TOWSON, Md. - A balanced scoring effort led the Tigers to a 59-48 win over Bucknell on Monday evening in non-conference action. Towson (4-4) won its second straight as Simona Petronyte recorded a career-high nine assists.
"I was very pleased with the effort tonight," said Coach Joe Mathews. "I thought tonight was probably one of our better offensive efforts and hopefully we can continue to build on what we did tonight."
With the game tied at 2-2 early in the first half, Towson went on a 17-2 run spurred by a pair of three-pointers from Petronyte. That run allowed the Tigers to open up a 19-4 lead with 11:29 to play in the half. The two teams then traded baskets over the next several minutes with a pair of Lindsay Horbatuck free throws making it a 23-11 game with 8:29 to play in the half. The Tigers responded with back-to-back buckets from Katrina Wheeler to make it a 27-11 game with 7:49 to play. Bucknell followed with an 8-0 run to cut the Tigers' lead to 27-19 with 5:27 to go in the first stanza. Towson scored five of the final seven points in the half to take a 32-20 lead into the locker room.
The two teams traded buckets over the first four minutes of the second half and Towson had a 39-25 lead with 16:48 to play. The Tigers then manufactured a 13-2 swing that gave them a 52-27 advantage with 11:05 to play. Dovile Miliauskaite had six points, all of which came from the free throw line during that stretch. The two teams went up and down the floor for the next several minutes with a Wheeler lay-up at 4:49 making the Towson lead 56-35. Bucknell closed the game on a 13-3 run to make the final score 59-48.
Wheeler led the Tigers with 13 points on the night while Miliauskaite added 10 points, six rebounds and tied her career-high with five steals. Petronyte finished with six points, nine assists and no turnovers in 23 minutes of work. Jaleesa Dryver tied Miliauskaite for the team lead on the boards as she also pulled down six. Meredith Kennedy finished with five points and two steals.
Horbatuck led Bucknell 13 points, six rebounds and three steals. Morgan Wrightson contributed 10 points while Joyce Novacek finished with eight points and seven rebounds.
The Tigers return to action on Thursday, December 10 when they host Maryland at 7 p.m. That will be the Tigers' "Pack the House" night as the team attempts to set the school record for single-game attendance.
-- TIGERS --
