Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Returns to Road for Test at James Madison
12/20/2008 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 20, 2008
WHAT: Bucknell (4-4) vs. James Madison (4-4) WHERE: JMU Convocation Center, Harrisonburg, Va. WHEN: Sunday, Dec. 21, 2 p.m. RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM, SportsJuice.com TV: None STREAMING VIDEO: None LIVE STATISTICS: JMUSports.comBucknell-James Madison Game Notes
With a Victory Over James Madison, Bucknell Would...
- Start a new winning streak with its second consecutive victory.
- Even the all-time series with James Madison at one win apiece.
- Finish 2-0 in Virginia for the 2008-09 season.
- Go 2-0 against Colonial Athletic Association teams on the road and 2-2 overall.
About the Game
Bucknell will look to carry momentum from an encouraging 74-66 win over Wofford on Friday as it attempts to start another winning streak against the 4-4 James Madison Dukes. The game is the Bison's fourth against a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. After beating George Mason in the season opener, Bucknell fell to Drexel and Towson at Sojka Pavilion.
Bucknell-James Madison Series
The series between the Bison and the Dukes is a short one, with just a single previous meeting. James Madison came away victorious in that game, winning by 20 points.
Last Meeting - Nov. 13, 2007
- Bucknell fell 73-53 in the teams' first and only meeting to date. Lauren Schober led all Bison scorers with 13, and Hope Foster added 11 points and seven rebounds. The Dukes outrebounded Bucknell, however, 55-37.
- James Madison finished the first half on a 17-2 run as Bucknell tallied just one field goal in the final six minutes. The deficit proved to be too much for the Bison to overcome despite shooting 17-for-18 (94.4 percent) from the free throw line.
- James Madison's Tamera Young and Kisha Stokes both registered double-doubles, while two other Dukes also scored in double figures.
Quick Facts
Bucknell ranks nationally in three categories (as of Dec. 14) - 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 (14th) and Lauren Schober (23rd).
About the Dukes
James Madison has been unable to string together consistent results, alternating wins and losses from the beginning of the season. After winning their season opener, the Dukes lost to top-25 team Maryland. They then split their contests in the Caribbean Challenge. The team started December by going .500 against Liberty and Georgetown.
Most recently, James Madison dropped a 72-70 decision in overtime at Virginia Tech before handing the University of Maryland-Baltimore County a 104-63 defeat on Thursday. The 104 points was the second-most scored by the Dukes at the JMU Convocation Center.
Last Time Out
Bucknell rebounded from a tough loss to Penn State when it defeated Wofford 74-66 on Friday at Sojka Pavilion. Several Bison had career nights against the Terriers. In addition to a personal-best 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the free throw line, freshman Morgan Wrightson also posted a season-best five rebounds. Classmate Christina Chukwuedo also had a career-high six points, four rebounds and one blocked shot, and tied career marks in assists with three and steals with one. Lauren Schober and Joyce Novacek set new highs in assists, and Cosima Higham set a new personal best in steals. Taylor Phillips added a season-high five points.
Although not career highs, Novacek and Amanda Brown joined Wrightson in double-digit scoring. Novacek registered 12 points, while Brown added 19.
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 1,057 points in her career, making her the 18th player in program history to reach the milestone.
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 869 points, she is 131 points short of the milestone.
Century Mark
With her appearance in Friday's contest versus Wofford, Lauren Schober reached 100 games in her career. The senior has played in every game in her three-plus years as a Bison and has started 83 of them. Schober is the only player on the 2008-09 squad to reach the milestone, although classmate Amanda Brown is seven games away from joining her.
Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
Lauren Schober was named a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award on Friday. She is joined by 29 other Division I women's basketball players around the country exemplifying the “Four C's” - classroom, character, community and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched during the 2001-02 season to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who remain committed to their university and pursue the many rewards that a senior season and complete college education brings. The winner will be announced during the NCAA Women's Final Four.
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 rebounds per game compared to 35 for its opponents. That includes the matchup with Loyola (Md.) in which Bucknell outrebounded the Greyhounds 51-36.
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 four starts, Novacek has scored a combined 52 points and pulled down 30 rebounds, including a 1.000 (7-7) outing versus Towson on Dec. 3 and a 12-point game versus Wofford on Dec. 19.
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.
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 of Phillips, Novacek and Cosima Higham accounts for nearly half (41.7 percent) of the team's rebounds this season.
Plenty of Time
Three Bison are averaging at least 30 minutes through the first eight games of the season. Amanda Brown leads the trio, playing 37.5 minutes per game, including 40 minutes at Loyola (Md.). She is followed by Joyce Novacek (31.9 mpg) and Lauren Schober (30.4 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 five 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
After a week break for the winter holiday, Bucknell will return to action on Sunday, Dec. 28 to take on Saint Francis (Pa.) in Loretto, Pa. The game is slated for a 2 p.m. start in DeGol Arena.
