Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Opens Patriot League Tournament at Lehigh Thursday
3/2/2005 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 2, 2005
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Seventh-seeded Bucknell enters its Patriot League Tournament match-up with second-seeded and host Lehigh having won three of its last five games. However, the Bison, who had the opportunity to finish as high as fifth in the league heading into the final regular season game, have been seeded seventh or lower just three other times and failed to win a game each time. Bucknell will try to keep its league-high streak of three consecutive appearances in the semifinals alive. To do that, the Bison will have to reverse the outcome of its two regular season games with the Mountain Hawks. The last time Bucknell faced a team in the first round of the postseason it had lost to twice during the regular season, the Bison won, defeating Colgate 53-52 in the first round of the 1994-95 Patriot League Tournament.
About Lehigh
Lehigh completed the regular season with an 18-9 overall record and finished second in the Patriot League to earn the right to host one "pod" of the Patriot League Tournament. The Mountain Hawks, who are led by 10th-year head coach Sue Troyan, who was named PL Coach of the Year Tuesday, had three players honored by the Patriot League in the postseason awards. Senior forward Jessica DePalo was named the league's Player of the Year after averaging a conference-best 18.0 points per game to go along with 5.4 rebounds. She tallied just 12.5 points per game in the two meetings with Bucknell this year. Classmate Mary Frances Hynoski and sophomore Sara Ellis joined DePalo by being named second team All-Patriot League. Ellis, who tallied just five points in Lehigh's win over the Bison Jan. 23, was second on the squad, and third in the league, in scoring at 14.6 points per game. A deadly 3-point shooter, she made 67 from behind the arc to rank second in the PL. Hynoski is third on the team in scoring at 8.5 points per game, but is second in the PL in rebounding, pulling down 7.4 per contest from her guard position.
Bison Versus the Mountain Hawks
Lehigh, which took a 27-26 lead in the all-time series with Bucknell by winning both meetings this year, is the Bison's second-most played rival. Thursday's game will be the 54th meeting between the two programs, just one fewer than Bucknell and Lafayette's 55 battles. The Mountain Hawks have dominated the series of late, winning five of the last six meetings. The last time Bucknell won at Stabler Arena was the 2001-02 campaign when it won 73-72 in overtime.
Thursday's game will be just the second time Bucknell and Lehigh have met in the Patriot League Tournament. The Mountain Hawks defeated the Bison 59-55 in the first round of the 1997-98 tournament. That contest, which featured fourth-seeded Bucknell against fifth-seeded Lehigh, was the first postseason game during Kathy Fedorjaka's tenure.
Bucknell in the PL Tournament
Bucknell has won three straight first round Patriot League Tournament games, and six in the 14-year history of the league. The Bison did draw a first-round bye in the 1995-96 tournament. The last first round contest the Bison lost was against Colgate (85-69) in the 2000-01 tournament.
Fedorjaka in the PL Tournament
Bucknell head coach Kathey Fedorjaka is 6-5 in the Patriot League Tournament in her seven seasons at the helm of the Bison.
Semifinal Streak
Bucknell has advanced to the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament each of the last three seasons, including winning its only title in 2001-02. No other team in the eight-team league has been in the semifinals more than two times during that span.
Bucknell vs. PL Field
Following is Bucknell's record in the Patriot League Tournament against each opponent. The Bison are 9-13 all-time in the Patriot League Tournament, and 9-11 versus current PL squads.
American 0-0 Army 2-1 Colgate 2-3 Fodham 0-2 Holy Cross 2-4 Lafayette 0-2 Lehigh 0-1 Navy 3-0 Totals 9-13
About the Draw
Bucknell is lower than a fifth seed for the first time since the 1993-94 Patriot League Tournament. The Bison were the seventh or eighth seed three times in the first four years of the PL, but have not been lower than fifth since. Bucknell has posted an 0-3 all-time record when seeded lower than fifth, including 0-2 as the seventh seed.
Rookies of the Week
Freshman guard Kesha Champion was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week Feb. 28. She became the third different Bison to win the award this season, joining Hope Foster (Dec. 28) and Kristina Collymore (Feb. 21). Bucknell is the only team in the Patriot League to have three different players honored with the award this season. Sophomore guard Lindsey Hollobaugh won the honor a record eight times last season.
Second Team All-Patriot League
One year after being named Patriot League Rookie of the Year, sophomore guard Lindsey Hollobaugh was selected to the Second Team All-Patriot League March 1. Hollobaugh, a member of the preseason All-Patriot League team, enters the Patriot League Tournament tied with Lehigh's Sara Ellis for third in the conference in scoring at 14.6 points per game. She also ranks second in the league in free throw shooting (.817) as well as 12th in both field goal percentage and steals. Hollobaugh has reached double figures in points 23 times this season and 49 times in her career. She reached the 20-point plateau three times this season, including a season-high 27 against Fairleigh Dickinson on Jan. 17. A durable player, Hollobaugh has averaged 36.9 minutes per game this season and has been on the court all 40 minutes 11 times. Along with her scoring prowess, the Loganton, Pa., native completed the regular season second on the team in rebounding from her guard position with 5.1 per game. Hollobaugh also ranks second on the team with 69 assists. Hollobaugh is the 13th Bison in the 15-year history of the Patriot League to be selected second team all-league.
Second Half Struggles
Despite posting just a 4-10 record in Patriot League play, Bucknell had the opportunity to win nearly every one of its league contests. The Bison lost by an average of just 5.8 points per game to conference foes, discounting an 18-point spread in the final game of the season against Colgate. Bucknell held a lead in the second half of seven of those losses. In those games, the Bison led or were tied in the second half for 82:42 of a possible 140 minutes.
Game Largest 2H Lead Led/Tied in 2H at HC 4 10:25 at Lafayette 8 15:54 at Lehigh 2 2:55 vs. AU 4 13:37 vs. Navy 8 12:10 vs. Lafayette 13 11:43 vs. Army 14 17:18
Success Over Holy Cross
Bucknell has experienced unprecedented success the past two years over the Patriot League's best program, Holy Cross. The Bison, who defeated the Crusaders for the third time in four meetings with a 72-71 victory on Feb. 23, became just the second current PL team to accomplish that feat. Lafayette beat Holy Cross three straight times in 1991-92. Also, Bucknell entered the 2004-05 campaign with a two-game winning streak against the Crusaders. In the 15-year history of the conference just two other current league teams have won at least two consecutive games opposite Holy Cross (Lafayette, 1991-92 and Navy, 1994-95-1995-96).
Rookie Starters
Head coach Kathy Fedorjaka inserted Kristina Collymore and Hope Foster into the starting lineup against American on Feb. 11. That freshman duo joined classmate Kesha Champion, who has started every game this season, to form the first trio of rookies to start a game for Bucknell since Beth Coffey, Shannon McGown and Chiara Sockel were part of the starting unit in the final game of the 1993-94 campaign against Fordham. The Bison started three freshmen nine times that season.
Veteran Reserves
Senior Brooke Tomovich and junior Lindsey Geosits were both moved out of the starting lineup against American on Feb. 11. It was just the second time in 80 career games, and the first time in 50 contests, that Geosits did not start. Tomovich, who came off the bench four times earlier this season, had started 11 consecutive games. The duo combined for 23 points, including a season high-tying nine points from Geosits, six rebounds and five assists as Bucknell halted a six-game losing streak. Two days later against Navy they came off the bench again and totaled 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Geosits rejoined the starting lineup Feb. 19 against Army, while Tomovich was part of the starting unit again on Feb. 23 against Holy Cross.
Equal Home/Road Records
Bucknell, which had a 10-game home winning streak snapped earlier this season, and is just 3-12 away from Sojka Pavilion, had a chance to finish the regular season with more Patriot League road wins than home wins heading into its final regular season game at Colgate. However, the Bison fell to the Raiders and finished the season 2-5 in league play both at home and on the road. The last time Bucknell finished a season with more conference road wins than home wins was 2000-01 when it was 5-1 on the road and 4-2 at home.
Tough Defense
Bucknell's defense is allowing opponents to shoot just 38.7 percent from the field this year to lead the Patriot League. 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.
Bucknell's Points Allowed Breakdown Points Times Allowed 40-49 2 50-59 7 60-69 13 70-79 2 80-89 3
6-0 Start at Home
With its 80-64 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Jan. 17, Bucknell improved to 6-0 at home. The start was the best since the 1997-98 squad won its first six home games. Bucknell's best-ever home start came in 1995-96 when it finished the campaign 12-0 at Davis Gym.
Bucknell's Most Consecutive Home Wins to Start Season 1995-96 12 1988-89 7 2004-05 6 1997-98 6
Sojka Success
Bucknell opened Sojka (pronounced SOY-ka) Pavilion with a 74-67 loss to Lehigh on Jan. 15, 2003. The Bison have posted an 19-12 (.613) 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 10 with an 80-64 victory over FDU in their sixth home game this season. The streak ended with a 56-53 loss to American on Jan. 28. The Bison went 362 days in between losses at Sojka.
Bucknell's 10-Game Home Win Streak
(ended 1/28/05) 2/7/04 American* W, 51-39 2/11/04 Lehigh* W, 74-59 2/20/04 Lafayette* W, 81-63 2/22/04 Army* W, 73-68 11/24/04 Cornell W, 86-63 12/7/04 Buffalo W, 68-56 12/20/04 Maryland-Eastern Shore W, 60-48 1/3/05 Iona W, 90-66 1/12/05 Colgate* W, 67-65 1/17/05 Fairleigh Dickinson W, 80-64
One Block Short - Twice
Freshman Hope Foster blocked a career-high six shots during an 80-64 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Jan. 17. That figure was one short of tying the Bucknell single-game mark of seven, set by Ann Kirwin in 1986. All of Foster's six rejections came in the first 13 minutes of the game as she fouled out in the second half after spending just 17 minutes on the court. She equaled that six-block figure three weeks later on Feb. 6 against Lehigh. Foster is the only player in Bucknell history to block at least six shots in a game twice. She has broken Desire Almind's year-old single-season Bucknell record with her 68 blocks. That figure also ranks seventh on the BU career list. Her 2.5 blocks per game leads the Patriot League and ranks 19th nationally.
Bucknell Single-Game Blocked Shots Ann Kirwin 7 2/8/86 Hope Foster 6 2/6/05 Hope Foster 6 1/17/05 Susie Hopper 6 2/3/90 Hope Foster 5 2/26/05 Hope Foster 5 12/7/04 Susie Hopper 5 1/16/88 Susie Hopper 5 12/6/86 Susie Hopper 5 12/27/85 Marie Kocornik 5 12/27/85 Jill Henry 5 12/5/80
Weekend Wins
After losing the first 14 games it played on weekends - Friday, Saturday and Sunday - Bucknell finally won a game that was not played during the week Feb. 11 against American. The Bison followed that with another weekend victory two days later on Sunday, Feb. 13, versus Navy. However, Bucknell has yet to win on a Saturday, going 0-6.
Cool Her Down
Senior Brooke Tomovich has been playing the best basketball of her career in 2005. Dating to the Iona game Jan. 3, Tomovich has increased her scoring average from 7.7 points to 11.0 points per game. She is averaging 13.0 points per game, including 11 double-figure scoring games, during the 16-game stretch since the beginning of 2005. Discounting a pair of scoreless games, Tomovich is averaging 14.9 ppg since Jan. 1. Additionally, Tomovich has showed off her endurance, playing at least 26 minutes in 12 of the games, and topping 30 six times. While scoring 16 points in a win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Jan. 17, Tomovich played a career-high 39 minutes. Tomovich played more than 30 minutes just twice in the season's first 11 games.
Iron Woman
Sophomore guard Lindsey Hollobaugh has been too valuable for head coach Kathy Fedorjaka to take out of the lineup this season. Hollobaugh is averaging a 36.9 minutes per game, and has played all 40 minutes 11 times this season. She has played 574 out of a possible 600 minutes the last 15 games. She has played at least 30 minutes every game this season.
Unselfish Geosits
Junior guard Lindsey Geosits has a team-high 109 assists this year. For her career, she has 292 assists to rank fifth on Bucknell's career list. Geosits and Kathryn Hudock, who has one assist and no turnovers, are the only Bison to have positive assist-to-turnover ratios. She eclipsed her career high with six assists versus Colgate in the season's final regular season contest. That figure is tied for ninth on Bucknell's single-season list.
Foster Rebounds
Freshman Hope Foster ranks seventh in the Patriot League, and leads the team, in rebounding with 6.0 per game. The last freshman to lead the Bison in rebounding was Vicki Quimby, who averaged 7.4 boards per game in 1998-99.
Six in a Row
Bucknell's loss to Lehigh on Feb. 6 was its sixth consecutive defeat. The Bison last lost six in a row in 1997-98. Bucknell's 66-60 victory over American on Feb. 11 halted the skid and helped the Bison avoid their first seven-game losing streak since the 1991-92 campaign.
Block Party
Through 27 games Bucknell has blocked a school-record 123 shots as a team. That mark easily eclipses the previous record of 106 that was originally set in 1989-90, and equaled last year. Hope Foster leads this year's squad with a Bucknell single-season record 68 blocks (2.5 per game), which ranks first in the Patriot League. She also stands seventh on the Bison career list. Through games of Feb. 28, Foster ranked 19th nationally in blocks, while Bucknell was 38th. Foster's 68 blocks would rank seventh on Bucknell's single season team blocked shots list.
Eight Straight 20-Point Performances vs. PL
Sophomore guard Lindsey Hollobaugh scored 26 points against Colgate on Jan. 12. It marked the eighth consecutive game against league foes that Hollobaugh scored at least 20 points. That string was broken Jan. 15 against Army when she scored just 10 points. The Loganton, Pa., native has reached double figures in 29 of her last 33 games and is tied for third in the Patriot League in scoring at 14.6 points per game. She has scored at least 10 points in 49 of 56 career games.
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.
Hollobaugh Eclipses 800 Points
Lindsey Hollobaugh, who scored a Bucknell-record 483 points as a freshman, has added to that toal this season. With 393 points this season, she has increased her career point total to 876. Her 15.6 ppg career scoring average ranks fourth in Bucknell history.
Molly Creamer Returns
Former Bucknell star Molly Creamer '03 had her jersey retired during halftime of Bucknell's final home game, Feb. 23 against Holy Cross. The all-time leading scorer in the history of the Bison program joined Jen Walz '89 as the only two Bucknell players to have their jerseys hung from the wall of Sojka Pavilion.
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.
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.
Up Next
If Bucknell defeats second-seeded Lehigh Thursday, it will advance to the Patriot League Tournament semifinals for the fourth consecutive year. The Bison will take on either Army or Colgate, who play at 5:30 Thursday, immediately before the Bucknell-Lehigh skirmish. The winner of the semifinal contest will advance to next Wednesday's Patriot League Championship Game.
