By Eric Weiss

Senior Writer

Whatever was said in the locker room during halftime at Sojka Pavilion on Saturday night clearly made an impact on the women’s basketball team, who prevailed against Army 49-48 in a nail-biter of a game.

Five minutes into the first half, the Bison jumped out to an 11-5 lead against the Black Knights. Army responded quickly and closed the gap, eventually finding a four-point lead that they maintained for the rest of the half. Both teams were plagued by turnovers throughout the game, committing 17 each, which denied both teams the opportunity to take control of the game.

After coming out of the locker room down two, the Orange and Blue seemed strong and quickly jumped out to a one-point lead in just under two minutes. Army built a lead with less than 10 minutes to go in the half, but the Bison did not panic. Layups by Cosima Higham ’11 and Christina Chukwuedo ’12 brought the Bison back in front for a lead they would not lose again.

The Bison showed their grit and determination as they refused to allow Army to pull ahead with just minutes to play. At no point did the women allow the Black Knights even the smallest opportunity to regain momentum.

For the rest of regulation, the Black Knights traded baskets with the Bison, making no headway. Once again the Bison were led by first-year phenom Shelby Romine ’14, who had 16 points, five assists and four rebounds. Romine continues to compile some of the best first-year statistics in the Patriot League. Shelby Trotter ’14 was the second leading scorer for the Bison with 10 points.

The win against Army resonated beyond Sojka Pavilion. “The game was huge for us, as it put us in the top half of the league,” Rachel Voss ’13 said.

The Bison will be back in action this weekend against Navy as they take their talents to Annapolis, Md. The Bison will continue to work hard within conference play. “Our goals are to win and put ourselves in a good position for the Patriot League tournament,” Chukwuedo said.