Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Continues Homestand Saturday Against Navy
1/27/2006 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 27, 2006
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After playing its final non-conference game of the season against Columbia Tuesday, Bucknell returns to Patriot League play Saturday against Navy. Despite defeating the Mids by 37 points three weeks ago, the Bison are in for a challenge as both teams have been among the hottest in the league recently, each having won three of four games since the Jan. 7 meeting. Bucknell's defense, which is limiting opponents to just 34.9% shooting from the field to rank among the nation's best, will be tested by the potent Navy offense that is averaging nearly 68 points per game. Over the last three games the Bison have yielded just 148 total points and have not allowed an opponent to score more than 60 points in regulation since Stony Brook tallied 65 seven games ago. Sophomore Hope Foster, who owns the top two positions on the Bison single-season block list as well as the career record, has been a key cog in the defensive effort with her 69 rejections. She had four blocks the last time the Bison and Mids met.
ABOUT NAVY: Since losing to Bucknell three weeks ago, Navy has won three of four games, including two on the road. The Mids are a strong offensive team that is in the top two in the Patriot League in scoring offense, field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage. Navy is one win away from matching its win total from all of last year. Senior backcourt players Ashley Pelzek and Lauren Skrel, along with junior forward Carly Meyer have been the team's leaders this season. Pelzek paces the team in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game. Meyer, who missed five games earlier this season, is averaging 11.8 points in just 26.4 minutes per contest. She leads the squad in rebounding at 7.0 per game. Skrel, the team's point guard, has dished out an impressive 80 assists while also tallying 9.7 points per game. Skrel and Pelzek are making close to 40 percent of their 3-pointers, while Meyer has made better than 35 percent from behind the arc.
BISON VS. THE MIDS: Bucknell leads the all-time series, which began in 1981, 20-15. The Bison defeated the Mids 88-51 on Jan. 7, marking the fourth-largest win in program history. Navy had never lost a Patriot League game by as wide of a margin. Bucknell is 9-6 all-time against Navy at home, and 2-1 at Sojka Pavilion.
WITH A VICTORY OVER NAVY, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• ...improve to five games over .500 for the first time since ending the 2001-02 season with a 21-10 record
• ...improve to 5-1 in the Patriot League for the first time since 2001-02
• ...post six wins in a seven-game span for the first time since 2001-02
• ...defeat Navy twice in the same season for the first time since 2002-03
HALFTIME LEADS: Bucknell owns a 9-2 record when leading at halftime. The Bison, who have won their last eight games they led at the half, have not trailed at halftime of a game since hosting Stony Brook Jan. 3.
30-POINT VICTORIES: Bucknell's 37-point win over Navy on Jan. 7 was the fourth-largest victory in program history. It was the biggest since an 83-44 win over Lafayette in 2000-01. The Bison have won by at least 30 points 18 times in the 33-year history of the program.
Largest Victories in Bison History Opponent Date Score Margin Coppin State Dec. 10, 1985 83-36 47 Susquehanna Jan. 31, 1975 73-27 46 Lafayette Feb. 7, 2001 83-44 39 Navy Jan. 7, 2006 88-51 37
POINTS AT A PREMIUM FOR OPPONENTS: Over the last three games Bucknell has limited its opponents to a total of just 148 points. It is the lowest three-game total the Bison have allowed opponents since 1992-93 when Army, Navy and Lehigh combined for just 140 points in successive games.
Least Points Allowed by Bucknell in Three-Game Span (since 1979-80) Year Points Allowed 1992-93 140 (37, 47, 56) 2005-06 148 (45, 58, 45)
3-POINT SUCCESS: Paced by Lauren Schober's Patriot League-best 47.8% shooting from behind the arc, Bucknell is on pace to eclipse 100 made 3-pointers for the fourth time in program history, and the first time since 2002-03. The Bison are 76-for-234 from 3-point range and are on pace to make 114 during the regular season. Eight of the 11 people on the roster have made at lease one 3-pointer with Schober leading the way with 22. Schober has made at least one 3-point field goal in each of the last six games and has 12 total during that span.
HOME STRETCH: Saturday's game against Navy is the third of a four-game homestand for Bucknell. It is the third consecutive season the Bison have played four straight games at home. In 2003-04 Bucknell split the four games on the longest homestand of the season, while last year the Bison dropped all four. So far, Bucknell is 2-0 on this year's four-game home stretch.
STRONG DEFENSE: Bucknell has limited its opponents to a Patriot League-best 34.9% shooting percentage from the field this season. The Bison have held three of their last six opponents under 30 percent. The last time an opponent eclipsed 40.0 percent was Iona in the second game of the season. In the lastest NCAA rankings, which include games through Jan. 23, Bucknell ranked 14th in field goal percentage defense.
MORE STRONG DEFENSE: Bucknell's opponents are averaging just 59.7 points per game. The Bison, who have allowed more than 60 points on just eight occasions, have held opponents under that figure for a full season just three times. The last time Bucknell limited its opponents to a lower scoring average was the 1979-80 season when they averaged 59.0 points per game.
9-3 IN LAST 12: Bucknell has won nine of its last 12 games, marking the first time since the 2001-02 campaign it has experienced a stretch that good.
CLOSE GAMES: After going 4-7 in games decided by six points or less in 2004-05, Bucknell is 4-2 in games decided by six points or less in 2005-06.
UNSELFISH BISON = SUCCESS: Bucknell tallied 16 assists Tuesday against Columbia. It marked the seventh time this season the Bison have dished out at least 15 assists and they have won each of those games.
SOJKA SUCCESS: Bucknell is 4-4 at home this season and owns a 23-16 (.590) all-time record at Sojka Pavilion.
Bucknell's All-Time Record in Sojka Pavilion Year W-L Pct. 2002-03 4-2 .667 2003-04 8-5 .615 2004-05 7-5 .583 2005-06 4-4 .500 Totals 23-16 .590
BLOCKS RECORD FOR FOSTER: Sophomore Hope Foster had a banner defensive year as a freshman. She blocked 72 shots to break Desire Almind's year-old Bucknell single-season record of 62. With 69 more blocks this year she is up to 141 in her career to place her first on the Bison career list. In addition to moving up the Bucknell charts, Foster has quickly ascended the Patriot League blocks list, ranking sixth all-time.
2005-06 Patriot League Blocked Shot Leaders
Player, School Games Blocks Avg.
1. Hope Foster, Bucknell 18 69 3.8
2. Kaitlin Foley, Holy Cross 18 15 0.8
3. Abby Lipskis, American 18 12 0.7
Gretchen Polinski, Colgate 18 12 0.7
FOSTER AMONG NATION'S LEADERS IN BLOCKS: In the latest NCAA rankings, which include games through Jan. 23, Hope Foster ranked fifth in the nation in blocked shots with 3.8 per game. She has 69 blocks in 18 games, putting her on pace to smash her own Bucknell single-season record of 72 blocks. She has blocked at least four shots in a game nine times this year and 16 times in 46 career games and she has at least one block in 33 straight games. As a team, the Bison rank 27th in the nation, averaging more than five blocks per game.
HOLLOBAUGH REACHES 1,000: With her first field goal in a 58-45 win over Lehigh on Jan. 18, Lindsey Hollobaugh reached the 1,000-point mark in her career. She is the 15th Bison in the history of the program to reach that figure. She currently ranks 14th on Bucknell's career scoring list with 1,031 points. She is averaging 14.5 points per game in her career, good for fourth on the Bison career list.
JUST FIVE TURNOVERS: Bucknell committed just five turnovers, including just one in the second half, during the Jan. 18 win over Lehigh. That is the fewest amount of turnovers in the history of the Bison program.
Fewest Bucknell Turnovers - Single Game Opponent Date Turnovers Result vs. Lehigh 1/18/06 5 W, 58-45 vs. Hofstra 2/27/88 6 W, 70-63 vs. Fordham 2/15/92 8 L, 80-70 vs. Colgate 3/3/96 9 L, 65-53
UP NEXT: Bucknell concludes its four-game homestand Wednesday, Feb. 1, against Lafayette at 7 p.m. The Bison were swept in the two-game season series by the Leopards last year. Bucknell had won eight consecutive games in the series prior to that.
