Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Completes Road Schedule Saturday at Colgate
2/22/2008 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2008
What: Bucknell (11-14, 6-5 PL) at Colgate (1-25, 0-11 PL)
Where: Cotterell Court, Hamilton, N.Y.
When: Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008, 2 p.m.
Radio: WVBU 90.5 FM and SportsJuice.com
Live Video: Patriot League All-Access
Game Notes
With a Victory Over Colgate, Bucknell Would...
► Post its third two-game winning streak during PL play
► Defeat the Raiders for the sixth consecutive time in the regular season
► Win at Cotterell Court for the third consecutive season
► Guarantee at least a .500 record in Patriot League play for the 13th time in the last 14 years
► Go 5-2 on the road in Patriot League play for the third consecutive season
► Post a 2-1 record on its three-game road trip
► Keep chances alive for a .500 regular season
About the Game
Bucknell wraps up a three-game road trip at Colgate on Saturday. The Bison played perhaps their best all-around game of the season Wednesday at Lafayette and are battling to finish in the top half of the Patriot League standings. They currently sit in fifth place, one game behind fourth-place Army and two games behind a trio of teams that are tied for first. The Raiders have lost 21 games in a row, but have played better as of late. They lost by single digits to Lafayette last week, and dropped a 12-point decision at Lehigh on Wedneday. Colgate, which has just one player averaging more than seven points per game and is getting outscored 70.5-43.5, is still looking for its first home victory this season.
Bucknell-Colgate Series
Bucknell leads the all-time series 30-18 and has won six of the last eight meetings. It's last five victories have come by an average of 23.6 points with none being closer than 15 points. The Bison did fall 69-62 to Colgate in the first round of last year's Patriot League Tournament, marking the first time a No. 8 seed defeated a No. 1 seed in the Patriot League postseason.
Last Meeting - Jan. 26, 2008
► Bucknell 65, Colgate 36 (Sojka Pavilion)
Bucknell jumped out to a 28-5 first-half advantage on its way to an easy 65-36 victory over Colgate. Kesha Champion paced the Bison with a game-high 16 points. The Raiders started the game 1-for-19 from the field with nine turnovers as Bucknell opened its 23-point cushion. Bucknell never let Colgate get closer than 17 the rest of the way. Sami Kozlowski paced the Raiders with 10 points. Ten of the 11 Bison who appeared in the game scored.
Upcoming Milestones
► Kesha Champion (936 points) - 64 points shy of 1,000 in career
► Kesha Champion (113 consecutive starts) - 1 shy of breaking program record that is currently shared with Molly Creamer
► Kristina Collymore (393 points) - 7 points shy of 400 in her career
► Kristina Collymore (94 steals) - 6 steals shy of 100 in career
► Hope Foster (843 reb.) - 30 rebounds shy of equaling Bucknell's Desire Almind (2001-04) for eighth place on Patriot League career list
► Hope Foster (1,006 FGA) - 71 field goal attempts shy of 10th place on Bucknell career list
► Hope Foster (98 assists) - 2 assists shy of 100 in career
► Lauren Schober (94 steals) - 6 steals shy of 100 in career
History vs. Colgate
► Amanda Brown: 4.8 rpg and 4.3 apg in five career games
► Kesha Champion: Double figures three times in eight career games
► Kristina Collymore: 5.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg in last two regular-season meetings
► Hope Foster: Three personal fouls in last four games
► Lauren Schober: 15+ points four times in six career games
Top-Six Finish
Bucknell's victory at Lafayette on Wednesday clinched a top-six finish in the final Patriot League standings for the Bison. Bucknell has finished lower than sixth one time since 1994-95.
20-Point Victories
Bucknell defeated Lafayette 68-45 Wednesday night, marking its fourth victory by at least 20 points this season. It is the third straight year the Bison have won at least four games by at least 20 points after winning five total games by 20-plus points the previous four campaigns.
Consecutive Starts
Senior co-captain Kesha Champion started her 113th consecutive game Wednesday at Lafayette. She is currently tied with Molly Creamer for the program record for consecutive starts. Champion is expected to break the record at Colgate.
Higham Strong on the Boards
Freshman Cosima Higham came off the bench to grab a team-high 12 rebounds in 15 minutes this past Wednesday at Lafayette. She became the second Bison freshman to register at least 12 rebounds this year, joining classmate Joyce Novacek. Higham has been especially strong on the offensive glass, grabbing 13 offensive rebounds in her last 32 minutes of playing time. Higham's 26 offensive rebounds this season place her tied for fourth on the team despite averaging 8.6 minutes in her 15 games played.
Another Double-Figure Game for Foster
Hope Foster was one of four Bison in double figures Wednesday at Lafayette, marking the 12th time in the last 13 games she has netted double figures, the best stretch of her career. She leads the team in scoring during Patriot League play, averaging 13.4 points per game. Recently, Foster has been shooting particularly well, connecting on 19 of her last 28 field goals. Her 46.5 percent shooting this season tops the Patriot League.
+15 on the Boards
Bucknell outrebounded Lafayette by a season-high 15 rebounds (47-32) Wednesday. It was the third time this season the Bison have won the battle of the boards by at least 10. They have won those three contests by more than 21 points per game. Bucknell is 5-2 when outrebounding the opponent.
Taking Care of the Ball
Bucknell has turned the ball over fewer than 20 times in each of the last 14 games, a new program record. The last time the Bison committed more than 20 miscues was against Duke on Dec. 21. While Bucknell is keeping its turnovers under 20 in most games, their 16.9 turnovers per game as their most since averaging 19.5 in 2004-05.
Novacek Continues to Rebound
Freshman Joyce Novacek was inserted into the starting lineup five games ago and has pulled down 48 rebounds over that span. With 13 rebounds against Army, 12 against Navy and 13 opposite American, she became the first Bison freshman to record three consecutive double-figure rebounding games since Shannon McGowan in 1993-94. The last Bucknell player, regardless of class, to grab at least 10 rebounds in three straight games was Hope Foster in 2005-06. Novacek is averaging 8.0 points and 9.6 rebounds when she is in the starting lineup.
Scoring Defense Improves in PL Play
Bucknell limited opponents to less than 58 points per game each of the last two years to claim two of the top three spots on the program's scoring defense list. For most of this season opponents were scoring in the mid-60s, but that has changed with the onset of Patriot League play. Patriot League foes are averaging just 52.7 points per game, and that includes a pair of overtime contests. The Bison have held seven of their 11 conference opponents to 50 points or less, including four of the last five, to equal last year's total. Bucknell's current scoring defense of 60.4 would rank sixth in program history and third since 1980.
Scoring Defense (Non-League) Scoring Defense (Patriot League) 2005-06: 61.9 2005-06: 53.1 2006-07: 60.4 2006-07: 50.9 2007-08: 66.4 2007-08: 52.7
Patriot League Blocks Record
Senior co-captain Hope Foster broke the Patriot League career blocks record with three blocks Jan. 30 at Lehigh. She now has 326 in her career and is tied for 24th in NCAA history.
NCAA Career Blocked Shot Leaders Rank Name Last Season Blocks 21. Teresa Jenkins (Florida A&M) 1999 336 22. DeMya Walker (Virginia) 1999 330 23. Dawn Royster (N. Carolina) 1987 329 24. Tajama Abraham (Geo. Wash.) 1997 326 t-24. Hope Foster (Bucknell) 2008 326
.500 PL Road Record
Bucknell won its fourth Patriot League road game Wednesday at Lafayette, guaranteeing a .500 road Patriot League record for the third consecutive season. The Bison are 14-6 on the road against conference foes over the last three years.
Difficult Schedule
Bucknell head coach Kathy Fedorjaka put together a very difficult non-league schedule for her Bison squad this season. In fact, the nine non-conference teams Bucknell lost to this season owned a combined 141-84 (.627) record through Feb. 21.
Up Next
Bucknell will return to Sojka Pavilion to commence a season-ending two-game homestand. The Bison will take on Lehigh, a team they lost to 59-53 on the road last month. It will be the 61st meeting all-time between the two teams. Bucknell's most common opponent is Lafayette, a team it faced for the 61st time this past Wednesday.
