Women's College Basketball
Bucknell University 53, Rider University 48
LEWISBURG, Pa.--Despite a career-high 14 points from junior Ali Heller (Boca Raton, Fla./St. Andrews), the Rider University women's basketball team lost the 2010-11 season opener at Bucknell Friday night.
"We started off stagnant offensively," said head coach Lynn Milligan. "Ali came off the bench and hit her first three shots and really gave us a lift. She got us going and was a nice spark off the bench."
Trailing 44-43, Bucknell (1-0) used two free throws for the eighth and final lead change with 3:06 left to spark an 8-0 run and the Bison led 51-44 with 53 seconds left.
"We made a few mistakes at the end of the game trying to force the ball inside to our bigs," Milligan said. "We always want to put ourselves into position to win a ball game and tonight we did that. We just didn't finish the job. As poorly as we played at times, we were still in the situation to win and we didn't do it. That is the next big step for this team, to win these types of games."
Rider freshman MyNeshia McKenzie (Springfield, Pa./Springfield (Delco)) hit two free throws to cut the Bison lead to five (51-46) and after another Bucknell free throw, sophomore Caitlin Bopp (Baltimore, Md./Institute of Notre Dame) scored a basket to get within Rider (0-1) within four but that was as close as the Broncs would get.
McKenzie, who started in her first collegiate game, finished with seven points, five rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes. Bopp, a Third Team preseason All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference selection, finished with five points and a team-high 12 rebounds to go along with five steals and a block in 26 minutes.
Bucknell hit a free throw with 11 seconds left for the final score.
Trailing 6-0, Rider went on a 13-7 run, eight points by Heller to tie the game at 13 with 11:53 left in the opening half. Heller shot five for six from the field in the game, making four from three-point range.
"It is going to be big for our guards to make shots," Milligan said. "It opens up the inside for us and tonight Ali did a nice job and if we get two or three guards doing that, especially playing against teams like Penn State on Sunday, it will help with our success."
A 7-3 Rider run broke the 13-13 tie with four points by McKenzie and the Broncs led 20-16 with 5:30 left before the half.
Bucknell responded with a 5-0 run to grab a 26-25 lead before a layup by junior Sarah Homan (Upper Darby, Pa./Delco Christian) put Rider ahead 27-26 at intermission.
The teams traded the lead back and forth early in the second half before the Bison used a 7-2 run to lead by six (43-37) with 7:24 left in the game.
Rider battled back with a 7-0 run, three points each by Homan and sophomore Dior Brown (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby) to take a one-point lead 44-43 with 3:06 left in the contest. D. Brown finished with five points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal in 18 minutes off the bench.
"Dior is a burst of energy when she comes into the game," Milligan said. "I like her in that role, particularly on the defensive end. There is no stat line for deflections but she had four or five tonight and her 'blue collar' effort really takes some of the pressure off the players inside so they are not getting pounded with the ball defensively."
The teams combined for 53 turnovers with Rider committing 29.
"We turned the ball over more times than we can," said Milligan. "Bucknell did a good job banging us around and we made a few bad choices on the perimeter on where and when to pass. We need to better capitalize on some situations and tonight we didn't do that."
Rider out-rebounded the Bison 39-38 including 12-10 on the offensive glass.
The Bison lead the all-time series 14-8. Former East Coast Conference rivals, the teams last met December 6, 1997 with Rider posting a 62-48 win.
Rider travels to Penn State on Sunday for a 2pm non-conference game.
"It will be a hostile environment on Sunday," Milligan said. "It will be good for our players to experience that against a quality Big Ten program in their home opener. We'll put tonight behind us, learn from it and be ready to go against Penn State."
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