Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Goes for 4-0 in PL Tuesday at Lafayette
1/15/2007 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 15, 2007
What: Bucknell (11-7, 3-0 PL) at Lafayette (3-14, 1-2 PL)
Where: Kirby Sports Center, Easton, Pa.
When: Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2007, 7 p.m.
Radio: WVBU 90.5 and Lafayette Sports Network (RCN-4 & WBPH-60 in Lehigh Valley)
Game Notes
Bucknell aims for its first 4-0 start in Patriot League play since 2001-02 Tuesday night at Lafayette. The Bison, who are tied with Army for the top spot in the league standings, won their first seven Patriot League contests in 1999-2000 for the best start in program history. Bucknell will be facing a Leopards team that has won just 11 league games the last six years. However, a pair of those victories came in 2004-05 when Lafayette swept the season series from the Bison. The Leopards have lost 13 of their last 14 games since opening the campaign 2-1. On the other side, Bucknell is in the midst of its best stretch of the season, which is now well past the midway point. The Bison have won three contests in a row and five of their last seven. Bucknell is averaging 68.8 points per game in those five victories, but just 47.5 in those two losses. In fact, the Bison are averaging 67.9 points in their 11 wins this season, but just 47.1 in their seven losses.
ABOUT LAFAYETTE
Since opening Patriot League play with a three-point win over Holy Cross to end an 11-game losing streak, a Lafayette team that possesses just one senior has dropped two in a row. Jessica Spicer, Vanessa Van De Venter and Emily Garner lead the balanced scoring attack as each averages just under 11 points per game. Van De Venter and Garner lead the squad on the boards with Garner hauling in 7.0 rebounds per game and Van De Venter pulling down 4.5. Spicer, who has knocked down a team-high 31 3-pointers, is playing a team-high 32 minutes per game and paces the squad in assists and steals. The Leopards have struggled on defense, yielding more than 65 points per game, second-to-last in the Patriot League.
BISON VS. LEOPARDS
Despite trailing 31-26 in the all-time series, Bucknell has won 10 of the last 12 meetings against Lafayette. The only losses came two years ago when the Leopards swept the season series. The Bison have won seven of their last eight contests in Easton.
WITH A VICTORY OVER LAFAYETTE, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• ...win four games in a row for the first time this season
• ...open the Patriot League schedule 4-0 for the first time since 2001-02 and for the third time in program history
• ...extend its winning streak over the Leopards to three games
• ...reach 12 wins on the earliest date in program history
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 584 career rebounds, 93 shy of climbing into Bucknell's top-10 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 ... just once in the last 88 games has an opponent converted at least 50.0% of its field goals against the Bison defense ... Foster is 25th on Bucknell's career scoring list ... Kesha Champion is 33rd on Bucknell's career scoring list ... senior guard Lindsey Hollobaugh has 74 career double-figure scoring games ... Hollobaugh became the 10th Bison to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career against Navy ... Hollobaugh played her 100th career game against Holy Cross ... Foster eclipsed 700 career points against American ... senior forward Jacquie Seawright eclipsed 800 points in her college career against Navy ... sophomore guard Amanda Brown is within 30 points of becoming the fourth player on the team with 500 career points.
MOST-PLAYED RIVALRIES
Bucknell will be facing Lafayette for the 58th time Tuesday night. That will move the Leopards one ahead of Lehigh for the top spot in the Bison's list of most-played rivalries. The top six teams on that list all reside in the Patriot League.
Bucknell's Most-Played Rivalries
1. Lafayette 57
1. Lehigh 57
3. Colgate 44
4. Holy Cross 40
5. Navy 37
BEATING HOLY CROSS
Both Bucknell and Lafayette have already beaten perennial Patriot League power Holy Cross this season. The Bison are second (behind Army) in the league in terms of handing Holy Cross regular-season losses, having defeated them seven times. Lafayette is tied for third with Fordham and Lehigh with five wins apiece over the Crusaders.
GOOD OUTINGS FOR HOLLOBAUGH/BROWN
Lindsey Hollobaugh and Amanda Brown led Bucknell to a 13-point victory at Holy Cross last Saturday. The duo scored 19 consecutive Bison points in the second half and finished with 39 total points. Brown netted her second 20-point contest of the season, and the fifth of her career, while Hollobaugh chipped in 19 points and a career high-tying 12 rebounds for her fifth career double-double. Five of her rebounds were on the offensive end of the floor as Bucknell corralled a season-high 20 offensive boards. The Bison eclipsed their previous season high of 14 with a pair of offensive caroms on the very first possession of the second half.
22 GAMES OVER .500
With its current three-game winning streak, Bucknell has vaulted head coach Kathy Fedorjaka's record at the helm of the Bison to 148-126. It is the first time her record has been 22 games over .500 in her 10-year career at the helm of the Bison.
WINNING THE JUMP
Thanks to 6-feet, 2-inch forward Hope Foster, Bucknell has won the opening jump ball 13 times this season. The Bison are 7-6 in games they have possession first and 4-1 when the other team gains control of the opening tip.
60+ POINTS LEADS TO WIN
With a 63-50 victory at Holy Cross on Saturday, Bucknell improved to 9-0 when scoring at least 60 points this season. The Bison are just 2-7 when tallying less than 60 points. Bucknell was 14-4 when registering at least 60 points in 2005-06 and is 26-5 in its last 30 games with at least 60 points.
BETTER IN FIRST HALF
Bucknell has outscored its opponents 553-474 in the first half, but has been outscored 564-515 after halftime. The Bison have "won" the second half against only Columbia, Cornell, Navy and Holy Cross.
11-3 WHEN LEADING AT HALF
Bucknell led Holy Cross 31-23 at halftime on Saturday, marking the 14th time this season the Bison led at halftime and they are 11-3 in those contests. Bucknell is outscoring its opponents by nearly 80 points in the first halves of games this season.
LARGE MARGINS
After playing 10 games last year that were decided by six points or less, Bucknell has played a game that close just three times this season. Twelve of the 18 games for the Bison have been decided by margins of at least 10 points.
500-POINT CLUB
Kesha Champion became the 38th member of Bucknell's 500-point club earlier this season against St. Bonaventure. She joined teammates Lindsey Hollobaugh (1,371) and Hope Foster (727) on that list. Hollobaugh is sixth on the career scoring list, while Foster ranks 25th. Champion currently ranks 33rd.
Bucknell Career Scoring Leaders
24. Shannon McGowan 744
25. Hope Foster 727
29. Anne McGovern 579
30. Bobbi Castens 578
31. Casey Hollister 571
32. Brooke Tomovich 570
33. Kesha Champion 568
UP NEXT
Bucknell wraps up its three-game road trip Saturday at Colgate. The Bison have won two consecutive games against the Raiders and own a 27-17 advantage in the all-time series. They could be going for a five-game winning streak in that contest, something Bucknell has not accomplished in back-to-back seasons since 2000-01 and 2001-02.
