Photo provided by Ashley Sofirkanich extended her scoring streak to 20 points and five points in Bucknell University’s game against Youngstown State University on Saturday.
LOUISBURG — Ashley Sofirkanich couldn’t extend her 20-point game streak to five, but the sophomore forward still helped the Bison defeat previously undefeated Youngstown State (4-1). He played a historic and important role in the 51-36 victory. Bucknell (2-4) remained undefeated with a win over its Horizon League foe, winning its second straight at Soika Pavilion.
“I’m excited about the win.” Bucknell coach Trevor Woodruff said. “We’re very particular about our style of play. We want to play defense first, but we think if we can do that every night, we can get through the tough offensive days. This is It’s a good step for us. I’m happy with the whole team’s effort. We took care of our home court, which is always important.”
The 36 points are the fewest points the team has scored since defeating St. Francis University 68-31 on Dec. 1, 2021. Bucknell was on pace to break it, but YSU scored 16 points in the final period.
Sofirkanic nearly achieved his first triple-double with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and a career-high nine blocks, breaking his best-of-eight match against Army on Jan. 27, 2024. The nine blocks also previously set a Soica Pavilion record. There was a tie between Hope Foster vs. Hampton (November 10, 2006) and the aforementioned Army battle between Sofirkanic.
The Penguins shot just 15.0% from 9-of-60 in this game, and the potential presence of Sofirkanic was the direct cause of a large number of missed layups. Sofirkanic added nine points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field and 9-of-18 from the free-throw line. The 18 attempts were a career high and set a new Soika record.
Bucknell had 12 blocks for the second straight game, tying Soika’s record. Youngstown State’s 15% shooting percentage also set a record for lowest shooting percentage by an opponent.
Bucknell only shot 34.8 percent from the field (16-of-46), but it was more than enough to end the Penguins’ undefeated season. Seven players scored for the Bison, with Tuana Coskun and Ashley O’Connor tied for second with eight points. Bucknell, a second-year transfer, grabbed 12 boards, putting Koskun just two points away from his first double-double.
Similar to the Mount St. Mary’s game, the Bison controlled the lead for most of the game. Youngstown State led 2-0 with 1:25 to play, but was never able to take the advantage again as the Orange & Blue held the lead for 36 minutes. The Bison held YSU to single-digit points in three of four quarters. This is evidence of defensive superiority.
Youngstown State took an early lead with two free throws, but buckets from Koskun and Sofirkanic erased the score. The Penguins trailed 13-5 in the second quarter, but Jewel Watkins’ two-pointer cut the lead to 16-9 only once. Bucknell responded with a 9-0 run, essentially clinching the game. The Penguins regained their pride with a driving layup 38 seconds before halftime, avoiding a single-digit halftime deficit.
Bucknell took its biggest lead of the game in the third quarter when Anna Kunzwiller made a layup with 1:38 left. Kunzwiller scored seven points, including 3-for-4 from the charity stripe.
The Penguins defeated Bucknell 16-13 in the final game, but it had little effect on the final result. Sofirkanić made a career-best block with 48 seconds left, sending Sojka fans into a tizzy of joy. Youngstown State made its final free throw and Bucknell University won 51-36 as time expired.
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