Jan. 16, 2008

Box Score

WASHINGTON - Bucknell hit 14-20 free throws in overtime to earn a 67-64 Patriot League win over the American University women's basketball team on Wednesday at Bender Arena. The Eagles dropped their seventh contest in row to fall to 6-11, 0-2 PL on the season, while the Bison improve to 7-9, 2-0 PL.

With Bucknell up 52-50, Michelle Kirk hit a turn-around jumper to tie it up with 53 seconds to play in regulation. Stephanie N'Garsanet blocked a shot at the other end of the court to give AU the ball with 33.5 seconds left. Kirk came up empty on a drive to the hoop coming out of a time-out and Liz Hayes couldn't convert from outside the arc off the offensive rebound to give the Bison the ball with 11 seconds to play. Bucknell was unable to score, forcing overtime.

In the overtime stanza, Bucknell built up a seven point cushion from the charity stripe, 62-55, with 30 seconds to play. Hayes drained a pair of three-point baskets down the stretch, but it was not enough to catch the Bison, as they came away with the three-point victory.

Bucknell built an eight point lead to start the second half, going up 37-29, but could not pull away. AU stayed within reach for the next 12 minutes and cut the Bison lead to 43-41 on a KAddirk jumper with just over eight minutes left in the game. A three-point basket by Talicia Jackson knotted the score at 44-44 at 7:06 on a play kept alive by a Kirk offensive rebound. Hayes then sunk a pair of free throws to give the Eagles their first lead since the 12:51 mark in the first half.

After Bucknell scored the first basket of the game AU responded with a 7-0 run that was capitalized by a Jackson three-point basket to give the Eagles the early 7-2 lead with 16:25 left in the half. Bucknell answered with a series of runs of its own and opened up a 12-point margin, 28-16, with 2:33 to play when Laura Schober sunk a trey. On the ensuing possession Hayes recorded a conventional 3-point play for AU and on the other end of the court Ohema Nyanin blocked the Bison's Andrea Wright's basket attempt and grabbed the board to send the Eagles' Pam Stanfield on a 4-0 run of her own to cut the Bucknell lead to 28-23. AU would finish off a 10-0 run to end the first half when Hayes hit her first three-point basket in two games to head into the locker room down two, 28-26.

Hayes led AU with a game-high 21 points and Kirk finished with 13 off the bench. Jackson rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Eagles with 11 points. Maggie Smith-Davidson had a game-high nine rebounds.

The Eagles held Kesha Champion, who averages 10.9 points per game, pointless on 0-6 shooting as the senior guard fouled out with over six minutes left in regulation. Schober tallied 21 points and nine rebounds to lead the Bison.

AU will play at Patriot League opponent Colgate at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 19.