Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Opens Patriot League Play Saturday at Home Against Navy
1/5/2007 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 5, 2007
What: Navy (5-8) at Bucknell (8-7)
Where: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007, 4 p.m.
Radio: WVBU 90.5 and SportsJuice.com
Live Video: Patriot League All-Access
Game Notes
Bucknell opens its 17th season of Patriot League play Saturday against Navy. It is the eighth time the Mids have been the first opponent of the conference slate for the Bison, who are 5-2 in those meetings. The game is a battle between two of the top three teams in the league during non-conference play. Bucknell owns an 8-7 non-league record to sit second in the standings, while Navy's 5-8 is third. The Bison enter Saturday's game on a two-game losing streak, but have won three straight in the series against the Mids, who have won three of their last five games and will be playing their sixth consecutive contest away from Alumni Hall. Bucknell senior guard Lindsey Hollobaugh, who is averaging 17.0 points per game over the last three games, is averaging just 10.2 points per game in six career contests against Navy. She has reached double figures just three times opposite the Mids.
ABOUT NAVY
Navy, which has played 10 of its games away from Alumni Hall and has been on the road for five consecutive games, has won three of its last five contests after opening the season with a 2-6 record. The Mids have had just three players appear in all 13 games and have utilized eight different players in the starting lineup. Senior forward Carly Meyer leads Navy in scoring at 15.9 points per game and is also pulling down 6.8 rebounds per game. An adept outside shooter, she has knocked down a team-high 16 3-pointers on the season. Classmates Kate Hobbs and Margaret Knap give fourth-year head coach Tom Marryott three scoring options as each is averaging at least 10 points per contest. Hobbs leads the squad in rebounding with 7.4 per game. She and sophomore guard Kalen Kropa are the lone Mids to start all 13 games this year.
BISON VS. MIDS
Bucknell leads the all-time series, which began in 1981, 21-15. The Bison defeated the Mids 88-51 on Jan. 7, 2006, marking the fourth-largest win in program history. Navy had never lost a Patriot League game by as wide of a margin. Bucknell is 10-6 all-time against Navy at home, and 3-1 at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison have won three straight games in the series.
WITH A VICTORY OVER NAVY, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• ...win its fourth consecutive game over the Mids
• ...end its first losing streak of the season
• ...win its first conference game of the season for the second consecutive year
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 556 career rebounds, 121 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 85 games has an opponent converted at least 50.0% of its field goals against the Bison defense ... Foster is 26th on Bucknell's career scoring list ... Kesha Champion is 35th on Bucknell's career scoring list ... senior guard Lindsey Hollobaugh has 73 career double-figure scoring games ... with two rebounds Hollobaugh will become the 10th Bison to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career ... Foster is four points shy of 700 in her career ... senior forward Jacquie Seawright is one point shy of 800 in her college career.
2005-06 SIMILARITIES
Much like last year, Bucknell enters Patriot League play on a two-game losing streak. The Bison completed the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 6-6 mark heading into PL play in 2005-06 and are a similar 8-7 this year. Bucknell then got hot and reeled off nine victories in 10 games, starting with its Patriot League opener, an 88-51 victory over Navy in Annapolis.
PATRIOT LEAGUE OPENERS
Despite losing three of its last four Patriot League openers, Bucknell is 10-6 in the first game of the Patriot League season. The Bison and Mids have met seven previous times in Bucknell's Patriot League opener with the Bison holding a 5-2 edge in those contests, including a 37-point victory last year.
Bucknell vs. Navy in PL Openers (5-2)
1992 Navy 70, Bucknell 68
1995 Bucknell 54, Navy 52
1996 Bucknell 90, Navy 86
1999 Navy 65, Bucknell 58 (OT)
2000 Bucknell 64, Navy 58
2001 Bucknell 60, Navy 57
2006 Bucknell 88, Navy 51
PL HOME OPENERS
Bucknell is also 10-6 all-time in Patriot League home openers and has won nine of its last 12. The Bison won five straight from 1996 to 2000.
TWO STRAIGHT HOME LOSSES
Bucknell has lost its first two games on its current four-game homestand. It is the first time the Bison have lost two consecutive home contests since dropping four in a row last year. Despite that losing skid, Bucknell finished with an 8-5 record at Sojka Pavilion.
HOLLOBAUGH TO JOIN 1,000-POINT, 500-REBOUND CLUB
Senior guard Lindsey Hollobaugh is just two rebounds shy of becoming the 10th member of Bucknell's 1,000-point, 500-rebound club. With 18 rebounds in the last three games she is now at 498 in her career. The Loganton, Pa., native passed the 1,000-point plateau last year and currently ranks seventh in program history in that category. Only three people who are ahead of her on the scoring list grabbed more than 500 rebounds in their careers (Desire Almind, Vicki Quimby and Ann Kirwin). Almind was the latest player to join the exclusive club in 2003-04.
SOLID PLAY FROM BROWN
Despite coming off the bench recently, sophomore Amanda Brown has been putting together a solid season for Bucknell. She is averaging 9.1 points per game, only slightly below her freshman-year total, to rank third on the team. She is also the lone person on the squad to have a positive assist-turnover ratio (34-33). The Richardson, Texas, native has already recorded more steals than last year and is among the Patriot League leaders in that category with 29. Additionally, Brown is knocking down 3-pointers at a 45.0% clip and has made nine over the last four games, during which time she is averaging 12.0 points per game.
2006 RECORD
Bucknell wrapped up the 2006 calendar year with a 20-12 record. The Bison last reached 20 wins in a year in 2002 when they went 20-10.
WINNING THE JUMP
Thanks to 6-feet, 2-inch forward Hope Foster, Bucknell has won the opening jump ball 11 times this season. The Bison are 5-6 in games they have possession first and 3-1 when the other team gains control of the opening tip.
FIRST LOSING STREAK
With back-to-back losses to Buffalo and Iona, Bucknell is in the midst of its first losing streak of the season. It was the first time the Bison made it to January without losing at least two consecutive games since the 1987-88 campaign. Bucknell had just one two-game losing streak that year as it finished with an 18-11 mark, however, only eight of those contests were before Jan. 1.
END OF A STREAK
Buffalo shot 52.8% from the field on Dec. 29, becoming the first team in a span of 84 games to eclipse the 50% mark versus Bucknell. The last time a team shot exactly 50.0% from the field was Lehigh on Jan. 14, 2004. Providence, on Dec. 29, 2003, was the last team to shoot better than 50.0% against the Bison.
60+ POINTS LEADS TO WIN
Bucknell has failed to reach 60 points in each of its last two game, both losses. The Bison are just 2-7 when scoring less than 60 points, but are an undefeated 6-0 when tallying at least 60 points this season. Bucknell was 14-4 when registering at least 60 points in 2005-06.
BETTER IN FIRST HALF
Bucknell has outscored its opponents 455-405 in the first half, but has been outscored 474-413 after halftime. The Bison have "won" the second half against only Columbia and Cornell.
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 (1,338) and Hope Foster (696) on that list. Hollobaugh is seventh on the career scoring list, while Foster ranks 26th. Champion currently ranks 35th.
Bucknell Career Scoring Leaders
25. Monica Nawarskas 701
26. Hope Foster 696
33. Jill Henry 557
34. Karin Wegener 550
35. Kesha Champion 547
SOJKA SUCCESS
Bucknell has posted a 4-3 home mark this year to improve its all-time record at Sojka Pavilion to 31-20 (.608). In their first four years playing at Sojka Pavilion, the Bison never finished below .500. Bucknell posted victories in six of its final seven home games in 2005-06.
UP NEXT
Bucknell will conclude its four-game homestand, its longest of the season, Wednesday against American. The Bison have won the last three games in the series and are 7-8 all-time against the Eagles.
