Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Set for Trip to Cancun
11/21/2006 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2006
What: Caribbean Classic
Bucknell (3-2) vs. Monmouth (2-1), Nov. 24, 2 p.m.
Bucknell (3-2) vs. Richmond (1-3), Nov. 25, 2 p.m.
Where: Moon Palace, Cancun, Mexico
When: Nov. 24-25, 2006
Game Notes
Bucknell ventures to Mexico for the first time in the 34-year history of the program for the Caribbean Classic this weekend. Held at the Moon Palace Resort, the Caribbean Classic includes Drake, Marshall, Monmouth and Richmond as well as Bucknell. The Bison will face Monmouth Friday and Richmond Saturday as they look for their first winning streak of the season. Bucknell, which is 3-2 and defeated Cornell Monday at Sojka Pavilion, will be led by junior forward Hope Foster and senior guard Lindsey Hollobaugh. Foster is averaging a team-high 16.0 points per game to go along with her 9.8 rebounds and 6.8 blocks. She tops the Patriot League in both rebounds and blocks, while she is third in scoring. At 15.8 points per game, Hollobaugh is fourth in the Patriot League in scoring and recently moved into ninth place on Bucknell's career scoring list with 1,238 points.
BISON VS. HAWKS
For the first time in 12 years Bucknell will face Monmouth. The Hawks lead the all-time series, which began in 1984, 2-1. Both teams have won one game on the other's home court, while Monmouth claimed a 29-point neutral-court victory at the 1984 Robert Morris Tournament.
WITH A VICTORY OVER MONMOUTH, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• ...open a season with at least a 4-2 record for the first time since 2000-01 when the Bison began the campaign 5-0
• ...win a game outside the United States for the first time since Jan. 5, 2002
BISON VS. SPIDERS
For just the second time in the 34-year history of the program, Bucknell will face Richmond Saturday. The Spiders won the only meeting, 76-67, Dec. 10, 1995 at the Princeton Tournament.
WITH A VICTORY OVER RICHMOND, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• ...even the all-time series against the Spiders at 1-1
QUICK FACTS
Bucknell reached the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament for the fourth time in five years last year ... Hope Foster leads current Bison with 479 career rebounds, 198 shy of climbing into Bucknell's top-10 list ... Lindsey Hollobaugh needs 344 points to pass Desire Almind for third place on Bucknell's career scoring list ... the Bison were one of the best defensive teams in the nation last year as they ranked in the top 50 nationally in four defensive categories, including seventh in field goal percentage defense ... Bison starters have played 802 of a possible 1,000 minutes through two games ... despite yielding 64 points per game, Bucknell is holding opponents to 35.6% shooting from the field ... just once in its last nine games has Bucknell allowed a team to shoot better than 40.0% ... no team has eclipsed 40.0% this year ... it has been a span of 76 games since an opponent has converted at least 50.0% of its field goals against the Bison defense ... Lindsey Hollobaugh has netted double figures every game this year and 68 times in 87 career games ... Kristina Collymore drew her first start of the year against Cornell ... Bucknell is shooting 45.4% from the floor this year, a figure that would rank third in program history.
FOSTER CONTINUES TO PILE UP BLOCKS
Junior forward Hope Foster, who already owns the Bucknell career and single-season blocked shots record, has piled up an amazing 34 blocks in five games this year. After setting a Bucknell record for blocks in a single game with eight against Hampton, she surpassed that with 11 against Michigan State one week later to tie the Patriot League single-game standard.
Hope Foster's Blocked Shots Accomplishments
• Bucknell single-game record (11 vs. Michigan State)
• Tied Patriot League single-game record (11 vs. Michigan State)
• 14 career games with at least five blocks (only 22 total in Bucknell history)
• Owns top two spots on Bucknell's career blocks list (Fr.-72/So.-95)
• Tied for Patriot League single-season blocks record (95)
• Tied for second in Patriot League history in career blocks (201)
• First on Bucknell's career blocks list (201) - 69 ahead of second place
• At least one block in 58 of 62 career games
• Through Nov. 20, Foster had 34 blocks and the rest of the players in the Patriot League had 46, with no player totaling more than seven
NEAR TRIPLE-DOUBLE
Junior forward Hope Foster blocked a Bucknell-record 11 shots against Michigan State Nov. 17. She also grabbed 10 rebounds and scored six points. The 6-2 Foster entered the contest averaging 20.0 points per game. If she had reached double figures in points she would have recorded the first triple-double in program history.
IN-SEASON TOURNAMENTS
By playing in the Caribbean Classic, Bucknell is extending its streak of participating in an in-season tournament to 30 years. The Bison are 35-82 all-time in such events, but are 11-14 since 1998-99. Bucknell has split two games in four of its last five in-season events. The Bison went 1-1 at the Air Force Classic last year.
LEAVING U.S.
For the first time since the 2001-02 campaign, Bucknell will be leaving the United States with its trip to Cancun, Mexico, for the Caribbean Classic. In 2001-02 the Bison played in the Nassau Knockout in Nassau, Bahamas, marking the only other time in the 34-year history of the program they have played outside the Continental 48 states.
OVER 70 POINTS IN WINS
After averaging just over 63 points per game last year, Bucknell tops the Patriot League in scoring average at 67.2 through five games this season. The Bison, who netted at least 70 points just nine times last year, have already surpassed that figure in each of their three victories.
TIRELESS HOLLOBAUGH
Senior guard Lindsey Hollobaugh entered this year averaging 36.1 minutes per game in her stellar career. That figure has only increased as she has played all but six minutes in the first five games this season and is averaging a team-high 38.8 minutes. She has played 40 minutes each of the last two games, and in three overall.
IMPROVED FREE THROW SHOOTING
While her defense has been grabbing headlines, Hope Foster has improved on the offensive end this year. Her scoring average has increased by nearly six points per game, partly due to her improved free throw shooting. After making just over 62 percent of her free throws her first two seasons, Foster is making foul shots at an 85.7 percent clip this year, which ranks third in the Patriot League. As a team, Bucknell is shooting 75.0 percent from the line. That figure would rank as the third-best in program history. The top three free throw shooting years have all come in this decade.
ALTERNATING WINS AND LOSSES
Bucknell has started off its 2006-07 campaign much like the Bison football team, which completed its 2006 season this last weekend with a 6-5 record by alternating wins and losses all season. The basketball squad has split its first four contests by alternating wins and losses and then defeated Cornell on Monday. The last time that pattern continued five games into the season was 1979-80.
500 POINTS ON HORIZON
With back-to-back 10-point outings against Michigan State and Cornell, Kesha Champion increased her career total to 491. With nine more points she will join Lindsey Hollobaugh and Hope Foster to give the Bison three players with at least 500 career points. Sophomores Amanda Brown and Lauren Schober, who each netted just less than 300 points as freshmen, could join the 500-point club by the end of this year.
STARTERS STAYING ON THE COURT
One of Bucknell's strengths last year was its depth and balance. While many of the same players are on the roster, the starters are logging many more minutes than a year ago. In fact, the starting five has accumulated 285 of the 336 points this season while playing more than 80% of the minutes.
FOSTER STAYING IN THE GAME
While Hope Foster has had a propensity to pick up fouls this year, finishing each of the season's first five contests with four, she has not yet fouled out of a game. In fact, the junior shot blocker is averaging nearly 36 minutes per game and has fouled out of just four games in her career.
SOJKA SUCCESS
Bucknell has posted a 2-0 home mark this year to improve its all-time record at Sojka Pavilion to 29-17 (.630). In their first four years playing at Sojka Pavilion, the Bison have never finished below .500. Bucknell posted victories in six of its final seven home games in 2005-06.
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 8-5 .615 2006-07 2-0 1.000 Totals 29-17 .630
UP NEXT
Bucknell returns home from Cancun and will begin preparing for its first homestand of the year as it hosts St. Bonaventure Thursday, Nov. 30, and Marist Saturday, Dec. 2. The Bonnies and Red Foxes will be the third and fourth teams from New York on the Bison schedule this season.
