Category: Basketball

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

In its season opener against Xavier on Nov. 10, the women’s basketball team gave the Musketeers all they could handle, but second half shooting woes led to the Bison’s 71-62 defeat in Cincinnati, Ohio. Guard Shelby Romine ’14 led the Orange and Blue with 21 points and four assists. Head coach Aaron Roussell made his regular season debut for the Bison.

“Although we didn’t win the game against Xavier, I think our team realized how much potential we have to do really well this season. We competed and challenged a strong team and I’m really proud of how we fought back when it seemed as if they might pull away,” forward Audrey Dotson ’15 said.

The Bison kept the game close in the first half, as a three-pointer by Romine gave the Orange and Blue a 12-11 lead. Xavier regained the advantage but couldn’t put the lead into double digits. In the half, the Orange and Blue shot 43.3 percent from the field on 13-30 shooting, while the Musketeers were close behind with a 39.3 shot percentage on 11-28 shooting. The Bison finished the half with an 11-0 advantage in second chance points. Despite the offensive efficiency, Xavier was 11-11 from the free throw line and carried a 37-33 lead into the half.

“I was able to provide some offensive spark because our posts did a great job of rebounding. This allowed for a number of second chance opportunities and open jump shots,” Romine said.

After their strong offensive showing in the first half, the Bison struggled to duplicate the effort in the second, as they shot 29.0 percent from the field on 9-31 shooting. Xavier took their first double digit lead of the game at the 10:48 mark of the second half, where the Musketeers led 56-45. Romine answered back with consecutive jump shots to trim the lead to six. Unfortunately, that was as close as they would get, as Xavier claimed the victory 71-62.

“Our shots were rushed in the second half because they started pressuring us heavier on defense,” Romine said. “Overall, there were a lot of positives to take away from our first game.”

Along with Romine’s 21 points, Sheaira Jones ’16 was also in double figures, scoring 10 points in her collegiate debut. Alyssa Dunn ’13 had seven points and four assists, while Dotson, Felicia Mgbada ’13 and Rachel Voss ’13 each scored six points. Forwards Dotson and Lindsay Horbatuck ’13 held strong in the paint grabbing 12 rebounds and 11 rebounds, respectively.

“I was very nervous about my first collegiate game. I knew that it would be very different from high school,” Jones said. “I think our team played great and I am excited about our future.”

On Nov. 14, the Bison fell 62-54 in their hard fought home opener against St. Francis (Pa.). Romine led again in scoring with 12 points. Dunn tallied 11 points, and Horbatuck pulled down 15 rebounds. The Orange and Blue carried a 23-20 into halftime, but St. Francis’ 36 points in the paint and 24 points off turnovers guided them to the win.

“Lindsay [Horbatuck] is one of the hardest workers I know and playing with her has taught me a lot. I’m really looking forward to playing with her more this year and giving our team a strong presence in the post,” Dotson said.

The Bison’s next contest is against Canisius, which will take place tomorrow afternoon in Buffalo N.Y.

By Ajan Caneda

Staff Writer

The women’s basketball team finished the regular season with a 60-51 loss at Navy last Saturday. The Orange and Blue closed the regular season with a 5-24 record, going 3-11 in Patriot League play and claiming the seventh seed in the Patriot League Tournament.

Turnovers stung the Orange and Blue in the first half, as Navy scored 11 points off 10 Bison turnovers. A Navy three-point basket gave the Mids their first double-digit lead of the game at the 8:39 remaining mark of the first half. The Bison countered with threes by Shelby Romine ’14 and Alyssa Dunn ’13 that cut the deficit to five. Rachel Voss ’13 scored a three-point play to close out the half, but Navy still led 30-29.

“Navy played us in mostly zone defenses, which caused a little difficulty for us to get into our offense,” Lindsay Horbatuck ’13 said. “I think that the biggest difference in this game was that Navy wanted to play a half-court game while we liked to play a full-court, fast-paced game.  We pride ourselves on full court, man-to-man defense as well as transition for most of our points.”

Voss hit a jumper to start the second half that gave the Orange and Blue their first and only lead of the game. Navy then built their lead back up to double digits with a 13-2 run. Shooting struggles plagued the Orange and Blue, as the Bison shot 23.1 percent in the second half. They finished at 32.1 percent for the game. Forward Audrey Dotson ’15 hit a jumper that trimmed the lead to six with 4:49 remaining, but that would be the closest the Orange and Blue would come to a comeback, as Navy sank some late game baskets that sealed the win.

Dunn was the leading scorer for the Bison with 12 points, while Romine also scored 10. Horbatuck nearly had a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds.

“I think that this game fueled us for the tournament,” Horbatuck said. “Anything is possible when tournament time comes. This year the league is so open and we are really excited to face Lehigh.”

The Bison traveled to Bethlehem, Pa. to take on second-seeded Lehigh in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament last night after press time. The Orange and Blue split their regular season meetings against the Mountain Hawks, losing 53-38 at home on Jan. 18, but winning 62-56 at Lehigh on Feb. 15.

“I think that the last few weeks have shown us that we can play with anyone in our league on any given night, so that should give us confidence going into the Patriot League Tournament,” interim head coach Bill Broderick said. “We have beaten or played within three points of all the top four seeds this year, so we know that if we play our game than anything is possible in the tournament.”

By Ajan Caneda

Writer

In the women’s basketball team’s final home game of the season, a last-second American three-point shot gave the first-place Eagles the edge they needed to come away with a 62-59 victory. Despite two second-half runs by the Bison, American kept its undefeated conference record intact.

Five ties and six lead changes in the first half kept the gap between the two teams within single digits. A three-point basket by guard Shelby Trotter ’14 broke a 17-17 tie with 8:40 left, but American ended the half on a 12-4 run that gave them a 29-24 lead at halftime.

The Eagles continued their balanced shooting and built a 10-point lead at the 15:10 remaining mark of the second half. The Orange and Blue answered as a three-point play by Felicia Mgbada ’14 sparked a 15-0 run for the Bison. Three-pointers by Shelby Romine ’14 and Rachel Voss ’13 capped the run. American regained control, taking a 59-52 lead with 2:43 to go, but the Bison fought back with another 7-0 run. With 14 seconds left, Alyssa Dunn ’13 hit two free throws that knotted the game at 59. But American nailed a buzzer-beating three-point shot that gave it the victory.

Dunn had 20 points and was eight-for-eight from the free throw line. Romine and Mgbada were also in double figures scoring 11 and 10 points, respectively.

On Senior Night last Saturday, the Bison’s winning streak stopped at three as shooting woes downed the Orange and Blue 49-38 against Holy Cross.

Both teams shot 20 percent from the field in the first half. After the Bison cut the Holy Cross lead to two with 7:55 left, the Orange and Blue went scoreless for the remainder of the half, allowing the Crusaders to gain a 19-12 lead to close out the first half.

“Unfortunately, you have shooting nights like those and I thought our defense was good enough to win,” interim head coach Bill Broderick said. “We held them under 50 points, but we simply just did not make enough shots to win the game.”

Holy Cross’s field goal percentage improved to 54.2 percent in the second half, allowing the Crusaders to build a 15-point lead in the early minutes of the half. Dunn scored a three-point play that capped a 14-4 run for the Bison, trimming the lead to five with 4:14 remaining. But shooting struggles sunk the Orange and Blue as the Crusaders closed the game with a 10-4 run, sealing the win.

Lindsay Horbatuck ’13 posted her third consecutive double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Dunn was the leading scorer for the Bison with 13 points.

“I think that we showed that we could make a comeback from a 15-point deficit against a good team and that we are never out of it when we fire on all cylinders,” Broderick said. “This game showed us that our offense is still a work in progress, which is understandable given the short amount of time that we have had to install our new system.”

The Bison close out the regular season at Navy on Saturday.

 

By Chris McCree

Sports Editor

 

Player Profile:

Shelby Romine

Sophomore

Guard

Hometown: Centreville, Va.

Major: Undeclared

 

Season Statistics:

Games: 26

Minutes/game:  36.2

Point/game: 10

Rebounds/ game: 4.2

Assists/game: 3.1

 

After an 11-point effort during the first Patriot League women’s basketball game against Colgate last week, Shelby Romine ’14 netted a season-high 26 points at Lafayette on Saturday, carrying the Orange and Blue to their first two-game winning streak of the season. The sophomore guard shot an impressive 60 percent from the field, going three-for-four behind the three-point arc and 11-for-13 on free throws. Romine also dished out five assists and grabbed three rebounds for the Orange and Blue, while turning the ball over just one time during her 34 minutes of play.

Trailing by as much as 14 points in the contest and scoring just 21 points in the first 17 minutes of play, the Bison offense rallied behind Romine. In the second half alone, Romine scored 20 points, getting to the foul line 11 times and hitting two three-pointers to help the Bison outscore the Leopards by 15 in the final 20 minutes of play.

With her high scoring performance, Romine reached the 600-point scoring mark. In just her second year of play, Romine has already become a team leader and was appointed co-captain this season. She currently leads the team in both points and assists. Currently in the midst of a disappointing 4-21 season, the Orange and Blue will look to ride their mini-winning streak through the end of this season. Returning all but one player next season, Romine and the Bison will be poised for a successful run come the start of the 2012-2013 season.

By Ajan Caneda

Writer

The women’s basketball team avenged a previous loss against Lehigh with a 62-56 win at Bethlehem, Pa. on Wednesday, picking up its third consecutive victory.

Shelby Romine ’14 scored a game-high 23 points, including a jumper that pushed the lead to double digits 11 minutes into the first half, capping a 10-0 run for the Orange and Blue. The Bison also scored 15 points off 13 turnovers in the first half. Christina Chukwuedo ’12 laid in a basket that gave the Bison a 37-25 lead at halftime.

The Orange and Blue carried their momentum early into the second half as they built their lead to 19 with 10:31 remaining. The Mountain Hawks fought back, cutting the deficit to single digits with 4:09 left in the game. Lehigh hit two free throws that made it a one-possession game in the final minute. It would not be enough for the Mountain Hawks as Lindsay Horbatuck ’13 clinched the victory with two free throws of her own. She had a second straight double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds while Rachel Voss ’13 had 11 points.

“We will continue to keep working hard every day, and use this confidence from the past two games to finish out our season strong,” Romine said. “I truly believe we can make a run to win the Patriot League championship.”

The Bison erased an early 14-point deficit to come away with a 65-54 win at Lafayette last Saturday. Romine nailed a three-pointer to start the game, but the Orange and Blue fell behind as the Leopards went on a 23-6 run that gave them their largest lead. A 20-10 Bison run trimmed the Lafayette lead to four at halftime. Both teams shot 46.4 percent in the first half on 13 for 28 shooting.

“We started the Lafayette game slow, and they got off to a decent lead pretty quickly,” Horbatuck said. “We knew that we needed to stop their post players because that was where almost all of their points were coming from.”

The Orange and Blue stayed strong defensively as they held Lafayette to 33.3 percent shooting in the second half. A Romine three-pointer jump-started a 15-0 run that gave the Bison a 14-point lead. The Leopards were unable to force a comeback as Romine and Horbatuck hit some late free throws that iced the game for the Bison.

Romine scored 26 points, had five assists, and was 11 for 13 from the free throw line. Horbatuck had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Alyssa Dunn ’13 also scored in double figures with 11 points.

“We focused on boxing out, especially on their post players to try and limit their offensive rebounds,” interim head coach Bill Broderick said. “We also worked on our help-side defense so that our post players felt more comfortable trying to get around while defending on the block.”

The Bison will look to finish strong at home as they battle Holy Cross on Saturday and American on Senior Night next Wednesday.

Ajan Caneda ’15

Staff Writer

The women’s basketball team snapped a 13-game losing streak with a 67-45 rout of Colgate at home on Wednesday night.

The Bison held the Raiders to 27 percent shooting while the Orange and Blue went 42 percent from the field. The Bison led by as much as 22 in the first half before taking a 41-24 lead into halftime. They never slowed the momentum as they picked up their first win since Dec. 6 and their first Patriot League win of the season.

“I was really proud of the effort that our team put out for the entire 40 minutes,” interim head coach Bill Broderick said. “I definitely thought we took another big step in the right direction in reaching our goal of playing our best basketball of the season come Patriot League Tournament time.”

The Bison outscored Colgate 40-16 in points in the paint, 20-1 in points off turnovers, and 22-6 in bench points. The Orange and Blue also had a 58-33 edge in rebounds.

Rachel Voss ’13 was the leading scorer with 16 points while Alyssa Dunn ’13 and Shelby Romine ’14 also scored in double figures. Lindsay Horbatuck ’13 had a near double-double with nine points and 16 rebounds.

The Bison narrowly pulled off their first Patriot League win a game earlier but ended up losing 60-56 at Army on Saturday. It was a close contest from the beginning, as both teams tried to gain the upper hand in the first half. Guard Christina Chukwuedo ’12 nailed a jumper that gave the Orange and Blue their first lead of the game with 6:58 remaining in the first half. The Bison outscored Army 16-8 in points in the paint in the first half but Army scored 16 points off turnovers. The Black Knights carried a 30-27 lead at halftime.

“Going into the Army game we were really fired up after losing by one point to Navy the week before,” Horbatuck said. “Every game we are figuring out our identity more and more. We are realizing what it’s going to take to get to the next level.”

Both teams continued their consistent shooting in the second half. At the 9:07 remaining mark, Voss made a pair of free throws that gave the Orange and Blue a 46-45 lead. Neither team could pull ahead, as the leads stayed in single digits the entire game. The game was knotted at 52-52 with 3:44 left before Army went on an 8-0 run that sealed the victory.

Horbatuck finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. Dunn and Voss were also in double figures with 14 and 10 points, respectively.

“During the last few minutes of the game, we couldn’t seem to get the definitive defensive stops that we needed,” Dunn said. “That coupled with our less-than-ideal execution on the offensive side of the ball left us on the losing end of a hard-fought battle.”

The Bison will look to ride the momentum from their win in their game at Lafayette on Saturday.

By Chris McCree

Sports Editor

In a sudden and surprising turn of events, Kathy Fedorjaka officially announced her resignation as head coach of the women’s basketball team late on Jan. 13, sparking a flurry of speculations surrounding the move.

“Her resignation came as a big surprise,” starting guard Christina Chukwuedo ’12 said. “It was very unexpected, but we are coping as best we can by being positive and trusting in our coaching staff.”

Two weeks since the announcement, specific details concerning the motives behind the change still remain uncertain. Amid the swirl of rumors, all parties involved have been hesitant to comment.

“Because this is a personnel matter, the University is unable legally or ethically to comment about this announcement,” said Athletic Director John Hardt. “What I am able to share is that the coach resigned, as indicated in our announcement that day.”

Coach Fedorjaka could not be reached for comment.

Although Fedorjaka did issue a formal letter of resignation, speculation exists that she may have been pressured into the move. During the 14 full seasons with Fedorjaka in charge, the women’s basketball staff cycled through 25 different assistant coaches, with 12 of those coaches deciding to leave after one season with the Bison. On top of this, the program has seen numerous recruited players transfer to other schools over the past couple years, including one former Patriot League Rookie of the Year.

No formal remarks have been released to confirm these rumors, but the abruptness of the move has created some confusion, even among the players.

“Honestly, there’s not much any of us know at this point,” said a player who chose to remain anonymous. “We did not hear anything about it until that same night that the press release was sent out to the media.”

Leaving in the middle of her 15th season with the Bison, Fedorjaka was the longest tenured coach in program history and is credited with 209 career wins, as well as leading the Orange and Blue to their first NCAA tournament appearance ever back in 2002.

“I am very thankful to Kathy Fedorjaka for her 18 years of loyal service to Bison Athletics,” Hardt said in the press release issued on the night of Fedorjaka’s resignation. “Kathy was extremely passionate about coaching, and she was able to elevate the program to competitive heights never before seen in the Bison women’s basketball program.”

Despite the many accolades to her name, Fedorjaka was not able to achieve the same level of success in recent years as she had earlier in her career and her departure came amid a 2-15 start to this season.

Stepping in as the interim head coach is second-year assistant Bill Broderick who has 13 years of collegiate coaching experience to date.

“Coach B has a very different coaching style,” Chukwuedo said. “He allows us players to operate more of the ball and we all like it and trust it. ”

The future of Bison women’s basketball remains unclear for the time being, and it is unlikely that any major decisions will be made before the offseason.

“We will start a national search at the end of the season,” Hardt said. “Meanwhile, we are doing everything we can as an athletics department to support the interim coach and the team as they complete this season.”

The Orange and Blue have eight games remaining in the season, all against Patriot League opponents. Although winless, the team is by no means out of title contention and Broderick will be faced with the challenge to make the struggling team a contender once again.

By Thomas Walter

Writer

Still desperately searching for that one elusive win, the women’s basketball team fell 50-49 to Navy in a back-and-forth contest last Saturday at home.  The Bison lost for the third time in the last seven games by a margin of four points or less.

“We are so close to a win and I think we are going to make some big upsets in the second round of league play,” Shelby Romine ’14 said.

The Orange and the Blue had one of their strongest games of the year and held possession with a chance to win in the game’s final seconds following a five-second call against Navy. Romine’s shot with a second remaining in the contest came up just short, leaving the team winless in league play.

Rachel Voss ’13 led the Bison with 13 points and Christina Chukwuedo ’12 also added 12 points for the Bison.

The Bison held a six-point lead with 12 minutes remaining in the second half, but the Midshipmen quickly rattled off seven unanswered points to take the lead. During the second half, the Orange and Blue defense could not find an answer for Navy’s Alix Membreno who recorded 15 points in the second half alone.

The Bison ended up shooting 31% from the field while Navy shot 38% from the field.  

The Bison start the second round of Patriot League play on Saturday when they make the trip to Army.

“The key to our success will be turning up the defensive pressure.  We play our best at a fast pace. We capitalize off of turnovers, scoring baskets in transition,” Romine said.