Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell to Open Patriot League Schedule at Holy Cross Saturday
1/6/2005 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 6, 2005
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Bucknell opens its 2004-05 Patriot League schedule on the road at Holy Cross Saturday at 1 p.m. The Bison won two of the three meetings between the teams last year, including a 94-75 victory in the quarterfinals of Patriot League Tournament. The Crusaders, who have lost four consecutive games, hold a 27-7 edge in the all-time series. After losing to Coppin State Dec. 18, Bucknell's record stood at 2-6. Holy Cross owned a 5-4 record on the same date. Since that time, the Bison have won three of four games to improve to 5-7, while the Crusaders, who have played four ranked teams this season, have lost four straight to fall to 5-8. Bucknell improved to 4-0 at home this year, and extended its home winning streak to eight games, with a 90-66 victory over Iona last Monday. The Bison placed five players in double figures for the first time since 2002. It was the first time they reached 90 points in a game since last year against Holy Cross. The Crusaders are coming off a 101-42 loss at No. 2 Duke Tuesday. Bucknell, which posted just its second win at the Hart Center in 17 tries last year, will try to win at Holy Cross in back-to-back games for the first time ever. The Bison will also aim to improve their all-time record in Patriot League openers to 10-5.
About Holy Cross
Holy Cross, led by 20th-year head coach Bill Gibbons, enters Saturday's Patriot League opener on a four-game losing streak after going 5-8 during pre-conference play. However, the Crusaders have played the most difficult schedule in the Patriot League by facing four ranked teams, including perennial national title contenders Connecticut and Duke. The Blue Devils trounced Holy Cross 101-42 Tuesday night. Despite the difficult schedule, Holy Cross has been outscored by an average of just over four points per game and has been led by junior guard Sarah Placek and her 11.2 points per game. Senior center Lisa Andrews and sophomore guard Brittany Keil are each tallying more than nine points per contest. Keil is one of three Crusaders making better than 40.0 percent of their three-point attempts. As a team, Holy Cross has made 73 of 194 (37.6 percent) from behind the arc. Andrews garnered Patriot League Player of the Week honors earlier this year, while freshman Laura Aloisi was named Rookie of the Week on Nov. 29.
Bison Versus the Crusaders
Holy Cross has dominated the series, winning 27 times in the 34 meetings. However, Bucknell has a two-game winning streak in the series after defeating the Crusaders 85-82 at the Hart Center last February. Two games later the Bison repeated the effort in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals. Prior to the victory at the Hart Center, Bucknell had lost 10 of 11 in the series, including four straight.
Patriot League Openers
Despite losing two consecutive Patriot League openers, Bucknell is 9-5 all-time in PL openers. The only time the Bison met the Crusaders in their first league game was in 1990-91, the first season of the Patriot League. Holy Cross came away with a 78-59 victory.
Weekday Warriors
Bucknell has posted a 5-7 record this season. Six of its seven losses have come on weekend days - Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All five victories have come during the week - Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The lone loss during the week came to Bowling Green on Thursday, Dec. 30.
4-0 at Home
With its 90-66 win over Iona on Jan. 3, Bucknell improved to 4-0 at home. This year is the first time the Bison have won their first four games at home since 2000-01 when they won their first five games. Bucknell's best-ever home record came in 1997-98 when it finished the campaign 12-0 at Davis Gym.
Home/Road Splits
Sophomore forward Rachel Hanley has been a key factor in Bucknell's 4-0 start at home. Hanley is averaging 13.5 points per game at home, but just 4.1 on the road. Hanley has also been a defensive force at home, recording all six of her steals at Sojka, while blocking four of her six shots in home games.
First Half/Second Half Splits
Bucknell, which has been outscored 372-327 in the first half this season, has led at intermission in four of its five victories. However, the Bison have trailed at halftime in each of their seven losses. Bucknell has been more competitive in the second half, having been outscored by a mere 402-380 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 16-7 (.696) 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 eight with a 90-66 victory over Iona in their fourth home game this season. Their last home loss came opposite Holy Cross Feb. 1, 2004.
Foster Rookie of the Week
Freshman Hope Foster garnered Bucknell's first Patriot League weekly award on Tuesday, Dec. 28, when she was named the league's Rookie of the Week for her performance against Maryland-Eastern Shore the previous week. The 6-2 forward scored 12 points, grabbed four rebounds and had three blocks and four steals in leading Bucknell to a 60-48 victory. Current sophomore Lindsey Hollobaugh was the PL Rookie of the Week a record eight times last year.
Offensive Glass
Sophomore forward Rachel Hanley grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds in a 48-47 win at Akron Dec. 29. Included in those 12 boards were a career-high eight offensive rebounds. It was the highest offensive rebound total by a Bison since Kim Delfs hauled in nine offensive rebounds Nov. 24, 1996 against Robert Morris. For the season, Hanley, who is averaging 5.7 rebounds per game, has a team-high 20 offensive rebounds.
52-Point First Half
The 52 points Bucknell scored in the first half of its 90-66 victory over Iona on Jan. 3 were the most for the Bison since they tallied 56 points in a 115-92 win versus Canisius Jan. 6, 1996. That game established a new Bucknell record for most points scored in a game.
Low-Scoring Win
Bucknell's 48 points in its 48-47 victory over Akron Dec. 29 was its second-lowest point total in a victory since eighth-year head coach Kathy Fedorjaka took over prior to the 1997-98 season. The Bison defeated Navy 46-43 Feb. 5, 2000 the only time they tallied less than 48 points in a victory during Fedorjaka's tenure. Only three other times in the 32-year history of the Bucknell program had the Bison won in games they scored less than 48 points. Two of those came in 1973-74, while the other came during the 1979-80 campaign.
Don't Waste the Points
Since the beginning ofthe 2001-02 season Bucknell has scored at least 85 points in a win 14 times, with the latest coming last Monday against Iona. In the contests immediately following those victories, the Bison have posted just a 5-8 mark, including 0-1 this year. In those games Bucknell has averaged less than 68 points.
Finally, a Road Win
Bucknell opened the season 0-6 away from home before defeating Akron 48-47 Dec. 29. The road start was 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 43 assists this year. For her career, she has 226 assists. With just 10 more helpers, Geosits will reach 10th place on Bucknell's career assists list. As a team, Bucknell has dished out 172 assists on 255 field goals (67.5 percent). Opponents have not been nearly as unselfish, registering assists on 156 of 282 field goals (55.3 percent).
Record-Tying Assists
In its 90-66 win over Iona on Jan. 3, Bucknell equaled a 29-year-old record with 28 assists on its 32 field goals. The total equaled a mark that was set Feb. 9, 1976, during a 66-49 victory over Juniata.
Tough Defense
Bucknell's defense is allowing opponents to shoot just 38.0 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 only 64.5 points per game. Only once (1997-98) 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.
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 652. Her 15.9 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
Bucknell's one-point win over Akron on Dec. 29 was its first game decided by less than 12 points. It was the first time in the 32-year history of the Bison program they had not had a game closer than 12 points through nine games. The winning team in Bucknell's 12 games has won by an average margin of more than 17 points per game.
Rookie Production
Despite just two of the six heralded freshmen earning spots in the starting lineup during the first 12 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 reached double figures on three occasions, is fourth on the team with 7.1 points per game. Kristina Collymore (6.7) and Kesha Champion (5.3) are fifth and sixth on the squad in scoring.
Foster Rebounds
Freshman Hope Foster ranks fifth in the Patriot League, and leads the team, in rebounding with 6.2 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 162 of 226 (.717) from the free throw line this year. The Bison have shot better than that figure just four times in the history of the program, but rank fourth in the Patriot League as seven of the eight conference teams are making at least 70.0 percent of their free throws. Brooke Tomovich, who has made 16 of 18 (88.9 percent) from the line, leads the team.
Block Party
Through nine games Bucknell has blocked 52 shots as a team. If the Bison continue averaging 4.3 blocks per game they will finish the regular season with 117. 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 25 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 Improvement
After struggling to make even a quarter of its shots from behind the three-point arc this year, Bucknell made 8 of 10 from long distance against Iona on Jan. 3. The eight three-pointers were the most for the Bison since they made 8 of 16 versus Iona during the 2003-04 season. The last time Bucknell made more than eight three-pointers was a 10 of 26 performace at Army in 2003. Heading into the Iona game, Bucknell was shooting 24.7 percent from long distance. That figure improved to 29.4 percent after the contest.
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 90-66 win over Iona on Jan. 3, the Bison extended that streak to eight 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 opens its home Patriot League slate Wednesday, Jan. 12, when it hosts Colgate at Sojka Pavilion at 7 p.m. The Raiders swept the Bison in three meetings last year, including 61-57 in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals.
