Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball to Battle Akron and Bowling Green on Back-to-Back Nights
12/28/2004 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 28, 2004
LEWISBURG, Pa. -
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After playing back-to-back games against teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Bucknell will travel to Ohio to play a pair of squads from the Mid-American Conference. Ending a nine-day layoff, the Bison will play on back-to-back nights at Akron and Bowling Green Wednesday and Thursday. Bucknell, which has won two of its last three games, will be looking for its first road win of the season. In the first game of the road trip, the Bison will face the Zips, who stand at 0-10. However, Wednesday's game opens a four-game homestand for Akron. The following night's opponent, the Falcons, are 6-4 and bring a three-game winning streak into the contest. Bucknell will attempt to continue its balanced scoring output in both games. The Bison have six players averaging at least 5.6 points per game, with Lindsey Hollobaugh leading the way at 13.1. The sophomore eclipsed the 600-point plateau in her career against Maryland-Eastern Shore when she scored 11 points to reach double figures for the 14th time in 15 games. She also grabbed six rebounds to help Bucknell win the rebounding battle 48-45. It was the second consecutive game the Bison had an advantage on the glass, and just the third time this season.
About Akron
Akron has struggled under third-year head coach Kelly Kennedy, opening the season 0-10. However, Wednesday's game with Bucknell begins a stretch of four consecutive home games for the Zips. Kennedy has used eight different players in the starting lineup through 10 games, but sees a pair of veterans among the team's leading scorers. Sophomore forward Jessie Crooks leads the team in scoring (8.5 ppg), but seniors Jae Conn (8.3 ppg) and Lindsay Hemmelgarn (7.1 ppg) have contributed as well. A deep team, Akron has 11 players averaging at least 10 minutes per game.
Bison Versus the Zips
Akron and Bucknell have met three times in the last decade, with the Bison holding a 2-1 advantage after dropping the first-ever meeting between the teams in 1994. The teams have met each of the last two years with Bucknell winning each time, including 68-55 at Sojka Pavilion last year.
About Bowling Green
Bowling Green, which lost to Patriot League foe Lehigh 77-74 on Dec. 4, stands at 6-4 entering Thursday's game with Bucknell. Since losing to New Mexico on Dec. 10, the Falcons have reeled off a season-high three consecutive wins. Under fourth-year head coach Curt Miller, Bowling Green is averaging more than 71 points per game and has four players scoring at least 10 points per contest. A team that features eight freshmen and sophomores, has a pair of second-year players leading the way on offense as Liz Honegger (14.4 ppg) and Ali Mann (12.3 ppg) are joined by classmate Carin Horne (10.1 ppg) and freshman Kate Achter (10.0 ppg) at the top of the scoring column.
Bison Versus the Falcons
Bucknell and Bowling Green have met just one time, that coming last year at Sojka Pavilion. The Falcons ran to a 100-77 victory over the Bison. Desire Almind had 33 points, while Lindsey Hollobaugh added 13 for Bucknell.
Weekday Warriors
Bucknell has posted a 3-6 record this season. All six of its losses have come on weekend days - Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All three victories have come during the week - Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
No Four-Game Streaks
With its win over Buffalo on Dec. 7, Bucknell snapped a three-game losing streak. That skid was the longest for the Bison since they suffered four three-game losing streaks in 2002-03. The victory avoided Bucknell's first four-game streak since it lost five in a row in 2001-02.
3-0 at Home
With its 60-48 win over Maryland-Eastern Shore on Dec. 20, Bucknell improved to 3-0 at home. This year is the first time the Bison have won their first three games at home since 2000-01 when they won their first five games.
Points Decrease
Sophomore guard Lindsey Hollobaugh is averaging 13.1 points per game this year, 3.6 less than her freshman year. Of Bucknell's 14 1,000-point scorers, a group Hollobaugh is sure to join, only three showed a decrease in scoring average from her rookie season to her second campaign. Desire Almind (15.1 to 10.4), Vicki Quimby (14.4 to 13.1) and Kate Franks (9.6 to 8.3) were the only players to show a decrease in scoring in their second years.
Home/Road Splits
Sophomore forward Rachel Hanley has been a key factor in Bucknell's 3-0 start at home. Hanley is averaging 13.3 points per game at home, but just 3.6 on the road. Hanley has also been a defensive force at home, recording all six of her steals at Sojka, while blocking three of her four shots in home games.
First Half/Second Half Splits
Bucknell, which has been outscored 285-231 in the first half this season, has led at intermission in each of its three wins. However, the Bison have trailed at halftime in each of their six losses. Bucknell has been more competitive in the second half, having been outscored by a mere 296-278 spread.
Sojka Success
Bucknell opened Sojka (pronounced SOY-ka) Pavilion with a 74-67 loss to Lehigh on Jan. 15, 2003. The Bison have posted a 15-7 (.682) record all-time in Sojka. Entering the 2004-05 campaign, Bucknell had a four-game home winning streak in progress. The Bison extended that streak to seven with a 60-48 victory over Maryland-Eastern Shore in their third home game this season. Their last home loss came opposite Holy Cross Feb. 1, 2004.
Road Woes
Bucknell has opened up the season with an 0-6 record away from home. That start is the worst for the Bison since they opened 1994-95 with an 0-9 mark away from Lewisburg. In 1990-91, Bucknell posted its worst-ever record in games away from home, going 0-15.
Unselfish Geosits
Junior guard Lindsey Geosits has a team-high 31 assists this year. For her career, she has 214 assists. With just 22 more helpers, Geosits will reach 10th place on Bucknell's career assists list. As a team, Bucknell has dished out 125 assists on 187 field goals (66.8 percent). Opponents have not been nearly as unselfish, registering assists on 123 of 221 field goals (55.7 percent).
Tough Defense
Bucknell's defense is allowing opponents to shoot just 38.6 percent from the field this year. The Bison have not held their opponents to that low of a percentage since the 1994-95 season when the opposition connected on just 37.6 percent of its field goals. Along with the low field goal percentage defense, Bucknell is allowing just 64.6 points per game. Only twice in Kathy Fedorjaka's first seven years at the helm of the Bison has Bucknell allowed fewer points over the course of a season.
Foster's Five Blocks
Freshman forward Hope Foster had five blocks during Bucknell's 68-56 win over Buffalo on Dec. 7. That total equaled the third highest single-game total in Bison history. The last Bucknell player who had more than five blocks was Susie Hopper, who had six rejections Feb. 3, 1990 against Lafayette.
37 Points
Bucknell tallied just 37 points during a 64-37 loss to Albany on Dec. 4. That point total was the lowest for the Bison since a 52-35 loss to UMBC in 1997-98. The game, the third of Kathy Fedorjaka's career as head coach of the Bison, equaled Bucknell's lowest output since the 1974-75 campaign.
Big Losses
Bucknell's 77-49 loss to Manhattan on Nov. 28 was the largest for the Bison since an 89-54 loss at Villanova Dec. 29, 2000. That year Bucknell rebounded to post the first 20-win campaign in school history. Since head coach Kathy Fedorjaka took over at the helm of the program prior to the 1997-98 season, the Bison have experienced only three losses worse than the 28-point margin against the Jaspers.
More Big Losses
The Bison followed up their 28-point loss to Manhattan with a 27-point setback to Albany. The combined 55-point deficit in back-to-back games is the largest for Bucknell since losing to Kent State (103-61) and Penn (92-73) by a combined 61 points in back-to-back games in 1999-2000. In their 32-year history, the Bison have lost by more than 55 points in consecutive contests 13 times.
500+ Points for Sophomore
In just the second game of her sophomore season Lindsey Hollobaugh eclipsed the 500-point mark for her career. After scoring 16 points in the opener against Florida International, the Loganton, Pa., native needed just one point to reach the 500 mark. With 15:33 remaining in the first half against Texas A&M, the school's all-time freshman scoring leader made a jumper to even the score at 8-8 and give her 501 career points. Since that time Hollobaugh has increased her career point total to 601. Her 15.8 ppg career scoring average ranks fourth in Bucknell history.
All-Tournament Selection
Sophomore guard Lindsey Hollobaugh was named to the All-Tournament Team for her performance at the season-opening Florida International Tournament. In the two games, both losses, Hollobaugh tallied 29 points, six rebounds and 10 assists. She was joined on the All-Tournament squad by Tamea Scales (Texas A&M), LaQuetta Ferguson (FIU), Lasma Jekabsone (FIU), and Jessica Dickson (So. Florida). The tournament MVP was Ezria Parsons from first-place South Florida.
Wide Margins
With a team that features six freshmen and three sophomores, Bucknell head coach Kathy Fedorjaka is excited to see how her squad handles close games. However, through the first nine contests she has not been able to see her youngsters in pressure-packed situations as each game has been decided by at least 12 points. The Bison have never started the season with their first nine games all decided by margins larger than 12 points. The average margin of victory by the winning team through Bucknell's first seven contests has been more than 18 points.
Rookie Production
Despite just two of the six heralded freshmen earning spots in the starting lineup during the first six games of the season, the rookies have had success in their first taste of college action as three freshmen rank among the team leaders in scoring. Hope Foster, who has scored at least eight points each of the last four games, is fourth on the team with 7.1 points per game. Kristina Collymore (6.3) and Kesha Champion (5.6) rank fifth and sixth on the squad.
Foster Rebounds
Freshman Hope Foster ranks fourth in the Patriot League in rebounding with 6.6 per game. The last freshman to lead the Bison in rebounding was Vicki Quimby, who averaged 7.4 boards per game in 1998-99.
Great From the Line
Bucknell is shooting 116 of 165 (.703) from the free throw line this year. The Bison have shot better than that figure just nine times in the history of the program, but rank sixth in the Patriot League as six of the eight conference teams are making at least 70.0 percent of their free throws. Lindsey Geosits, who has made 13 of 15 (86.7 percent) from the line, leads the team.
Block Party
Through nine games Bucknell has blocked 40 shots as a team. If the Bison continue averaging 4.4 blocks per game they will finish the regular season with 120. That figure would rank as the most in the history of the program. Last year's squad tied the 1989-90 team for the top position with 106. Hope Foster leads this year's squad with 19 blocks (2.1 per game), which ranks first in the Patriot League. Desire Almind, who blocked 62 shots in 29 games last year, is the only player in program history to average at least 2.0 blocks per game.
Three-Point Struggles
After three consecutive years of connecting on at least 31.8 percent of its shots from three-point range, Bucknell dipped below .300 last year. The Bison made 96 of 324 from behind the arc and had just Lindsey Hollobaugh (38), Lindsey Geosits (27) and Brooke Tomovich (15) make more than 10 3-pointers. This year Bucknell has continued its struggles from long distance, making just 19 of 83 (22.9 percent). Kristina Collymore's total of five field goals from behind the arc leads the team.
Preseason Accolades For Hollobaugh
Sophomore guard Lindsey Hollobaugh was selected to the preseason All-Patriot League team in a preseason poll of coaches and sports information directors. The Loganton, Pa., native was second on the team with 16.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game as a freshman. Her 483 points broke Molly Creamer's freshman scoring record of 475. Hollobaugh was the only non-senior to appear on the preseason all-league squad. The 5-9 Hollobaugh became the fourth Bison to be named Rookie of the Year in the Patriot League last year.
Patriot League Preseason Poll
Bucknell finished the 2003-04 season with a 7-7 record in Patriot League play to place fifth in the eight-team league's standings. The Bison are picked to finish in the same position in 2004-05. In a preseason poll of coaches and sports information directors, Bucknell was picked behind Holy Cross, Colgate, American and Lehigh, but ahead of Army, Navy and Lafayette. Colgate, which knocked Bucknell out of the postseason tournament last year, was the conference's representative in the NCAA Tournament where they lost to Tennessee in the first round.
Veteran Presence
Seniors Emilie Barruet and tri-captain Amy Ketcham are the only two Bison in their fourth year with the program. Bucknell has four seniors on its roster, but Brooke Tomovich and Lillian Drumgold are in just their second years in orange and blue after transferring from Loyola (Md.) and UNC Wilmington, respectively. Tomovich played in all 29 games last year and was third on the team in scoring at 9.4 points per game. The 6-2 center connected on 15 of 38 3-point attempts to lead the team at 39.5 percent. Drumgold, who battled an injury during the preseason, brought a streak of 18 consecutive starts into this season. The 5-9 guard has provided valuable minutes off the bench so far this season.
Team Captains
Seniors Amy Ketcham and Brooke Tomovich, along with junior Lindsey Geosits were chosen as team captains by their teammates prior to the season. It is the first time since 2001-02 Bucknell has had more than two captains.
Sojka Pavilion
Bucknell will be playing its second full season in its 4,000-seat arena -- Sojka Pavilion (pronounced SOY-ka). The facility is a part of the new Kenneth G. Langone Athletics & Recreation Center, which also includes a 16,000-square foot fitness center, a state-of-the-art natatorium featuring a 50-meter-by-25-yard pool, a new sports medicine center and new office suites for coaches and staff. Bucknell went 8-5 at home last season and ended the season on a four-game home winning streak. With the 60-48 win over Maryland-Eastern Shore on Dec. 20, the Bison extended that streak to seven games.
Setting The Standard Of Excellence
Bucknell garnered a 2003 USA Today Academic Achievement Award after leading the nation in graduation rates with a perfect 100% showing, and the Bison again ranked in the top 10 in the most recent graduation rates survey that was recently released with an 88% figure. Bucknell also ranks third among all Division I institutions (behind Nebraska and Notre Dame) in total number of Academic All-Americans, with 109 since 1970. Bison teams also get it done on the playing fields, winning the Presidents' Cup -- the Patriot League's all-sports crown -- in 11 of 14 years, including the last seven in a row.
Up Next
Bucknell will return home for its final non-conference game before Patriot League play begins. The Bison will host Iona Monday, Jan. 3, at 7 p.m. at Sojka Pavilion. That Saturday, Jan. 8, Bucknell will travel to Holy Cross for its first league game of the season.
