Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Host Lafayette on Friday for First of Final Two Home Games of Season
2/19/2004 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 19, 2004
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ABOUT THE LAFAYETTE GAME: The Bucknell women's team enters the game against Lafayette looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss at Navy last Saturday. The Bison had defeated two of the league's top teams in American and Lehigh, before suffering their worst league loss of the season to the Midshipmen (65-42). BU is looking for its only league sweep of the season against the Leopards.
Lafayette comes to Lewisburg still searching for its first win of the season.
THE LAFAYETTE SERIES: Lafayette and Bucknell are meeting for the 53rd time in school history. The Leopards own a 29-23 advantage in the 27-year history of the series, the longest of any in Bucknell women's basketball history. Of the 130 different schools that Bucknell has faced throughout the women's basketball program's history, Lafayette has been the opponent the most times (52).
The Orange and Blue, however, have dominated for the past nine years, winning 16 of the last 20 outings. Of BU's 23 wins in the series, 15 of those have come in Lewisburg. In the last nine years, Bucknell has only lost on its court one time, a 61-60 setback in 2000.
THE LAST TIME BUCKNELL AND LAFAYETTE MET: Junior Lillian Drumgold hit a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded to end the first half, capping an 8-0 run by the Bison, giving the squad a 35-26 lead at the intermission, and propelling the team to a dominating 67-48 win. The win featured Bucknell's largest margin of victory this season.
A Brooke Tomovich three-point play with 43 seconds remaining started the 8-0 run for the Orange and Blue, freshman Lindsey Hollobaugh followed with a fastbreak layup with 12 seconds left, and Drumgold's three as time expired capped the spurt.
BU built its lead to as many as 20 in the first 10 minutes of the second half, limiting Lafayette to just one field goal in its first 12 attempts of the frame. The Bison lead would not dip below 17 the rest of the game.
LOOKING FOR A SWEEP: A victory over Lafayette this evening will give the Bison women's squad its only Patriot League sweep of the season. Bucknell lost in the first round to its final three opponents (Army, Holy Cross and Colgate).
If the Orange and Blue fail to defeat the Leopards, it will be just the third time since the Patriot League was created that the team does not sweep at least one conference rival throughout the year. The last time the squad failed to beat a team twice in the regular-season with 1993-94, and the first time occured in the league's first season, 1990-91.
SHOOTING WOES DOOM BISON: In Bucknell's last game against Navy, the squad shot a school record-low 18.9% from the field (10-53) while scoring a season-low 42 points in a 23-point loss to the Mids (65-42).
No team in Bison history had ever shot below .200 in a game.
SENIORS CLOSING OUT CAREERS: Three Bucknell seniors are playing in the final regular-season home games of their careers this weekend. Co-captains Desire Almind and Katie Hettler, and Kristin Valdner are all donning the home jerseys for the final times against Lafayette and Army.
As a class, this year's seniors represent 65 wins over the past four years, the second-highest total for a class in school history (the classes of 2002 and 2003 each amassed 69 victories). In addition, their current .591 winning percentage (65-45) is the second-best in program history.
