Women's basketball: Bucknell claims Patriot League, is NCAA win next?

LEWISBURG, PA — Bucknell earned its fourth Patriot League title with a 66-54 win over American University at Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg. The top-seeded Bison defeated the defending champion Eagles for the third time this season to improve their overall record to 28-5.

Bucknell won it with a high-powered and efficient offense that led the league in scoring, assists, and three-point shooting all season. They shot 48.9% from the field and converted 7 of 16 three-point attempts.

The Bison nearly led wire-to-wire in the contest with American grabbing its only lead on a Jade Edwards free throw to go up 24-23 in the second quarter. Junior Ellie Mack responded with jumper to grab a lead they would not relinquish.

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Tournament MVP Kaitlyn Slagus led the attack with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Senior point guard Kyi English added 14 points and 6 assists.

How will Bucknell’s dominating run through the Patriot League tournament affect its NCAA seeding? And what does it mean for their chances in the big dance? Here are a few takeaways from the game.

Aaron Roussell is a coaching star

Roussell, in his seventh season, has guided Bucknell to the Patriot League championship two out of the last three seasons. This will be the fourth straight year his team will play in a national postseason tournament with appearances in the WNIT in 2016 and 2018.

His career coaching record now stands at 312-121 and his tenure at Bucknell is the most successful stretch in program history. He is a two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year with a record of 151-71 for the Bison. The 28 wins this season are a program record.

It’s rainin’ threes, hallelujah

Bucknell’s forwards can really shoot it from deep. First-team All-Patriot League senior Kaitlyn Slagus led the league in overall shooting percentage and is fourth from distance. Frontcourt teammate Ellie Mack trails just behind at sixth from three-point range at a .390 percentage.

Sophomore Abby Kapp, who sees time at forward and guard, is tops in the league in three-pointers made and second in three-point percentage at .429, making 72 of 168 to date. The team makes 8.3 threes a game.

Kate Walker does it all

The senior guard averages 10.8 points per game and places in the top 12 in the conference for field goal percentage, assists, and free throw percentage. The second-team All-Patriot League selection also places in the top 10 in career three-pointers made for Bucknell.

Walker stuffed the stat sheet this week in wins over Loyola Maryland, Holy Cross, and American to earn a spot on the All-Tournament team.

We can dance if we want to

There is a championship culture building in Lewisburg. This was the Bison’s fifth time in the league championship game. With a ticket to the dance on the line, the program is now 4-1. They are undefeated as a host in the final.

Bucknell will await their draw with the release of the NCAA tournament brackets on Monday at 7:00pm EST. They will enter the tournament having won 17 out of their last 18 games. The latest bracketology has the team projected as a 13-seed.

So you’re telling me there’s a chance

What does this title say about Bucknell’s chances in the NCAAs? Roussell’s veteran group has tournament experience and is familiar with the size and speed they will face. The senior class shared the floor together as freshmen in a regular-season match-up against perennial power Notre Dame and won’t be overwhelmed by the moment.

They have been battled-tested this season too. The Bison played three teams who appeared in the NCAAs last year: Quinnipiac, Drexel, and Syracuse — claiming a win over the Bobcats of Quinnipiac. Don’t count them out if they get the right draw and their offense is clicking.

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Bucknell claims Patriot League title, is an NCAA win next?

By Todd Goclowski | Mar 18, 2019