The Bison women’s basketball team was defeated by the Holy Cross Crusaders in a hard-fought game this past Saturday, Jan. 21. Going into the competition, the Bison stood 2-5 in Patriot League play and needed to secure a win to come back from their record, while the Crusaders were undefeated thus far in the Patriot League this season. 

During the first quarter, the Bison were leading the Crusaders 7-6 with the help of points by Emma Shaffer ’23 and Emma Theodorsson ’26. Shaffer received a penalty during the half and had to sit out, which created an early disadvantage for Bucknell. 

Shortly in the second quarter the Bison threatened to take the lead back from Holy Cross. The team performed exceptionally well on defense and were able to execute with points from Remi Sisselmen ’25, Grace Sullivan ’26, Tai Johnson ’23 and Julie Kulesza ’24. After this comeback, the Crusaders put 32 on the board, compared to the Bison’s 31.

The third quarter was mostly defensive with few offensive opportunities on each side. At the end of the quarter, the Crusaders broke the seal by making quite a few offensive plays that put the Bison back further. The Bison trailed behind, putting up six points, while Holy Cross was able to take the lead by getting 15 points. 

In the final quarter of the game, the Bison were able to put some significant points up but not enough to overcome the lead created by Holy Cross, leaving the final game score 50-69. 

Overall, the Bison shot 42.9 percent on 21 of 49 baskets while Holy cross had an average of 47.3 percent on 26 of 55 baskets. 

Johnson led with the most points for the Bison at 14 while Isabella King ’25 put up 12. 

“It was a really tough loss to Holy Cross, especially since we were playing well and the game was close at the half,” Johnson said. “For the next game, our goal is to emphasize the importance of each possession–  one possession can change the trajectory of the game. We need to be locked in and focused each quarter.” 

The Bison will face The Naval Academy in Annapolis for another Patriot League Matchup. Navy currently stands at 1-7 in the Patriot League. You can view the live statistics on the Bucknell Bison Athletics webpage or watch the game on ESPN+.