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Senior Desire Almind Leads Bucknell Women's Basketball to 85-82 Win At Holy Cross
Feb. 27, 2004
WORCESTER, Mass. - Senior Desire Almind and freshman Lindsey Hollobaugh combined to score 58 of Bucknell's 85 points as the Bison women's basketball team defeated Holy Cross, 85-82, in Patriot League action on Friday, February 27. The win is just Bucknell's second in 17 attempts at the Hart Center in Worcester, Mass. Despite BU holding a nine point lead with just 2:47 left to play, the Crusaders would not go away and put together a 10-2 run over the next 2:35, capped by a difficult Patty Fitzgerald layup, to get within one, 83-82. After a timeout, Almind was fouled and proved why she is a go-to player, calmly sinking two huge free throws with 10 seconds left on the clock to force Holy Cross to need a three for the tie. The co-captain then showed why she is a leading contender for Patriot League Player of the Year, intercepting an errant HC pass for her eighth steal of the game, and running out the clock as the Bison squad came away with the upset victory. The win ensured the Orange and Blue a .500 season in both conference play and overall as the team improved to 14-12 overall and 7-6 in the league with one regular-season game remaining at Colgate on Sunday. With the loss, Holy Cross dropped to 13-13 overall and 8-5 in the Patriot League, marking the first time in league history the team has lost five conference games. Bison senior Kristin Valdner got the scoring starting with a layup just 28 seconds into the game, and the Bucknell team was on its way to leading from start to finish for the first time this season. Almind and Hollobaugh combined to score BU's next eight points as the visitors jumped out to a 10-6 lead four minutes into it.
Holy Cross scored three unanswered from the charity stripe to get within one, and the two teams exchanged baskets on the next three possessions before a steal and layup from sophomore Lindsey Geosits gave Bucknell a 16-11 lead. The Crusaders got within two twice in the next three minutes, but a three-pointer and a jumper from junior Brooke Tomovich, sandwiched by a free throw and a three-point play by Hollobaugh, finished a 9-2 run that put BU ahead by nine, 28-19, with 8:17 until the half.
Two Jessica Conte triples around a Lisa Andrews layup got the host team within three, but Hollobaugh answered with a three at the other end to push the Bison lead back to six, and HC never got any closer as Bucknell entered the intermission with a 44-37 lead. Five quick points from Almind to open the second half built the Orange and Blue lead to 12, and the squad still led by 12, 58-46, after another Hollobaugh trifecta at the 15:16 mark. But the defending Patriot League champions used nearly seven minutes off the clock to outscore Bucknell 13-3 and get within two for the first time since early in the first half, sparked by seven points from Maggie Fontana. BU went nearly four minutes without scoring, but an Almind jumper with 7:38 left in the game jump started the offense again and the team proceeded to score 15 of the game's next 20 points while building the lead back to 12, 76-64, with just over five minutes remaining. Holy Cross used the next five minutes to meticulously chip away at the double-digit deficit, but a 7-of-10 performance from the Orange and Blue at the free throw line over the final three minutes, including Almind's key makes with 10 ticks left, kept the game just out of HC's reach. Almind had one of the best all around games of her career, leading all players with 30 points, 18 rebounds and eight steals, to go along with three assists and three blocks. While registering her 16th double-double of the year, Almind tied the Patriot League single-season record for rebounds with her 344th this year, ironically held by Holy Cross' Amy O'Brien (1997-98). Hollobaugh, who is averaging 25.7 points per game in Bucknell's current three-game win streak, matched her career-high set just two games ago with 28 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Also in double-figures was Geosits with 10 points. Fontana led four Holy Cross players in double-figures with 16 points and eight assists. The Crusaders held a commanding 50-33 lead in rebounds, including a 20-11 edge on the offensive glass, but BU forced HC into 26 turnovers and capitalized with 27 points off of the miscues. |
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