Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Completes Run on the Road at Fordham Saturday
11/21/2008 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2008
WHAT: Bucknell (2-0) vs. Fordham (1-1) WHERE: Rose Hill Gym, Bronx, N.Y. WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008, 1 p.m. RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM, SportsJuice.com TV: None STREAMING VIDEO: FordhamSports.com LIVE STATISTICS: GameTracker Bucknell-Fordham Game Notes
With a Victory Over Fordham, Bucknell Would...
About the Game
Bucknell will take on the only Atlantic 10 foe on its 2008-09 schedule when it faces Fordham in its third consecutive road game. The Orange and Blue will attempt to extend its winning streak one more game, while the Rams will try to improve their season record to 2-1. Saturday marks the final bout before Bucknell returns home to Lewisburg for its first game of 2008-09 at Sojka Pavilion.
Bucknell-Fordham Series
Although the Bison and the Rams have not faced off since 1995, the teams have a long history together, with Fordham leading the all-time series 14-3. As one of the original members of the Patriot League, Fordham was successful in women's basketball, finishing its five year membership with a 52-16 record. Fordham was also 11-1 against Bucknell during that time. The Bison's lone victory came during the 1992-93 season, winning 64-58.
Last Meeting - Feb. 8, 1995
Quick Facts
Amanda Brown has posted 22 and 21 points in the first two games of the season ... Cosima Higham recorded career highs in points (12) and rebounds (13) at George Mason on Nov. 14 on her way to achieving her first career double-double ... Morgan Wrightson recorded her first double-figure scoring game at Yale when she tallied 12 points ... Le'Le' LeSeur posted a career-high nine points and tied her career best with seven rebounds in the win over Yale ... Bucknell has two of the top 25 scorers in program history on this year's team in Amanda Brown and Lauren Schober ... Brown and Schober were named to the Patriot League All-Tournament Team in 2008 ... Bucknell has finished with an overall record of .500 or better in 16 of the program's 35 years.
History vs. Fordham
About the Rams
After going 0-29 last season, Fordham appears to be turning its ship around. The Rams lost to Princeton, 69-57, in their season opener, but they beat Manhattan, 62-49, in the Battle of the Bronx on Wednesday. Fordham is returning all of its starters and 10 of its 11 letterwinners from the 2007-08 season.
Last Time Out
Bucknell defeated Yale in a tight contest on Tuesday at the John J. Lee Amphitheater. Although the Bison led by as many as 15 points, Yale came back in the second half and eventually took a 70-67 lead. Bucknell struggled to find the bottom of the net in the final five minutes of the game, going scoreless from 5:28 until Amanda Brown made a key three-pointer with 41 seconds remaining. Brown's first three tied the game at 70. She drained her second of the night with five seconds left to give the Bison the 73-70 advantage and the lead.
20-Plus Points for Brown
Amanda Brown has started the season with back-to-back games with more than 20 points. That scoring total makes her the first Bison to post at least 20 points in the first two games of the season since Molly Creamer in 2001. Creamer, who is the all-time leading scorer at Bucknell, tallied 26 versus Albany before dropping 27 to help upset Pittsburgh a few nights later.
Crashing the Boards
The Bucknell sophomore class is taking its rebounding seriously in the early stages of the 2008-09 season. Adding to Cosima Higham's team-leading 13 boards at George Mason was classmate Joyce Novacek's six. Ten of Higham's rebounds came on the defensive side of the court, while Novacek totaled five on the offensive side. As a team, the Bison had 10 offensive boards in the game.
2008 Patriot League Champions
Bucknell captured the Patriot League Tournament championship last year despite being the No. 5 seed. With their win in the title game over Holy Cross, the Bison became the only team in history seeded as low as fifth to be crowned tournament champions. They also became the fourth team in the last five years to go from losing in the first round of the tournament to claiming the title the next season.
Saving the Best For Last
The Bison saved their best winning streak for last, going 4-0 from March 1 to March 12. After taking the 59-47 victory versus Army on Senior Night, Bucknell won its next three in the Patriot League Tournament and claimed the tournament title. The streak came to an end in the first round of the NCAA Tournament when Bucknell ran into North Carolina. The four-game winning streak was the first time during the season Bucknell had won more than two consecutive games. The victory at Holy Cross also marked the Bison's first defeat of the Crusaders in 2008. Opponent Score Army 59-47 at Army 50-47 (OT) vs. American 60-52 at Holy Cross 57-45 NCAA Tournament Appearance The Bison made their second trip in history to the NCAA Tournament last year. With their automatic bid from winning the Patriot League Tournament, they earned the opportunity to face North Carolina in a first-round matchup in Norfolk, Va. North Carolina came out on top, 85-50. In Bucknell's only previous appearance at the NCAA Tournament in 2002, the Bison were defeated by Baylor 80-56 in Waco, Texas.
Tournament Defense
Bucknell limited its three opponents in the Patriot League Tournament - Army, American and Holy Cross - to just 144 points. The mark was the best three-game total in the tournament as none of the Bison's foes shot better than 30 percent. Program-High 32 Games With its run in the Patriot League Tournament and its NCAA Tournament appearance, Bucknell played a program-high 32 games last season. The previous high of 31 games was held by the 2001-02 and 2006-07 teams.
Patriot League Preseason Poll
Bucknell was picked fifth with 53 points in the 2008-09 Patriot League Preseason Poll. The Bison were voted to finish first in the league prior to the 2007-08 season, then slipped to fifth before claiming the Patriot League Tournament championship. Bucknell has finished at or better than predicted seven times in the last 10 years. Holy Cross was picked first with 90 points. Lehigh (83 points), American (75) and Army (60) rounded out the top four.
Preseason Patriot League Poll Team (First-place votes) Pts. 1. Holy Cross (8) 90 2. Lehigh (6) 83 3. American (2) 75 4. Army 60 5. Bucknell 53 6. Lafayette 38 7. Navy 35 8. Colgate 14Thousand Point Club
Hope Foster (1,256 points) and Kesha Champion (1,016) last season became the 16th and 17th members of the 1,000-point club. Foster, who is the ninth on the list of all-time scorers at Bucknell, crossed the threshold against Penn State. Champion, now tied for 16th with former player Kim Delfs, achieved the milestone when she scored 13 points versus Holy Cross in the Patriot League Tournament. The two were the first teammates to reach 1,000 points in the same season since Desire Almind and Kate Franks in 2002-03. Two more Bison are poised to join the ranks in the new campaign. Senior Amanda Brown (977) needs just 23 points, while classmate Lauren Schober (831) is 169 points short of the 1,000-point mark.
Coaching Staff Additions
Bucknell welcomes two new assistant coaches to the program in 2008-09. Mandy Olley, a 2002 graduate of Old Dominion, joins the staff after a playing career that included four trips to the NCAA Tournament and a two-year turn as an assistant at Susquehanna University. Stephanie Marciano, a 2008 Yale graduate, ranks fifth all-time in assists for the Bulldogs, and brings valuable recent on-court experience to the coaching staff.
.500 Consistency
With an 8-6 finish to Patriot League play, the Bison have finished at .500 or above in 13 of the past 14 seasons. The 2007-08 campaign marked the third consecutive season in which Bucknell had a winning record in league play. The 2005-06 squad completed its Patriot League schedule with a 10-4 record, followed by a 12-2 league performance in 2006-07.
Stifling Defense
The Bison held seven opponents under 30 percent shooting during the 2007-08 season, including all three of its Patriot League Tournament opponents. Bucknell held Army and American to 25.8 percent and 24.3 percent, respectively, in the first two rounds of the tournament. It followed those performances by holding Holy Cross to 28.8 percent from the field in the championship game. That marked the first time in program history that Bucknell held three consecutive opponents to less than 30 percent shooting.
Small But Strong Senior Class
After having the largest senior class last season since 2001-02, the Bison are back to just two seniors on the roster in Amanda Brown and Lauren Schober. Bucknell graduated five seniors from the 2007-08 campaign - Kesha Champion, Kristina Collymore, Hope Foster, Ashton Sprouse and Andrea Wright.
All-Patriot League Honors
Bucknell was no stranger to All-Patriot League Teams during the 2007-08 season. Hope Foster was named the league's Preseason Player of the Year, while Amanda Brown joined her teammate on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team. Foster later received First Team All-Patriot League honors at the conclusion of the regular season. It was the third consecutive year Foster earned the selection. Three Bison also were named to the Patriot League All-Tournament Team as they led Bucknell to its second tournament title. Brown, Kesha Champion and Lauren Schober were all honored. Champion was also named the tournament MVP.
90 PL Wins for Fedorjaka
With the Bison's final regular season victory over Army, head coach Kathy Fedorjaka earned her 90th career Patriot League win. Although that ties her for second-most league wins with Lehigh's Sue Troyan, Fedorjaka's Patriot League winning percentage at .616 is much better than Troyan's .529. Bill Gibbons of Holy Cross retains his commanding lead with 192 career Patriot League victories.
Up Next
After opening the season with three straight road games, the Bison return to Sojka Pavilion for their home opener on Tuesday, Nov. 25 to face off against the Drexel Dragons. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. The contest is the first in a doubleheader with the Bucknell men's basketball team, which plays Old Dominion following the conclusion of game one.
