Though Shelby Romine ’14 was honored before the game on Senior Day at Sojka Pavilion, the women’s basketball team couldn’t capture the victory against American on March 1, surrendering 67-53.

The evening marked a special day for Romine, as she will finish her career towards the top of many women’s basketball records from her 117 career games played. With several career-bests, she finished the regular season in the top 12 of the Patriot League in scoring (15.3), rebounds (6.3), assists (4.3), steals (1.2), free-throw percentage (.768), three-point percentage (.417), and minutes played (34.4). She is also the only Bison to record 1500 points, 500 rebounds, and 400 assists.

“I can’t put into words how much Senior Night meant to me. The amount of support from my teammates, coaches, family and fans was incredible. It was by far the most special day of my career and a day that I will cherish forever,” Romine said.

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Still, the focus for Romine and her teammates was reserved for their game against American. (<Remove if the above is used as a sidebar). The Bison started the game out of sync and couldn’t get into any sort of rhythm. Early turnovers and lack of patience plagued both sides, but Audrey Dotson ’15 helped boost the Bison onto the board by scoring the first five Bison points.

The Orange and Blue were able to dump the ball inside, but the American defense held strong in the paint. Defensively, the Bison forced the Eagles to shoot from the perimeter. Unfortunately, the Eagles were triumphant. They made nine three-pointers, including six in the first half. Three consecutive long-range shots put American up 15-10.

The Bison recovered with the help of Tyler Craig ’16 and Dotson’s dominant performance, but American ended the half on a 10-0 run to go up 36-27 at halftime. Craig finished the game with a career-high nine points and six rebounds to go along with one steal and one block. Shooting 70 percent from the line in the first half kept the Bison in the game, while American made only two free throws in eight chances through the first 20 minutes.

The Orange and Blue came out slow in the second half, trailing by 16 before staging a comeback. Romine started to gain fire, and a pair of Dotson free throws brought the score to 47-41. That’s as close as they would come to toppling third-place American, though, and the Eagles protected their lead in the final 10 minutes, securing the win.

Dotson finished with a game-high 23 points, four rebounds, and two steals, while Romine scored 15 points, dished out four assists, and grabbed six rebounds.

Having concluded their regular season, the Bison will prepare for the early rounds of the Patriot League Tournament.