Bench strength was the key to the AU women's basketball team's victory on Wednesday night, as the Eagles used 13 players en route to a 71-63 win over Bucknell University. The win keeps the Eagles first in the Patriot League with a 7-2 league record and 17-7 overall.
"It is definitely something that you take pride in," AU Head Coach Matt Corkery said in reference to his squad's depth this year. "It is important as you get into February basketball."
While the game ended on a high note for AU, it seemed as if they would in for a nail-biter, as Bucknell's sophomore forward Joyce Novacek scored 14 of her team's 20 points in the first eight minutes of play as the Eagles clung to a slim two point lead, 22-20.
However, these would be the last points the Eagles would let Novacek score, as they slowly started to pull away towards the end of the first half.
Freshman guard Ebony Edwards was able to come off the bench to score seven of her nine points during this stretch to help give the Eagles an eight-point lead at 45-37 after one half of play.
"We really challenged our players to do a better job in transition defense and challenge the ball early," Corkery said.
AU continued their hot play in the second half of play as well, jumping out to a 21-7 run in the first 12 minutes of play thanks to the hot play of senior forward Nicole Ryan, who scored seven points, including four of four from the free throw line, during the run.
With a 20-point lead, their largest of the game with 7:59 remaining the game, the Eagles suddenly let the Bison come back into the game, as Bucknell went on a 17-5 run over the final eight minutes of play to shave the lead down to eight, the eventual margin of victory.
Despite the strong win, Corkery stated that he was not impressed with his teams effort in the closing minutes and that they would need to improve as the tournament approaches.
"We need to keep the intensity up. It was really a lackadaisical effort on both ends of the floor," Corkery said.
Ryan finished with a team-high 15 points, while sophomore forward Michelle Kirk chipped in double-digits as well, with 14. Bucknell senior guard Amanda Brown scored a game-high 16 points while Novacek finished with 14.
The Eagles will look to continue their three-game winning-streak when they go on the road to face Colgate University at 2 p.m. Saturday.
You can reach this staff writer at jhall@theeagleonline.com.
