Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Returns to Action Saturday Night Against Penn State at Sojka Pavilion
12/14/2007 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 14, 2007
What: Penn State (8-3) at Bucknell (3-5)
Where: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007, 7 p.m.
Radio: WVBU 90.5 FM and SportsJuice.com
Live Video: SportsJuice.com
Tickets: 570-577-1000 or Online
Promotions: Junior Bison Club Night/High School Night
Game Notes
With a Victory Over Penn State, Bucknell Would...
► Post its third consecutive home win
► Defeat a Big Ten team for the first time in program history
► Win back-to-back games for the first time this season
► Collect its fourth straight win over a team from Pennsylvania
► Post a win immediately after an overtime contest for the fourth straight time
About the Game
Central Pennsylvania's two Division I teams square off for the first time in five years Saturday night as Penn State and Bucknell play in a non-league game. The Bison, who have alternated losses and wins the last six games, will be going for their first winning streak of the season, while the Lady Lions hope to win their third consecutive contest following last week's 19-point loss at Syracuse. Bucknell has been strong at home, going 2-1, while Penn State has struggled to a 1-3 road mark. The biggest win of the year for the Bison came last time out when they defeated George Mason 67-64 in double overtime, while the Lady Lions upset then-No. 10 Duke earlier this month. Bucknell will play at Duke on Friday, Dec. 21.
Bucknell-Penn State Series
Bucknell is 0-3 all-time against Penn State. The two teams last played in the 2002 Preseason WNIT with the Lady Lions winning 86-72. The two teams also met in 1973-74 and 1974-75, the first two years of the Bison program. This is the second meeting that will take place in Lewisburg, with the first coming in 1973-74.
Last Meeting - Nov. 15, 2002
► Penn State 86, Bucknell 72 (Preseason WNIT)
Molly Creamer had a game-high 28 points and Desire Almind added 26 points and 10 rebounds for Bucknell, which trailed just 55-51 with 14:05 left. Kelly Mazante led four Penn State players in double figures with 25 points.
Bucknell vs. Big Ten
Bucknell is 0-6 all-time against teams that are currently in the Big Ten, including 0-3 against Penn State. The Bison played then-No. 17 Michigan State last year in East Lansing, Mich., and lost 68-51. Bucknell has also played Big Ten opponents Michigan (1992) and Wisconsin (1989).
Sojka Success
While Bucknell has gotten out of the gate slowly and is 3-5, it is a solid 2-1 at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison are in the midst of a three-game homestand at Sojka Pavilion, where they are 40-21 (.656) all-time.
Novacek Blocks
Freshman Joyce Novacek had the best game of her young career last time out against George Mason. The 6-2 forward equaled her career high with six points, grabbed a career-high six rebounds and blocked a career-high three shots. Her three blocks were the most by a Bison player not named Hope Foster since Desire Almind recorded four blocks in the 2004 Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals against Holy Cross.
Playing the Giants
Bucknell, which has an enrollment of 3,400, has looked exceptionally small recently. The Bison's last opponent, George Mason, has an enrollment of nearly 30,000, while Penn State's is more than 40,000. Bucknell will also play Illinois-Chicago and Buffalo, which both have enrollments of well over 20,000, in the upcoming weeks.
Overtime Games
Bucknell defeated George Mason 67-64 in double overtime last week. It was the sixth time in their last seven overtime games the Bison have won. Overall, Bucknell is 16-13 all-time in overtime contests, and 2-3 in multiple-overtime affairs. Eleventh-year head coach Kathy Fedorjaka has guided the Bison to a 10-4 record in overtime games.
A Tired Amanda Brown
Amanda Brown had a career game last time out against George Mason. The junior guard registered a career-high 23 points and played a career-high 49 minutes. That figure tied for the second-most minutes played in a game in Bucknell history.
Most Minutes Played in a Game 1. Kirsten Ellison (1/30/90 vs. Delaware) 50 2. Christine Center (2/9/89 vs. Hofstra) 49 Molly Creamer (2/16/00 vs. Lehigh) 49 Amanda Brown (12/4/07 vs. George Mason) 49
Games Around Exams
Bucknell defeated George Mason Dec. 4, the fifth consecutive time it had won its final game before final exams. The Bison have had success on the other side of exams as well, posting a 3-3 record in their first game after final exams over the last six years.
400th Career Game
Bucknell head coach Kathy Fedorjaka coached her 400th career game Dec. 4 against George Mason. The 15th-year head coach has a career record of 227-173. She has coached 295 games at the helm of the Bison, where she has a record of 160-135 and is in the midst of her 11th season.
Difficult Schedule
Bucknell head coach Kathy Fedorjaka has put together a very difficult non-league schedule for her Bison squad this season. In fact, the five teams Bucknell has lost to this season owned a combined 30-12 record through Dec. 13. Additionally, upcoming opponents Penn State (8-3), Duke (7-3), Loyola (Md.) (6-3) and Buffalo (5-3) are all above .500 this year.
Records of Opponents Bucknell has Lost to in 2007-08 (through Dec. 13) St. Bonaventure 7-2 James Madison 6-2 Hampton 4-3 Cornell 3-3 Marist 10-2 Total 30-12
Changing the Starters
Bucknell head coach Kathy Fedorjaka has tinkered with her starting lineup throughout the early part of this season. In fact, the Bison have used a program-record six different starting lineups in the season's first eight games. Each of the last four contests has featured a different starting unit.
Improved Rebounding
Bucknell struggled rebounding the ball early this year, but has showed dramatic improvement over the last two games. The Bison entered the Dec. 1 game with Marist getting outrebounded by an average of 45.0-34.5. However, Bucknell was even (42-42) on the boards with Marist and followed that by pulling down 55 rebounds compared to 47 for George Mason.
High Scorers
Four members of the current Bison squad have already eclipsed 500 points in their careers, headlined by Hope Foster and her 989 career points. She ranks 16th on the Bison career scoring list. Kesha Champion, Amanda Brown and Lauren Schober also have more than 500 career points, joining an exclusive club that has just 40 members.
Current Bison with 750 Career Points and Rank on Bucknell Career Scoring List 15. Kim Delfs 1016 16. Hope Foster 989 22. Denise Cohen 812 23. Amanda Brown 761
Consecutive Starts
Senior co-captain Kesha Champion should start for the 97th consecutive time Saturday against Penn State. She is just four starts away from becoming the sixth Bison player to earn 100 consecutive starting assignments. Of the five who started at least 100 games in a row, only Stacey Spitko started every game she played in over the course of her career, something Champion has done.
Bucknell Consecutive Starts 1. Molly Creamer 113 2. Stacey Spitko 111 3. K.C. Vlah 107 4. Vicki Quimby 106 5. Kate Franks 100 -- Kesha Champion 96
Foster Continues to Pile Up Blocks
Hope Foster has amassed 282 blocks in her career. As a freshman, she tallied 72 rejections to break Desire Almind's year-old Bucknell single-season record of 62. She easily eclipsed that figure as a sophomore with 95 blocks to pace the Patriot League for the second consecutive season. Last year she nearly broke her own record, but finished with 93 blocks, leading the Patriot League once again. Foster finished her junior campaign with a 3.0 blocks per game average, which ranked ninth in the nation. The year before she averaged 3.3 blocks per game, good for eighth in the country. With 22 blocks this season, Foster is just 27 blocks shy of the Patriot League career record, held by Kathy Courtney of Holy Cross, and she stands 13th in the nation.
Up Next
Bucknell will wrap up its three-game homestand with a contest next Tuesday, Dec. 18, against in-state foe Saint Francis (Pa.). The Bison own a 10-5 all-time record against the Red Flash, but lost the last meeting 81-61 in November 2004 in Loretto, Pa. On the horizon after Saint Francis is a meeting with No. 15 Duke, the first ranked team Bucknell will face since taking on then-No. 17 Michigan State last November.
