Category: Women

Ajan Caneda

Senior Writer

Although the women’s basketball team put up a valiant second half effort, it was not enough to negate American’s first half blitz, as the Bison fell 66-58 in Sojka Pavilion. The loss snapped the Orange and Blue’s four-game winning streak, which was topped off by a narrow 62-59 home victory against Holy Cross. They dropped to 13-8 overall with a 4-2 record in conference play.

Against Holy Cross, the Bison overcame a 14-point second half deficit to escape with the win. With 7:32 left in the game, the Bison staged a 20-3 run resulting from a strong effort on the defensive side of the court.

“We stayed positive by doing what we knew we could do and not worrying about what already happened,” forward Felicia Mgbada ’13 said. “As a senior, I want more than anything for my team to be successful and I am willing to do what it takes to make that happen.”

Although Holy Cross maintained a slim edge in the first half, the Orange and Blue gained their first lead of the game on a jumper by Shelby Romine ’14 with 7:15 to go in the half. Holy Cross eventually pushed its lead up to six points and held the Bison without a field goal for over three minutes. The half ended on a Crusaders jumper that gave them a 30-24 lead at the break.

“We knew going into the second half that we had to pick up our energy, and although it took us a while to play like we normally do, we finally got it together to pull out the win,” Audrey Dotson ’15 said.

After falling behind by 14 points, Dotson scored eight points en route to a 14-0 Bison run. Mgbada scored four of her 11 points on that run. Holy Cross answered back with a three-pointer at the 2:05 mark to take back the lead, but Katherine Harris ’15 countered with a three of her own to even the score.

The Bison continued displaying their stout defense, as Alyssa Dunn ’13 made a key block with 46 seconds left. Mgbada was eventually fouled and made two free throws to make it a two-point game. After another defensive stop, Holy Cross fouled Lindsay Horbatuck ’13. She made one of two free throws to give the Bison a 62-59 lead that would hold up after the Crusaders missed a potential game-tying three pointer at the buzzer.

“I think our increase in pressure on the defensive end helped us gain the momentum to win that game. Once we started playing defense and rebounding like we normally do, our offense started to really pick up,” Dotson said.

Dotson finished the game with 14 points and six rebounds. Dunn scored 11 points, while Horbatuck grabbed 13 rebounds.

“In conference, games are always closer no matter what the rankings of the two teams, and I think the fact that we’ve been able to stay so composed in those situations in the past few games was a major factor in our comeback on Saturday,” Harris said.

In the game against American, the Bison fell behind 23-4 early on but were able to cut the lead to 54-53. Unfortunately, the Eagles scored 21 points off 24 Bison turnovers. Romine scored 23 points, while Dotson had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Horbatuck pulled down 16 of the team’s 42 rebounds.

The Orange and Blue will travel to Annapolis, Md. Saturday night to face Navy.

Ajan Caneda

Senior Writer

On Jan. 23, the Bison won their third consecutive game in convincing fashion, defeating Lehigh 53-37 in Bethlehem to improve to 12-7 overall and 3-1 in conference play. Shelby Romine ’14 finished with 18 points and six rebounds, while Alyssa Dunn ’13 scored 13 points. The Orange and Blue held Lehigh to a .207 shooting percentage, the lowest by an opponent this season. They have now defeated Lehigh in two of their last three meetings.

After forward Audrey Dotson ’15 made a game-winning jumper against Colgate on Jan. 16, the Bison got another clutch performance from Lindsay Horbatuck ’13 who made two free throws with two seconds to go, lifting the Orange and Blue to a 50-49 win at Lafayette on Jan. 19.

“I thought our team handled their run with poise, especially in the last minute. They were knocking down shots, but we stayed composed and were able to finish it,” Romine said. “The past two games have been great learning experiences on how to handle pressure situations.”

The Orange and Blue ended the first half with a 26-19 lead as they locked the Leopards down defensively, holding them to 20.0 percent from the field (7-35). It was 17-17 at the 4:08 mark before the Bison scored nine unanswered points. Alyssa Dunn ’13, Katherine Harris ’15 and Horbatuck all contributed to the run before the Leopards answered with two free throws to end the half.

A Romine three-pointer gave the Bison their first double-digit lead of the game with 15:29 to go. Back-to-back jumpers from Harris and Romine bolstered the lead to 40-25, the largest of the game. Unfortunately, Lafayette held the Orange and Blue without a field goal for over seven minutes and trimmed the deficit to four with 5:37 to go. Dotson and Romine made consecutive baskets to stifle the Leopard run, but the lead was eventually cut to two with under a minute left.

After Romine missed the back end of a one-and-one, Lafayette had a chance to tie or win the game, but Horbatuck came away with a steal and forced the Leopards to foul. She hit both free throws to make it a two-possession game and seal the victory.

“When thinking back about the game, I think that the team kept very composed throughout the last few minutes of the game,” Horbatuck said. “Part of our identity this season is our defense and we knew that in the last few minutes of the game, we were going to win the game by playing our defense and shutting them down.”

Horbatuck finished the game with 11 points and seven rebounds. Romine had 14 points and seven rebounds, while Dotson ended the night with a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds.

“Personally, what helped me keep my composure during the Lafayette game was to remind myself that there was a reason we were up the whole game and that we deserved to win,” Dotson said. “This year our team has really tried to shift our mentality so that we go out and win instead of going out and ‘not lose.’”

The Bison’s next contest will be against Holy Cross tomorrow at 2 p.m. in Sojka Pavilion.

Ajan Caneda
Copy Editor

After stumbling to a 0-2 start, the women’s basketball team bounced back to win its first game of the season against Canisius 59-50, giving head coach Aaron Roussell his first win as Bison head coach. On Nov. 21, the Orange and Blue carried that momentum back home, where they defeated Niagara 77-69, behind Alyssa Dunn’s ’13 career-high 23 points.

The Bison outscored Niagara 36-20 in the first half. Lindsay Horbatuck ’13 showed her balanced attack once again, scoring 10 points and pulling down eight rebounds in the half. The Orange and Blue got contributions from many members of the team during a 15-4 run that pushed the lead to 12 with 6:38 left in the half. Shelby Romine ’14 dished one of her four assists to Dunn who scored a lay-up to build the lead to 20. The Bison shot 41.2 percent (14-34) from the field to carry a double-digit lead into halftime.

“Something that has been very evident in our last three games is our team’s work ethic. Every night that we go out on the court, we vow to outwork and outhustle our opponents,” Horbatuck said.

In the second half, Niagara fought back to eventually cut the lead down to four with 3:13 left in the game. This arose from a 25-9 run that saw the Purple Eagles nail five three-pointers. It would not be enough to hold down the Bison, as Romine and Dunn combined for 14 of the last 15 points for the Orange and Blue to seal the win.

Despite the late Niagara run, the Bison never trailed in the game. Their 77 points is the most they have scored since Feb. 2011. Dunn also had a career-high six assists to go along with her 23 points and went a perfect 3-3 from three-point range and 8-8 from the free throw line, while Horbatuck had a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

“During the last three games, I think we really came out strongly as a team. Even when we went through rough spots, we persevered and turned things around quickly. Above all else, we never doubted that we could win,” Dunn said.

Following the win, the Bison bested Morgan State 72-64 in Baltimore, putting them over .500 for the first time since the 2008-2009 season.

The game got off to an early start when a Morgan State technical foul led to a free throw by Romine right before the opening seconds of the game. A pair of free throws by Horbatuck capped a 9-0 start for the Bison. The Orange and Blue led for most of the first half, but the Bears eventually regained a one-point lead at the break.

Even with a 4:03 field goal drought in the second half, Sheaira Jones ’16 scored a lay-up to take the lead that the Bison never relinquished to pick up a win against the Bears. Dunn, Romine and Felicia Mgbada ’13 each scored in double figures, while Audrey Dotson ’15 and Horbatuck each had nine points to go along with a combined 20 rebounds. The Bison out-rebounded the Bears 53-33.

“One of the little things includes rebounding, which I think my team has excelled at recently. Getting offensive boards turns into second chance opportunities and getting defensive boards turns into transition which is a huge part of our offensive game,” Horbatuck said.

The Bison continued their early season dominance with a fourth straight win over Mount St. Mary’s. Dunn and Romine each finished with 11 points, while Jones had a near double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. The Bison led by 10 at halftime, a lead that would be cut down to two in the second half, but Dunn and Katherine Harris ’15 made two key three-pointers down the stretch that lifted the Bison to the 55-43 win.

The Bison look to extend their win streak, as they face Buffalo tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Davis Gym, followed by a match-up at Penn on Dec. 3.

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.