Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell-Hartford Square off in First Round of WNIT Thursday
3/13/2007 8:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 13, 2007
What: Bucknell (20-10, 12-2 PL) at Hartford (24-8, 15-1 America East), WNIT First Round
Where: Chase Arena, West Hartford, Conn.
When: Thursday, March 15, 2007, 7 p.m.
Radio: WVBU 90.5 and SportsJuice.com
Tickets: 860-768-4295
Game Notes
Bucknell and Hartford both earned automatic bids into the WNIT by winning their conference's regular-season title and then falling in the league tournament. Despite posting a hot streak since the calendar turned to 2007, the top-seeded Bison lost to eighth-seeded Colgate in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Tournament nearly two weeks ago. Playing its third game in three days, top-seeded Hartford dropped a heartbreaking 48-46 decision to No. 7-seed UMBC. Bucknell and Hartford have combined for a 44-18 record, including 27-3 in league play. Both squads cleaned up in their respective conference postseason honors. Both had two first-team selections, an all-rookie choice and head coaches Kathy Fedorjaka and Jennifer Rizotti were named Coach of the Year in the Patriot League and America East, respectively. Prior to dropping its last two games, Bucknell had registered a program record nine-game winning streak. Hartford, an NCAA participant each of the last two years, reeled off 15 consecutive wins before its loss in the America East championship game.
BISON VS. HAWKS
Bucknell and Hartford have only met on one other occasion, with Bucknell winning 68-57 against the host Hawks in their own tournament. That contest took place on Dec. 5, 1993.
WITH A VICTORY OVER HARTFORD, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• ...win a postseason tournament game for the first time (other than conference tournaments)
• ...equal the program record for wins (21)
• ...become the first Bucknell women's team to win a game in a national tournament
• ...avoid its first three-game losing streak of the season
• ...guarantee a non-conference record of at least .500 for the third time in the last four years
• ...advance to play on the latest date in program history
BISON VS. AMERICA EAST
Bucknell is 13-9 all-time against teams that currently comprise the America East Conference, of which Hartford is a member. The Bison needed overtime to defeat Binghamton, the sixth-place team in the conference, earlier this year.
COMMON OPPONENTS
Bucknell and Hartford had four common opponents this year, but the Hawks played six games against those foes as they beat conference-foe Binghamton three times. Additionally, both squads faced Saint Joseph's, Columbia and Michigan State. Bucknell was 2-2 against those opponents, while Hartford was 5-1 with the only loss coming to Michigan State.
QUICK FACTS
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 ... this year they are in the top 50 in both scoring defense (19th) and field goal percentage defense (28th) ... just once in the last 100 games has an opponent converted at least 50.0% of its field goals against the Bison defense ... Bucknell had a program record nine-game winning streak snapped in the regular-season finale at Army ... the Bison earned the No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Tournament for the second time ... this is Bucknell's first berth in the postseason WNIT ... three Bison earned postseason honors from the Patriot League ... senior guard and team captain Lindsey Hollobaugh has played just 41 minutes since injuring her knee at Lafayette on Jan. 16 ... the lone NCAA Tournament game in Bucknell history occured on March 15, the same date as the WNIT game against Hartford.
WNIT BERTH
By virtue of winning the Patriot League regular-season title, Bucknell earned the league's automatic berth into the WNIT. If the Bison had won the Patriot League Tournament they would have earned a berth into the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history, but they fell in the first round to No. 8 seed Colgate, 69-62.
WNIT HISTORY
Bucknell will be playing in its first postseason WNIT, but it did make an appearance in the 2002 preseason WNIT. The Bison lost to regional rival Penn State 86-72 in their opening game.
POSTSEASON HISTORY
Bucknell is making its second postseason tournament appearance in school history. The Bison won the 2002 Patriot League Tournament to earn the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. Bucknell, a No. 15 seed, lost to second-seeded Baylor 80-56 despite 18 points from Molly Creamer.
LONG LAYOFFS
Bucknell will have a season-most 12 days between games by the time it plays Hartford. The Bison have won their last two games following a layoff of at least 12 days. They defeated Maryland-Eastern Shore last year following a 14-day break and beat Akron in 2003-04 after a 13-day hiatus for final exams.
ALL-LEAGUE SELECTIONS
Bucknell had three players honored with All-Patriot League selections following the regular season. Junior forward Hope Foster and sophomore guard Amanda Brown earned First Team All-Patriot League plaudits, while freshman forward Le'Le' LeSeur copped All-Rookie Team honors despite missing the first 12 games of the season with a foot injury. The Bison have now earned 41 postseason honors from the Patriot League, including 13 first-team honorees, 14 second-team awards and 14 members of the All-Rookie squad. Bucknell has had at least one First Team All-Patriot League selection in eight of the last nine years, while it has had the same streak on the All-Rookie team.
LACK OF LOSING STREAKS
Bucknell is in the midst of just its second losing streak of the season. The Bison have not lost more than their current two games in a row. This is the second consecutive season, and third time in the last four, Bucknell has not lost more than two games in a row. The 2001-02 campaign was the last time the Bison had fewer than two losing streaks in one year.
CLOSE LOSSES
Bucknell has posted a 12-4 mark since the calendar flipped to 2007, winning those 12 contests by an average of 16.9 points per game. The Bison have lost to Iona, Lafayette, Army and Colgate by a total of 17 points over that span. In fact, since 2007 commenced, Bucknell has outscored the opposition by a whopping 186 points after playing to a nine-point deficit in the first half of the season.
IMPROVED ACCURACY FROM CHAMPION
Junior guard Kesha Champion, who has tallied 48 points in her last four games, has made at least half of her field goal attempts in those four contests. It is the first time in her three-year career she has accomplished that feat. She is shooting 18 of 32 (56.3%) over that span. She had converted at least half of her shots in back-to-back games on only two previous occasions.
BUCKNELL PL TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Bucknell lost to eighth-seeded Colgate in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament as it fell to 10-16 all-time in the league's postseason tournament. The Bison, who including their one NCAA Tournament loss in 2002, are 10-17 overall in postseason play, had reached the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament in four of the previous five years.
PATRIOT LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
For the first time since 1995-96 Bucknell won the Patriot League regular-season title this year. The Bison are the first current Patriot League squad other than Holy Cross to win multiple regular-season crowns. Fordham also claimed a pair of titles, but the Rams left the Patriot League after the 1994-95 campaign.
All-Time Patriot League Regular-Season Titles (more than one)
School Number
Holy Cross 11
Bucknell 2
Fordham 2
20-WIN TEAMS
Bucknell and Army this year increased the list of Patriot League teams to reach 20 wins in the regular season to nine. Holy Cross has reached the 20-win plateau in the regular season on four occasions, while Bucknell and Navy have each done it twice. This is the first time the Black Knights have won 20 games in the regular season since the inception of the Patriot League.
UNDEFEATED HOME RECORD
Bucknell completed its home Patriot League slate undefeated at 7-0. It is the second time the Bison have gone undefeated at home against conference foes, having gone 6-0 in 1995-96.
NOT THE ONLY BISON WITH GOOD REGULAR SEASON
While Bucknell claimed the top spot in the Patriot League standings on the women's side, the Bison men tied Holy Cross for first during their regular season schedule. Bucknell's women completed the regular season with a 12-2 conference mark, while the men were 13-1. Their combined 25-3 conference record was among the best in the nation.
Men's and Women's Combined Conference Records
School Record Pct.
1. Ohio State 30-2 .938
2. Bucknell 25-3 .893
3. Old Dominion 32-4 .889
4. Gonzaga 26-4 .867
5. Marist 32-5 .865
SCORING MARGIN
Bucknell is outscoring opponents 1,845-1,668 (177 points) this season, the second-highest margin in program history. Only the 2000-01 squad, which outscored its opponents 2,139-1,942 (197 points) had a larger advantage. The Bison are winning games by an average of 5.9 points per game, second only to 2000-01, which had a scoring margin of 7.0 per contest.
WINS FOR SENIOR CLASS
Bucknell seniors Lindsey Hollobaugh and Jacquie Seawright played their final regular season home contest against Colgate on Feb. 17. While Seawright transferred from South Plains Junior College prior to her junior campaign, Hollobaugh will be trying to lead the Bison to their 64th win during her four years against Hartford. The 2002, 2003 and 2004 senior classes all won 69 games to share the program record.
GAMES FOR SENIOR CLASS
The first-round WNIT game will mark Bucknell's 117th game over the last four years, bringing the Class of 2007 (Lindsey Hollobaugh) even with the Class of 2003 for the most games played in a four-year span.
20-5 WHEN LEADING AT HALF
For the first time since falling to Lafayette on Jan. 16, Bucknell lost a game that it held a halftime lead when it dropped a 69-62 decision to Colgate in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament. The Bison fell to 20-5 when leading at the half. In fact, Bucknell is outscoring its opponents by a whopping 172 points in the first halves of games this season.
BACK-TO-BACK .500 RECORDS
Bucknell has clinched its second consecutive record of at least .500. It marks the first time the Bison will finish with a .500 record in back-to-back years since 2000-01 and 2001-02. Additionally, Bucknell has won 38 games the last two years, marking the second-highest two-year figure behind 2000-01 and 2001-02.
Bucknell's Most Wins in Two-Year Span
Years Wins
2000-01/2001-02 41
2005-06/2006-07 38
500-POINT CLUB
Bucknell's 500-point club has swelled this year as Hope Foster, Kesha Champion, Amanda Brown and Lauren Schober joined teammate Lindsey Hollobaugh in the exclusive club. Schober was the latest addition, crossing the 500-point plateau March 3 against Colgate as she became the 40th member of the club. With 508 career points she is just 14 behind current assistant coach Monique LeBlanc for 39th place.
Career Scoring
Player Points
17. Chiara Sockel 961
18. Hope Foster 890
26. Monica Nawarskas 701
27. Kesha Champion 673
28. Jenny Burke 665
29. Amanda Brown 652
HOLLOBAUGH RETURNS
Senior guard Lindsey Hollobaugh has played 37 minutes, scored three points and grabbed five rebounds in her last five games since returning from missing a stretch of five out of six games with a knee injury. The Bison are 9-0 in games played without her over the last two years and have an average margin of victory of 11.9 in those contests.
WINNING THE JUMP
Thanks to 6-foot-2 forward Hope Foster, Bucknell has won the opening jump ball 23 times this season. The Bison are 15-8 in games they have possession first and 5-2 when the other team gains control of the opening tip.
30-GAME SEASONS
Bucknell's first-round WNIT game will be its 31st of the season, matching the 2001-02 squad for the most in the history of the program. This year marks just the third time the Bison have played as many as 30 games in a season. The 1999-2000 team that posted a 15-15 record is the only other time Bucknell has reached the 30-game plateau.
Most Games in a Season
Year Games
2001-02 31
2006-07 30
1999-00 30
SUCCESS FOR FEDORJAKA
With Bucknell's nine-game winning streak near the end of the regular season, 10th-year Bison head coach Kathy Fedorjaka saw her record at Bucknell climb to 157-127, marking the first time she was 30 games over .500 in her career. With back-to-back losses to Army and Colgate she is now 157-129. Second in career Patriot League victories, one ahead of Lehigh's Sue Troyan, Fedorjaka has more than doubled the win total of Lori Howard, who holds down second place on the Bison career wins list with 77.
60+ POINTS USUALLY LEADS TO WIN
For just the second time this season Bucknell lost when scoring at least 60 points when it fell 69-62 to Colgate in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament. The Bison are 16-2 this season when netting 60 points or more. Bucknell was 14-4 when registering at least 60 points in 2005-06 and is 33-7 in its last 40 games with at least 60 points.
LARGE MARGINS
After playing 10 games last year that were decided by six points or less, Bucknell has played a game that close just six times this season. Twenty of the 30 games for the Bison have been decided by margins of at least 10 points. Fifteen of those 10+-point games have been Bucknell victories, the second-highest figure in school history.
STRONG DEFENSE
While Bucknell has tallied 70 points seven times this year, just one opponent (Hampton) has eclipsed that figure this season. Eighteen opponents have failed to reach 60 points as the Bison defense is yielding just 55.6 points per game this season. That figure would rank first in program history by 1.3 points per contest. Taking out last year, the next five best scoring defense figures all came in 1980-81 or earlier.
UP NEXT
The winner of the Bucknell-Hartford contest will travel to South Carolina for a WNIT second-round game. The second round of the WNIT is slated for March 16-19. The Gamecocks are 17-14 this season, but play in the difficult Southeastern Conference.
