LEWISBURG -- With each game, Bucknell coach Kathy Fedorjaka knows her young squad will face a new situation.
Saturday's game again a Fordham was no different.
But Fedorjaka's young squad controlled the boards and second-chance shots against a physical Rams team as they snapped a season-opening three-game losing streak with a 63-56 win on Saturday evening at Sojka Pavilion.
"It almost didn't seem like we were 0-3. We had some tough teams coming out of the gate and I thought that this team was growing, doing a lot of good things and I'm just really confident in them," Fedorjaka said.
The Bison (1-3) had three players scoring in double figures, led by sophomore Morgan Wrightson's career-high 25 points. Joyce Novacek had her second double-double of the season with 10 points and a season-high 15 boards while freshman Rachel Voss set her career-high with 13 points.
"We struggled offensively in the first half, especially with the half-court set," Fedorjaka said. "But I thought Morgan's 3-pointer at the end of the half was really big."
Said shot was Wrightson's buzzer-beat from 40-feet at the end of the first half, giving the Bison to a four-point lead, 29-25 at the break. The biggest lead of the half was five points, which happened twice.
It was the second time this season that Wrightson was the leading scorer in a game. She led the Bison with 12 in the season-opener against Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 14.
The Bison shot 48 percent from the floor for the game and out rebounded the Rams 44-29, holding a deceive edge in defensive rebounds 30-18.
The rebounding margin was a big key in the win according to Fedorjaka.
"It was huge," she said. "We were struggling offensively in the first half and we started to play better offensively in the second half. But I really noticed Joyce's rebounding and offensive play in the first half."
Novacek 15 rebounds (six offensive, nine defensive) set a career-high for the junior whose uncle is Jay Novacek, the former tight-end with the Dallas Cowboys.
The Bison opened up an eight-point lead early in the second half and improved their free throw shooting from 1-of-8 in the first half to 10-for-12 in the second half. Wrightson was a perfect 7-for-7 from the line with all of her free-throws coming in the second half.
Randall Hurst led the Rams (1-2) with 23 points, including 15 in the first half. Fordham was 2-for-13 in the game from behind the arc.
"We were trying to bring some help from out guards which wasn't really effective," Fedorjaka said. "She's a very good offensive player, especially in the blocks. But we altered in the second half, brought the sag and the double from our other post player to try and front her."
Sports
Related Photos
-
Robert Inglis
-
Robert Inglis
Discussion
Wrightson leads Bison to first win
- Sports
-
-
Defense helps Crusaders snap skid
The going hasn't been easy for the Susquehanna University women's basketball team this season. So much so, that it hasn't won a game in more than a month.
-
SU rides Harley to win
With the chants of "ride the Harley" coming from the student body, sophomore Harley Sellinger certainly took visiting Goucher for a spin Friday night.
-
HS Roundup: Braves close in on playoff bid
Counted for dead not too long ago, the Shikellamy Braves are still alive and kicking and they are now one win away from making the District 4 playoffs.
-
Danville stays in HAC-I title race
When their 13-point lead had been whittled to seven midway through the fourth quarter Friday, the Danville girls were at a tipping point.
-
Harold Raker's column on high school wrestling: Playing the name game
Going into last weekend, with four Valley teams competing in the District 4 Class AA and AAA Duals Tournament, I had already made tentative plans to be in Hershey this week. Had things gone really well, I would have still been in Chocolatetown, covering at least one of them in the state tournament.
-
NCAA denies UConn APR waiver request
The NCAA on Friday turned down the University of Connecticut's request for a waiver that would allow its men's basketball team to play in the 2013 national championship tournament.
-
College Lacrosse: Bucknell men prepare to improve upon great season
LEWISBURG -- It started a handful of years ago, when the Bucknell men's lacrosse team put a big 'X' on the national map in Central Pennsylvania with an upset of No. 1 Maryland. From that point on Bison coach Frank Fedorjaka has had a difficult time getting big-time opponents on the schedule, even with Bucknell opting to travel under the worst of circumstances.
-
High school football: Pratt says Kutztown the right fit
SUNBURY -- When Shikellamy's Tyler Pratt joins the Kutztown University football team as a free safety next fall, he will already have a good feeling for what his position coach will expect from him. Pratt, who signed a national letter of intent this week to accept a scholarship offer to play for the Golden Bears, will be under the tutelage of his father's high school football coach.
-
Todd Stanford On high school boys basketball: Increasing the refs' workload
If two heads are better than one, does that mean six eyes are better than four? Not necessarily, according to some Heartland Athletic Conference officials. There is a move afoot in the HAC to cut the number of basketball referees from three to two for part of the season beginning next year.
-
High School Roundup: Greenwood boys complete perfect TVL season
Greenwood capped off an unbeaten 2011-12 Tri-Valley League season by crushing Halifax 61-38 on Thursday Night.
- More Sports Headlines
-
Defense helps Crusaders snap skid
