The American University women’s basketball team (1-29) hosted the Bucknell Bison (17-13) in Bender Arena on March 5 for their final game of the regular season. The two teams previously played on Jan. 11 in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, with the Bison winning 65-50.
Bucknell dominated the matchup from the tipoff, starting the game with an open 3-pointer followed by their first of 7 blocks on the night, which led to an easy layup in transition. Freshman forward Cecilia Kay put the Eagles on the board with a drive to her left and finish at the rim.
The first quarter was fast paced, much to the benefit of Bucknell. The Bison established a 12-point lead with 7 assists on their first 10 field goals and physical defense that held the Eagles to 11 points in the first frame.
The second quarter got off to a slow start for the Eagles, as they scored just 2 points in the first five minutes. Following an official timeout, Kay hit a layup, followed by American’s first 3-pointer of the game by junior guard Laura Nogues.
Bucknell continued to go to work in the paint, slightly extending their lead, before sophomore guard Lexi Salazar hit a desperately needed 3-pointer to beat the buzzer, bringing American within 15 points going into the locker room.
The third quarter was an ugly one for the Eagles in every regard. They scored just 9 points on 28.6 percent shooting. Meanwhile, Bucknell hit repeated open 3-pointers from the corner to increase their lead to 28 points.
A scary moment occurred when Nogues, retreating around midcourt from a full-court press, fell to the court, clutching her right knee. The training staff helped her to the locker room and she later returned to the bench with her knee wrapped.
Everyone in the building could sense that the game was over from that point on as the Eagles put in their third string to start the fourth quarter. A bright spot for American was the performance of freshman guard Madisyn Moore-Nicholson, who came off the bench to score 8 points, the second most for her team on the night. Kay finished with 12 points and 9 rebounds.
Bucknell’s Ashley Sofilkanich dominated in the paint all game with impressive footwork and a strong finish. By halftime, Sofilkanich was up to 14 points and just one rebound short of a double-double. She ended the night with 22 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and a whopping 6 blocks, all while playing just 27 minutes. She was one of four Bison to reach double-digit scoring.
Bucknell dominated American in every category, turning the ball over less, rebounding more, and scoring with greater efficiency. The Bison scored 42 points in the paint and 18 points off of turnovers compared to just 24 and 2 for the Eagles, respectively.
American has struggled to win this season in large part due to limited scoring opportunities. That wasn’t the case on Wednesday, as they attempted 60 field goals, just 4 fewer than Bucknell. The problem was their efficiency, shooting a poor 17-60 from the floor, and worse, going 5-24 from beyond the arc.
Following the game, Eagles head coach Tiffany Coll acknowledged the tough performance but focused on its positive aspects.
“‘Let it fly.’ That’s my mantra [to the freshmen],” she said. “Maddy came in … with a spark and she’s aggressive to the rim. It’s great to see that.”
Moore-Nicholson said following the game that her coach’s mantra gives her the confidence to be aggressive, and credited her teammates, saying, “Without my teammates, I can’t get the ball and score.”
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Penelope Jennings and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Olivia Citarella.
