On Nov. 16, the Bison women’s basketball team came up just short against the defending MAAC champion Quinnipiac Bobcats, losing by a score of 76-69. With under two minutes remaining, the Bison initiated a comeback to cut their deficit to four points. Ellie Mack ’20 scored 21 of her career-high 33 points in the second half and was the igniting force behind the Orange and Blue’s fourth-quarter run.

The Bobcats took an early 14-5 lead as they forced three Bison turnovers in the first quarter. The Bison responded with an 8-2 run that cut their deficit to two points by the end of the first quarter. At the start of the second quarter, Mack nailed a 3-pointer giving the Bison a 24-23 lead. However, the Bison went cold in the second quarter shooting only 23.5 percent from the field. This led to the Bison trailing 40-29 going into halftime.

Out of halftime, the Bison had their best offensive quarter, as they went 9-of-16 shooting and scored 21 points. The Bobcats’ lead was cut into single digits by the start of the fourth after Mack and Marly Walls ’22 added a combined four points. Within the final 24 seconds, the Bison came within four points of regaining its lead, but the Bobcats’ three free throws sealed their victory.

Along with Mack’s double-digit performance, Abby Kapp ’21 contributed 13 points. Ally Johnson ’21 also contributed seven points, six rebounds and four steals. The team finished with a 45.3 shooting percentage.

“Moving forward, we definitely learned a lot about what we need to work on, specifically on the defensive side,” Johnson said. “I think coming back and competing until the end of the game with a really good team shows our team’s tough side. We have proved that we will not go down without a fight.”

On Nov. 20, the Bison fell 72-61 against Temple in a hard fought game  at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison led 33-32 at halftime, but were unable to overcome a poor shooting night as they went just 34.8 percent from the field. Tessa Brugler ’21 posted her first career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. Mack and Taylor O’Brien ’22 were the other double digit scorers for the Bison scoring 12 and 10 points, respectfully. The Orange and Blue’s next chance to get back into the win column will be on Nov. 27 when they take on Howard in the Puerto Rico Classic.