Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Women's Basketball Opens Second Half of League Play with American
2/7/2004 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 6, 2004
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BUCKNELL CELEBRATES NATIONAL GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY: National Girls and Women in Sports Day was this past Wednesday, February 4, and Bucknell has been holding a weeklong array of events in conjunction with this year's "Play Fair" theme. Co-sponsored by the Bucknell Women's Resource Center, the celebration is also a tribute to 30 years of women's athletics at Bucknell.
The athletic department is extending that celebration to today's game. Admission to the women's basketball game is free to girls and boys 12 years old and younger, and there is pregame face painting, snacks and tee-shirt giveaways, as well as a postgame autograph session with members of each of Bucknell's women's sports teams. At halftime, Bucknell's women athletes will be recognized, and past women athletes of the month will be honored.
Bucknell fielded its first varsity women's teams in the sports of basketball and field hockey in the fall of 1973. Thirty years later, Bucknell fields 14 varsity teams and has captured the Patriot League's women's overall sports championship trophy nine times in 13 years.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN GAME: Bucknell enters this afternoon's game with American looking to stop a two-game slide. The Bison went 2-5 in the first round of Patriot League play, and are hoping to get the second cycle started with a victory.
The Eagles come into Sojka Pavilion with a 10-10 overall record after most recently dropping a game at Maryland Eastern Shore on Wednesday. American did, however, post a 5-2 record in conference action the first time around and sit in a four-way tie for first place.
THE AMERICAN SERIES: Bucknell and American have met 10 times in the 21-year history of the series with the Eagles holding a 7-3 lead.
Since AU joined the Patriot League, the Orange and Blue have gone 2-3 against the Eagles with one of those victories coming at home.
American is playing in Sojka Pavilion for the first time today, becoming the seventh and final Patriot League team to appear in the year-old arena. The Eagles handed BU a heartbreaking 75-74 defeat at the buzzer last season in the final game in Davis Gym.
HOLLOBAUGH RECOGNIZED BY PATRIOT LEAGUE: For the league-leading sixth time this season, rookie Lindsey Hollobaugh was selected as the Patriot League Freshman of the Week for the week ending February 2.
Hollobaugh averaged 13.5 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game in a two-game week for the Bison.
ALMIND UP FOR NATIONAL AWARD: Senior Desire Almind is leading the country in rebounding at 13.9 rpg, is second in the nation in double-doubles with 14, and the 6-0 co-captain in among the Patriot League leaders in six other categories.
Because of her play this season, and in January to be more specific, the Patriot League office has nominated Almind for the WBCA NCAA Division I Player of the Month award.
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association reintroduced the player of the month program in December after several years of hiatus. The January player of the month will be announced by the WBCA later this month.
FIRST CYCLE DONE: For the first time since 1993-94, the Bucknell women's basketball team is just 2-5 in Patriot League play after the first cycle of league games has been played. The team has started 3-3 or better in the past ten years.
BU finished the 1993-94 season with a 3-11 conference record.
One encouraging statistic for Bucknell is that in seven of the last eight seasons, the Bison have opened the second-half of league play with a victory. The 2002-03 season features the only loss during that time.
THEY SAY IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY: Junior Brooke Tomovich is celebrating her 21st birthday today as the Bison face the Eagles.
Tomovich joins sophomore Lindsey Geosits as the only two players who have their birthday on game-day this season. Geosits turned 20 on December 21, 2003, the day Bucknell defeated Albany, 62-45.
BUCKNELL AND THE RPI: The RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) is the measure of strength of schedule and how a team does against that schedule.
In the latest RPI rankings, updated Saturday, February 7, Bucknell is ranked 244 of 324 schools. Of the eight Patriot League schools, Bucknell is the sixth-highest ranked team. Today's opponent, American, is fourth in the conference at 215.
As a conference, the Patriot League is 24th out of 32 conferences.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET IN DAVIS: Today's game against American marks the first time the Eagles are playing in Sojka Pavilion. AU was the last team to play in Davis Gymnasium last year, handing Bucknell a heartbreaking 75-74 loss in the historic gym's finale.
Molly Creamer scored 41 points in her final game in Davis Gymnasium, but it was not enough as the Eagles of American spoiled Bucknell's Patriot League opener.
Bucknell led 30-23 at halftime, after leading by as many as 10 in the frame.
American slowly chipped away at the deficit, and took a 61-59 lead on two free throws by Chanel Hunt with 5:31 to go. Bucknell's last lead of the game came with 21 seconds remaining when junior Desire Almind hit two foul shots to put the host team ahead, 74-73.
American's Katryn Costenbader fired off a three-point attempt with nine seconds left, and a battle for the rebound led to a jump ball in American's favor. After an Eagles timeout with five ticks left on the clock, Costenbader found herself open for a baseline jumper that put American ahead 75-74 with three seconds left.
ALMIND APPROACHING MILESTONES: Senior Desire Almind needs just two more assists to reach 200 helpers in her career. When she hands out her 200th assist, Almind will become the first player in Bucknell history to score over 1,400 points, grab 700 rebounds and hand out 200 assists.
In addition, the co-captain needs 13 more steals to reach 200 in her career, becoming just the second Bucknell player to accumulate over 1,400 points, 700 rebounds, and 200 steals.
