quarter with four more points before Mariah Hardy worked her way in the paint to get a jumper. This sparked momentum for the Bison, as their defense made a stop and Hardy made a second consecutive jump shot to cut Bucknell's deficit to single digits. A minute went by scoreless with both teams' defensive forces stepping up, but Lafayette opened the scoring with a layup and then Adamski got a fast-break layup off of a steal. Kunzwiler answered with a layup and then after the Bison defense made a stop, Masonius banked in a jumper to cut the deficit to eight ahead of the media timeout. Out of the break, Lafayette knocked down a three to bring its lead back to double digits. After a minute and fifteen seconds of back-and-forth scoreless play, Hardy was fouled and sent to the line where she made both of her free-throws. Bucknell's defense came out with a lot of pressure on the next defensive possession and forced the Leopards to throw the ball far out of bounds. The Bison capitalized with a 7-0 run, including four points from Hardy and a three-pointer from Reese Zemitis. Lafayette hit a layup to break the run, but Coskun immediately answered with a quick layup for the Bison. Bucknell then forced the Leopards to take a tough shot and came up with the rebound to end the first half by cutting the deficit to just four.
Lafayette opened the third quarter of action with a 9-0 run to extend its lead to 13 with 6:50 remaining in the third quarter as the Bison struggled to finish at the basket. Ella Kreuzer broke the run with a layup that kickstarted a 7-0 run for the Bison. Kiewet broke Bucknell's run with a jumper, but Zemitis immediately answered with a three to make it a five-point game at the media timeout with 3:56 left in the quarter. Out of the break, a minute went scoreless before Zemitis hit a layup and was fouled. She made the free-throw to cut the deficit to three and the Bison stopped Lafayette on their next offensive possession. Desirae Ashton then found the basket to tie the game at 45 with 2:17 remaining in the third quarter. After a second timeout, Lafayette hit a three-pointer to regain the lead, but Kreuzer answered with a three of her own to bring the game to a 48-48 tie. Heaney made the final basket of the quarter to give Lafayette a two-point lead heading into the final ten-minutes of regulation.
The first minute and a half of the fourth quarter went scoreless until Lafayette found the basket. Ella Kreuzer answered with a three-pointer, but Lafayette struck back with two points off of free-throws. Ella Kreuzer then drained another three to make it a tied game at 54. Lafayette next went on a 5-0 run, which forced Coach Woodruff to call a timeout with 5:18 left in regulation as the Bison were down by five. Lafayette came out of the timeout and found the basket to extend its lead to seven with under five minutes left. After two minutes of scoreless play, Lafayette found the next points on free-throws extending its run to 9-0. Bucknell called another timeout with 1:15 left in the game and Lafayette up 63-56. The Bison then started fouling which resulted in Lafayette getting two more free-throws which resulted in the game ending in a Leopards 65-56 victory.
Bucknell will stay on the road and head up to Boston to take on Boston University on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 2 p.m.
