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Buzzer Beater by DePalo Lifts Lehigh Over Bucknell, 54-52, in Patriot League Tournament Quarterfinals
March 3, 2005 BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Jessica DePalo converted a layup with 0.4 seconds remaining to give second-seeded Lehigh a 54-52 victory over No. 7 Bucknell in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Women's Basketball Tournament at Stabler Arena Thursday night. With the score tied 52-52, Sara Ellis drove and missed a wild shot with just under five seconds on the clock. DePalo, who led the Mountain Hawks with 20 points and 12 rebounds, grabbed the offensive rebound and missed a short jumper. She then hauled in another offensive rebound and made the game-winning layup as time expired. The officials turned to the television replay and put 0.4 seconds back on the clock, which gave Bucknell an opportunity at a final shot. However, the Bison had to go the length of the court and were unable to get a shot off. In a game that featured 12 ties and eight lead changes, Bucknell built a 45-40 second half lead, the largest of the game for either team, when Lindsey Hollobaugh made a 3-pointer and Kesha Champion converted two free throws on back-to-back possessions with just over six minutes to play. Hollobaugh scored 18 of her game-high 23 points in the second half and was 9 of 14 from the field, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range. Lehigh quickly answered with a 5-0 run of its own to tie the score as neither team led by more than two points until the final minute. Ellis, who tallied just six points, nine below her average, connected on a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left to give the Mountain Hawks a 52-49 lead. Just 12 seconds later, following a timeout, Bucknell tied the score when Brooke Tomovich swished a 3-pointer from the left corner to even the score for the final time.
After trailing in the opening minutes of the first half on three separate occasions, Bucknell took the lead at 8-6 on a 3-pointer by Hollobaugh with 15:11 left in the half. The Bison did not trail again until Jessica DePalo converted a three-point play with 11 seconds on the clock to give Lehigh a 22-19 halftime advantage. DePalo tallied 11 of her team-high 20 points in the opening 20 minutes of play.
Despite holding the lead or being tied nearly the entire half, and holding Lehigh without a field goal for more than four minutes mid-way through the stanza, the Bison never led by more than four points. Tomovich tallied seven of her 12 points before halftime, including the first five of the game for Bucknell. She and Hollobaugh were the only two Bison to reach double figures. Bucknell limited Lehigh to just 37.7 percent shooting, but managed to make just 36.5 percent of its field goals. However, the Bison held the edge at the free throw line, making 8 of 13 (61.5 percent), while the Mountain Hawks converted 6 of 14 (42.9 percent). Lehigh's biggest advantage came on the boards where the Mountain Hawks outrebounded Bucknell 45-34 with DePalo and Jenny Callan each hauling in 12. Callan totaled seven offensive rebounds, and DePalo five, as Lehigh finished with 17. The Bison, who had just eight offensive boards, were led by Hollobaugh's seven rebounds. Bucknell, the seventh seed in the Patriot League Tournament, finished the season 10-18 and failed to reach the Patriot League Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2000-01. Lehigh (19-9) advances to Saturday's semifinal against Colgate, which defeated Army in the first game of the evening. |
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