HAMILTON, N.Y. (2/23/08)—Bucknell University had four players in double digits as the Bison ran their way to an 88-57 victory over host Colgate in Patriot League women’s basketball action on Cotterell Court. Bucknell senior Hope Foster led all players with 24 points and nine rebounds.

 

The Raiders (1-26, 0-12 PL) were led by rookie forward Georgia Gier’s (Mercer Island, Wash.) 11 point, four rebound, and three assists performance. Classmate Krista Moser (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) added 10 points, while sophomore Laura Grimm (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had nine. Senior Caitlin Gillard (Vestal, N.Y.) led the charge on the glass with five rebounds to go with her seven points.

 

After trading baskets in the early minutes, Bucknell (12-14, 7-5 PL) used a short 7-2 run to take a nine-point lead at 15-6. Colgate chipped away at the Bison lead and pulled to within four, 19-15, after a three-pointer from sophomore Katie Garman (Poplar Grove, Ill.) at the 12:01 mark.

 

The Bison went back ahead by six with a jumper from Amanda Brown and were able to stifle and frustrate the Raiders for the remainder of the half. Bucknell held Colgate to just five points over 11 minutes and scored 20 of its own for a 19-point lead, 39-20. The Raiders scored four points in the final 46 seconds to head into halftime down 43-24.

 

Bucknell shot an impressive 53.3 percent from the floor in the first half, while Colgate hit 39.1 percent of its shots.

 

The Bison came out of the break and scored the first five points to take their largest lead of the game at 48-24. The Raiders cut the advantage to 21, 50-29, but could not get any closer as Bucknell found the open lanes in the paint and capitalized on its offensive rebounding to cruise to the 88-57 win..

 

Kesha Champion added 15 points, four rebounds, and five assists for Bucknell. Joyce Novacek and Lauren Schober rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 points apiece. Schober also handed out five assists, while Novacek had six boards. Bucknell as a team dominated the glass, winning the battle 44-26. The Bison outscored Colgate in the paint 36-20 and also registered 22 second-chance points in the win.

 

Colgate hosted its Think Pink weekend versus the Bison, drawing nearly 300 fans to Cotterell Court to raise breast cancer awareness. Head coach Pam Bass donated one dollar for every fan in attendance to the Central New York Chapter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

 

The Raiders close out their home schedule on Feb. 27, hosting first-place Holy Cross at 7 p.m. Colgate will honor its seniors prior to the contest.