Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball to Host Wofford Friday
12/17/2008 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 17, 2008
WHAT: Bucknell (3-4, 0-0) vs. Wofford (1-8, 0-3) WHERE: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa. WHEN: Friday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m. RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM, SportsJuice.com TV: None STREAMING VIDEO: Bison Vision LIVE STATISTICS: GameTracker Complete Bucknell-Wofford Game Notes
With a Victory Over Wofford, Bucknell Would...
- Snap its four-game losing streak.
- Earn the first win in the Bucknell-Wofford series.
- Post its first win in Sojka Pavilion in the 2008-09 season.
- Improve its record to 3-0 over schools from South Carolina. The Bison's previous wins came over Winthrop (2003) and Furman (1987).
- Return to a .500 winning percentage for the season.
About the Game
Bucknell enters the final half of its non-conference schedule looking to turn recent struggles around. The Bison will aim for their first win in five games when they face the 1-8 Wofford Terriers, a team they have not played previously. The Bison will also try to prove the adage that the third time's the charm as they go for the season's first win at Sojka Pavilion in three tries.
Bucknell-Wofford Series
The meeting in Sojka Pavilion marks the first time the two schools have met despite more than 35 years of play for Bucknell and 28 years for Wofford.
Quick Facts
Bucknell ranks nationally in three categories - three-point field goal percentage defense (fourth, .211), field goal percentage defense (24th, .343) and free throw percentage (38th, .743) ... Amanda Brown scored 22 points against the Towson Tigers Dec. 3, which is her highest total since she scored 22 points in the season-opening game at George Mason and 21 points at Yale four days later ... Joyce Novacek recorded her first double-double of the season when she earned 14 points and 11 rebounds at Loyola (Md.) ... Novacek's 14 points also helped her to lead the team in scoring for the second consecutive game ... Le'Le' LeSeur surpassed her career highs in points, which she set earlier this year at Yale, when she tallied 10 points at Loyola (Md.) on Nov. 29 ... LeSeur also set new bests in rebounds (nine) and blocks (two) ... Taylor Phillips surpassed her career best with nine rebounds versus Drexel ... Cosima Higham recorded two double-doubles in the Bison's first three games, with the most recent one coming at Fordham (16 points-14 rebounds) ... Morgan Wrightson recorded her first double-figure scoring game at Yale when she tallied 12 points ... Bucknell has two of the top 23 scorers in program history on this year's team in Amanda Brown (16th) and Lauren Schober (23rd).
About the Terriers
Wofford has struggled in the beginning stages of its season, and is 1-8 coming into the game with Bucknell. The Terriers were tested early, facing second-ranked North Carolina in their second game of the season and falling 92-46. They have also lost to Coastal Carolina (67-64), Bethune-Cookman in overtime (75-50), North Florida (71-60), conference foe Samford (67-62), Fordham (55-53) and Chattanooga (82-61). Their lone win came against Gardner-Webb, 78-72, in early December.
Most recently, Wofford took on Western Carolina on Tuesday, falling 91-66. The Terriers trailed throughout the game despite 10 points from Maddie Helms and nine apiece from April Moorhouse and Kate Dempsey.
Last Time Out
Bucknell faced its toughest test of the young season when it faced Penn State on Dec. 9. The Lady Lions gave the Bison a run for their money early in the game, forcing 20 turnovers in the first half. Bucknell regained some control in the second, this time forcing their opponent to turn the ball over in its first three possessions of the final half. The Orange and Blue also did a better job of driving to the basket aggressively, opening up the floor for more offensive opportunities. Amanda Brown finished with a team-high 14 points, followed by Joyce Novacek with nine and Morgan Wrightson with seven. Lauren Schober led the team in rebounding with eight and tied Wrightson for a Bison-best three assists apiece. Wrightson also earned her first career start in the game, helping her to a Patriot League Baden Rookie of the Week honor.
Thousand Point Club
Bucknell women's basketball welcomed a new member to the 1,000-point club on Saturday. Since the game against the Loyola (Md.) Greyhounds, Amanda Brown reached 1,038 points in her career, making her the 18th player in program history to reach the milestone. The senior needs two more points to tie former Bison Juliet McGee (1,040 points) for 15th on the list of all-time scorers.
Hope Foster (1,256) and Kesha Champion (1,016) became the 16th and 17th members of the club last season. Foster, who is the ninth on the list of all-time scorers at Bucknell, crossed the threshold against Penn State. Champion, 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.
Lauren Schober is the next Bison in the hunt for the 1,000-point mark. With 861 points, she is 139 points short of the milestone.
Turning the Tides
In the first three games of the season, the Bison were outrebounded by their opponents 41 rebounds per game to 36.3. The team started to turn things around in its home opener versus Drexel when they tied the Dragons with 43 boards. Since then, Bucknell is back on top in the category, pulling down 43.3 rebounds per game compared to 35 for its opponents. That included the matchup with Loyola (Md.) in which Bucknell outrebounded the Greyhounds 51-36. Most recently, the Bison outrebounded Penn State by seven.
Approaching the Century Mark
With 99 games under her belt, Lauren Schober is one game away from her 100th as a Bison. The senior has never missed a game in her more than three seasons. Schober saw action in all 32 games last season, making her the only returning squad member to do so. Schober has also been a member of the starting lineup in 82 contests, including 30 of the team's 31 games in 2006-07. She has started every Patriot League matchup of her career excluding Senior Night versus Army last season in which Bucknell's senior class formed the starting lineup.
Slides That Led to Success
The current four-game losing skid is the longest by a Bison team since the 2004-05 squad dropped six in a row. The slide came during Patriot League play and was finally stopped with a 66-60 win over American on Feb. 11. Before that, the 2001-02 team also experienced a five-game drought. The winless streak was not indicative of the team's final success, however, as the squad eventually went on to win the Patriot League Tournament and qualify for the program's first NCAA Tournament.
Back With More
After a brief hiatus from the starting lineup versus Drexel, Joyce Novacek has begun to demonstrate why she belongs among the team's top five. In her last three starts, Novacek has scored a combined 40 points and pulled down 25 rebounds. She is also shooting .563 (18-32) from the field, including 1.000 (7-7) versus Towson on Dec. 3.
Shutting Down the Outside
Bucknell ranks fourth in the nation in three-point field goal percentage defense at .211. Through their first seven games, the Bison have held opponents to just 19 three-pointers on 90 attempts. Texas A&M, Louisiana Tech, Samford and West Virginia join Bucknell in the top five. The Bison also are 24th in the country in field goal percentage defense at .343.
Quick to Three
The Orange and Blue wasted no time in stringing together three consecutive victories in the 2008-09 season. Although it earned victories in each of its first three games this year, Bucknell waited until the end of the season to accomplish the same feat last season. The 2007-08 Bison did not win at least three in a row until March when it defeated Army in the final regular-season game, before upsetting Army, American and Holy Cross in the Patriot League Tournament.
Crashing the Boards
The Bucknell sophomore class is taking its rebounding seriously in the early stages of the 2008-09 season. Cosima Higham, who is second in the Patriot League in total rebounds (8.0/game) and is third in defensive rebounds (5.6) and offensive rebounds (2.4), has twice posted double-digit boards, and Joyce Novacek accomplished the feat at Loyola (Md.). Novacek claimed 11 rebounds against the Greyhounds, eight of which came off the offensive glass, helping her earn a league-leading 3.3 offensive rebounds per game. With eight boards versus Towson, Novacek at least tied the team-high in rebounds in three consecutive games.
Getting In On the Act
After registering a combined five rebounds in the first three games of the season, Taylor Phillips broke out on the boards, pulling down nine versus Drexel. That total tied her with classmate Joyce Novacek for a team high. The sophomore trio accounts for nearly half (48.3 percent) of the team's rebounds this season.
Plenty of Time
Two Bison are averaging at least 30 minutes through the first seven games of the season. Amanda Brown leads the duo, playing 37.6 minutes per game, including 40 minutes at Loyola (Md.). She is followed by Joyce Novacek (32.4 mpg). Lauren Schober is close behind and just recently dropped out of the 30-plus minute club with 29.7 mpg. The high quantity of minutes is not new for Brown and Schober who have played a minimum of 40 minutes in a game a combined 17 times during their Bucknell careers.
20-Plus Points for Brown
Amanda Brown 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. Brown posted her third performance with at least 20 points when she scored 22 versus Towson on Dec. 3.
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.
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.
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 14Mixing It Up
The Bison have mixed things up after using the same starting lineup in each of their first three games. Since then, opponents have seen new lineups in each of the last four contests. The switches are not new to Bucknell fans, as the team used nine different sets of starters last year, including six different lineups in the season's first six games. That team tied for second on the list of most lineups used during a single season behind only the 1991-92 squad with 13. The 1981-82, 1983-84 and 1992-93 teams also had nine different starting lineups during the regular season.
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.
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.
Sojka Crowds
Sojka Pavilion saw record-setting crowds for women's basketball in 2007-08. Three games drew fans numbering greater than 1,000 and became some of the highest-attended games in nearly five years of play at the arena. A crowd of 2,017 came to watch Bucknell take on the Patriot League's traditional powerhouse, Holy Cross on Jan. 20, 2008. The total marked a season high and made the game the third-highest attended women's basketball game at Sojka Pavilion.
Largest Sojka Pavilion Crowds (women's basketball) 1. vs. Lehigh (1/15/03) 2,641 2. vs. Navy (2/16/03) 2,322 3. vs. Holy Cross (1/20/08) 2,017 4. vs. Colgate (3/2/03) 1,861 5. vs. Penn State (12/15/07) 1,682 6. vs. Army (3/1/08) 1,319All-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.
Patriot League "Growing Our Community"
In 2008, the Patriot League received a grant as part of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Grant Program that allows it to help its member schools further promote women's basketball during the 2008-09 academic year. The league is working with its eight member institutions to develop a number of activities and initiatives targeted to include youth organizations, senior groups, community and civic organizations and students and alumni.
The goal is to increase the home attendance for the entire 2009 Patriot League women's basketball campaign through a variety of promotions and engaging local organizations to attend and learn more about the Patriot league women's basketball programs, as well as expose individuals to the academic institutions.
Up Next
Bucknell will not have to wait long for its next game as it travels to James Madison on Sunday, Dec. 21. Tipoff against the Dukes is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the JMU Convocation Center in Harrisonburg, Va.
