COLLEGE PARK, Md. - For the second time in the span of a few hours, the Bucknell women's water polo team lost an overtime game as it dropped a 12-11 overtime decision to George Washington in the consolation game of the Southern Championships on Saturday. The Bison, who were seeded second in the four-team field, ended up finishing fourth. They lost 10-9 in overtime to Princeton in their first-round matchup earlier in the day.

The top two teams (Maryland and Princeton) in the Southern Championships earned automatic berths into the Eastern Championship. Bucknell (18-14) is still alive for an at-large berth in the event that will send its champion to the NCAA Championships.

The Bison jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first quarter against the Colonials (6-21), a team they had beaten 18 straight times and had not lost to since 2004. However, George Washington scored six second-half goals to even the score up a 9-9 at the end of regulation. Both teams netted one goal in the first of the two three-minute overtime sessions, but the Colonials outscored Bucknell 2-1 in the final period to take third place.

The Bison were forced to play overtime without senior captain Aubrey Rowe (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) and Haley Prickett (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar), who had scored a team-high three goals earlier in the day against Princeton and had added two more against George Washington, as each picked up her third ejection in the fourth quarter.

After being held scoreless against the Tigers earlier in the day, Valentina Rozas (Pico Rivera, Calif./El Rancho) led Bucknell with three goals opposite the Colonials. Shana Palencia (Glendale, Calif./Hoover) added two goals and one assist, giving her seven points in the Southern Championships. Kandis Canonica (Burlingame, Calif./St. Ignatius Prep) registered a four-point game to boost her season record total to 119. Her team-high three assists boosted her season figure to 63, surpassing her own record.

Alison Carter (Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor) registered eight saves in cage for the Bison, who lost their third straight game after posting eight consecutive wins. Carter had a total of 20 saves Saturday and now has 165 this year and 449 for her career.

Bucknell had been 2-0 against George Washington this year, outscoring the Colonials 24-15 in the two meetings. The Bison have now played three overtime games in their last four outings, going 1-2.

Bucknell will await Monday's Eastern Championship seeds to find out if it will be making its eighth consecutive appearance at the event. The Bison finished sixth in the eight-team field a year ago.

GEORGE WASHINGTON  (1-2-3-3-1-2--12)
BUCKNELL (3-2-1-3-1-1--9)

Release courtesy Bucknell Athletic Communications