By Ajan Caneda

Writer

The women’s basketball team struggled this past week with back-to-back road losses to Holy Cross and American, dropping their record to 2-19 overall and 0-6 in Patriot League play.

At Holy Cross on Saturday, a 20-0 run in the first half allowed the Crusaders to pull away for a 70-53 victory against the Bison. Forward Felicia Mgbada ’13 scored the first basket of the game, but the Orange and Blue went scoreless for nearly 10 minutes after that initial shot.

The Bison had difficulty shooting, as they went nine for 28 from the field in the first half. Holy Cross also scored 26 points in the paint, finishing with 36 for the game.

Behind 39-22 at halftime, the Bison tried to chip away at the lead but were unable to overcome the deficit. Their shooting woes continued in the second half. The Bison went nine for 27 from the field while Holy Cross shot 13 for 23.

The Crusaders also outscored the Bison 20-2 in fastbreak points.

Rachel Voss ’13 scored a team high 17 points for the Bison. Alyssa Dunn ’13 added 10 points and forward Lindsay Horbatuck ’13 pulled down nine rebounds.

“It was an unfortunate loss for us and we didn’t put a full 40 minutes together. It was good to see some offensive success in some of our new sets,” Voss said. “Beyond their 20-point run, we played them in an even battle. It’s about making adjustments and playing for the whole game.”

On Wednesday the Bison fell to American 71-45. The game was close for much of the first half, but turnovers plagued the Orange and Blue. The Eagles finished with 38 points from turnovers for the game.

The Bison trailed 33-21 at halftime, and American’s bench kept the Orange and Blue from making a comeback in the second half. The Eagles outscored the Bison 35-8 in bench points and 36-16 in points in the paint.

Horbatuck had a double-double, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Guards Shelby Romine ’14 and Voss also scored in double digits, combining for 21 points.

The Bison shot 40.5 percent from the field and forced 14 turnovers against the Eagles.

The Bison will look to rebound when they return home to face Navy on Jan. 28 and follow that with a road test against Army on Feb. 4.