The Bison women’s basketball team secured a well-deserved win against Quinnipiac in their home opener at Sojka Pavilion on Nov. 11. Setting a dominant tone, the Bison defeated the top-ranked mid-major program in the country by a final score of 75-58.

Entering the 2018-19 season ranked 16th in the CollegeInsider.com Women’s Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, the Orange and Blue displayed a great defensive effort, holding the Bobcats to 34.4 percent shooting. Offensively, the Bison dominated by shooting 43.1 percent from the field, tallying 14 assists on 22 field goals, and finishing 22-for-26 from the free throw line (84.6 percent). With this win, the Bison jump to the eighth rank in the Mid-Major Top 25.

Kaitlyn Slagus ’19 finished with her second straight double-double of the season, scoring 15 points and adding 14 rebounds. Kyi English ’19 took the initiative for the offense, finishing with 12 points and a career-high eight assists and four steals. Kate Walker ’19 finished with 13 points, three assists, and two steals. To round out the leaders on the scoreboard, Ellie Mack ’20 had 11 points, eight rebounds, and a pair of blocks.

“It was our first home game and we were super excited, which transferred onto the court! Our energy was outstanding and we were able to get great stops on defense and turn them into easy points on offense,” English said. “Our flow as a team was amazing and extremely fun to be a part of.”

Coming off the bench, Marly Walls ’22 stepped up for the Orange and Blue, finishing the first quarter with back-to-back three-point plays. The Bison were able to come back from a 37-30 deficit in the second quarter and entered halftime with a 38-37 lead. Walls finished the game with 10 points and five rebounds. Abby Kapp ’21 was put up to the challenge of defending the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year. She finished the game with three steals, eight points, and three rebounds before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.

During the third quarter, the Bison scored the first 14 points on six straight possessions. A three-pointer by Slagus and another bucket by Walker put the Bison ahead by double digits before Slagus sunk another three to increase the lead to 13 points. Entering the fourth quarter, the Bison led by 20 points.

“We were really excited to play in front of our home crowd in such a big game and put together a good 40 minutes of basketball,” Walker said. “The win gives us a ton of confidence heading into a long stretch of road games the next few weeks, and we are really looking forward to the next couple of months with this team.”

The Bison will look to build on their momentum when they travel to take on Syracuse on Nov. 18 at 2 p.m.