By Chris McCree and Thomas Walter
Sports Editor and Writer
The women’s basketball team opened its season this week with a 46-35 home win over St. Peter’s and a pair of losses at Rider and at home against Youngstown State. Forward Felicia Mgbada ’13 led the team in scoring with 11 points during the team’s home opener against St. Peter’s and Christina Chukwuedo ’12 headed the Bison attack against Rider with 16 points.
Against St. Peter’s, the two sides remained extremely close throughout the course of the game as the Bison did not earn a double digit lead until the final seconds. The team closed the game on a 7-0 run with five of the seven points coming from free throws. Over the course of the game, just 10 of the team’s 46 points came from outside the three-point arch or the foul line.
Playing in her first collegiate game, Amy Zehner ’15 netted 10 points and added 10 rebounds to her game totals. Lindsay Horbatuck ’13 also contributed double-digit rebounds.
In the team’s second matchup, a 63-43 loss against Rider, Chukwuedo scored 14 points in the first half alone and added two more in the second half to finish the contest with a career-best 16. Mgbada added 10 of her own in the first half, allowing the team to head into the half with a 36-32 lead. In the second half, the Bison offense stalled as the team only made one field goal on 21 attempts. Rider quickly took advantage of the Orange and Blue’s lack of offensive production and jumped out to a commanding lead mid-way through the second half, cruising to victory.
After an impressive 10-point performance in her first game as a Bison, Zehner exploded for 25 points during Wednesday night’s 57-56 loss to Youngstown State. Zehner’s great offensive production allowed the team to take 17-point lead early in the second half, but the Bison could not hold on for the victory. With just under six minutes remaining in the contest, the Youngstown State squad caught fire, mounting a 14-2 run which put them right back in the game. With a minute left to play, the Orange and Blue held a slim 2-point lead until a flurry of missed shots and rebounds put Penguins guard Kenya Middlebrook at the foul line down by one with the opportunity to win the game. After sinking her first shot, Middlebrook sank the second to give the Penguins the victory.
After starting the year at 1-2, the Bison will travel up to Buffalo, N.Y. to face the University of Buffalo tomorrow. The game is set to take place at 5:30 pm.