Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Continues Homestand with Loyola (Md.) on Tuesday
11/23/2009 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 23, 2009
WHAT: Bucknell (1-3) vs. Loyola (Md. (2-2)
WHERE: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
WHEN: 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 24
RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM, SportsJuice.com
STREAMING VIDEO: BucknellBison.com
LIVE STATISTICS: BucknellBison.com
Complete Bucknell-Loyola (Md.) Game Notes 
ABOUT THE GAME
Bucknell will welcome Loyola (Md.) to Sojka Pavilion at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The Bison will try to regain the series lead, while the Greyhounds are going for their first two-game winning streak against Bucknell. Loyola is 1-1 at Sojka Pavilion.
Tuesday is a Damon's t-shirt giveaway day. All fans in attendance will receive a free t-shirt from Damon's Grill.
WITH A VICTORY OVER LOYOLA, BUCKNELL WOULD...
► Start its first winning streak of the season after defeating Fordham 63-56 on Saturday night.
► Improve its record at home to 4-1 over the Greyhounds.
► Even its record against teams from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference at 1-1 this year. Bucknell fell to Iona in the opening weekend of the season.
► Keep Loyola from going on the first winning streak in series history. The teams have alternated victories in each of the past eight meetings.
LAST MEETING - NOV. 29, 2008
► Loyola 61, Bucknell 52 (Reitz Arena)
► Former Bison Amanda Brown scored her 1,000 career point when the two teams met in Baltimore last season. Brown eventually finished her career with 1,344 points, ranking seventh all-time at Bucknell.
► Joyce Novacek recorded her third career double-double, tallying 14 points and 11 rebounds.
► Bucknell dominated on the boards, out-rebounding Loyola 51-36.
► Loyola's Kaitlin Grant led all scorers with 19 points. Alex Berlin finished with 14 points, 11 of which came from the free throw line.
QUICK FACTS
Joyce Novacek earned the second double-double for Bucknell in as many games by posting 10 points and 15 rebounds vs. Fordham ... in their Sojka Pavilion debut, the Bucknell freshmen scored half of their team's 62 points vs. Penn State ... Cosima Higham recorded the first double-double of the season and the seventh of her career with 11 points and 11 boards against the Lady Lions ... Cosima Higham was named to the Iona Tip-Off All-Tournament Team after leading the Bison in scoring, rebounding and blocks last weekend ... Trisha Krewson was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year last season ... in addition to Krewson's All-Rookie Team selection, former teammates Amanda Brown (First Team) and Lauren Schober (Second Team) were honored by the Patriot League ... Cosima Higham (36) and Joyce Novacek (33) both rank in the top 10 at Bucknell for single-season blocked shots in 2008-09 ... Higham and Novacek are also on the verge of breaking into the top 10 for career blocks with both needing fewer than five rejections to join the list ... Bucknell has finished with an overall record of .500 or better in 17 of the program's 36 years ... the Bison were ranked among the national leaders in field goal percentage defense, scoring defense, blocked shots, rebounding margin and assist/turnover ratio in 2008-09.
HISTORY VS. LOYOLA
► Neither team has been able to make much headway in the all-time series, which began in 1984. Bucknell and Loyola have played eight games since that initial meeting, alternating victories each time.
► Loyola pulled off the most lopsided result in the series in 1990, winning 76-62, but most contests have been decided by single-digit margins. The Greyhounds' wins have come by an average of 9.5 points. The Bison have had a little tougher time coming by their victories, winning by an average of just 3.8 points.
► When the two teams met in 2002, three Bison who would end their careers with more than 1,000 points scored in double-figures. Molly Creamer dropped 32 points on the Greyhounds with the help of 13-of-15 free throw shooting. Desire Almind posted 23 points, and Kate Franks finished with 12. Bucknell's .485 field goal percentage barely surpassed Loyola's .475 but was still enough to guide the team to a 76-73 win.
► Recent Results:
Dec. 8, 1990 Loyola, 76-62
Dec. 3, 2002 Bucknell, 76-73
Nov. 25, 2003 Loyola, 56-46
Dec. 31, 2007 Bucknell, 59-56
Nov. 29, 2008 Loyola, 61-52
ABOUT THE GREYHOUNDS
Loyola closed out 2008-09 with an overall record of 10-20 after falling to Marist in the MAAC quarterfinals, 81-27. The team bounced back in 2009-10, starting the season at 2-0 with wins over La Salle and Army. The Greyhounds have since dropped to 2-2 following a tough weekend at the Navy classic in which they lost to the host Midshipmen and Tulane.
Miriam McKenzie has recorded at least 20 points in three of her teams four games. The only contest in which she did not hit the mark was against Navy when she posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
THIS WEEK'S COMMUNITY OUTREACH
All fans in attendance at Tuesday's game vs. Loyola (Md.) will receive a free t-shirt, sponsored by Damon's Grill.
Sunday, Nov. 29 has been designated Take A Kid to the Game Day. The Bison will also host a clinic for kids aged 12 and younger following the game with UMBC.
HIGH SCORING
With a career-high 25 points vs. Fordham on Saturday, Morgan Wrightson became the first Bison this season to hit 20-plus. The sophomore did so on 8-for-17 shooting from the field and 7-for-7 shooting from the free throw line. Wrightson also had a 20-point game last year vs. Wofford.
CRASHING THE BOARDS
Joyce Novacek set a career high with 15 rebounds vs. Fordham Saturday night. That bettered her previous mark of 14 boards at Howard last January. The performance was also just the third time in four seasons a Bison has recorded 15 or more rebounds in a single game. Hope Foster recorded 16 in the 2006-07 season opener vs. Hampton, and Cosima Higham had 19 in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals vs. Navy last March.
CRASHING THE BOARDS, PART II
Bucknell out-rebounded Fordham, 44-29, last Saturday. That 15-board margin is the largest since the Bison outworked Loyola (Md.) on the glass, 51-36, last year. Joyce Novacek led the Orange and Blue in rebounds on both occasions.
LYCOMING ADDED TO SCHEDULE
Bucknell has added a game to its 2009-10 slate. The Bison will host Lycoming at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 30 at Sojka Pavilion. The Bucknell men's basketball squad will follow by welcoming Marist at 7 p.m. the same night.
DOUBLING UP AGAIN
With her 11 points and 11 rebounds vs. Penn State on Thursday night, Cosima Higham recorded her seventh career double-double, which leads the team. Six of those feats came last year during her sophomore campaign.
PICKPOCKETS
All 10 Bison who saw game action against Penn State on Thursday registered at least one steal in the contest with Alyssa Dunn, Christina Chukwuedo and Lindsay Horbatuck each earning a team-high two steals. The defensive effort marks the only time since at least the 1984-85 season that every Bison recorded a steal during their time on the court.
YOUNG BUT EFFECTIVE
If Bucknell's freshman class was nervous heading into its Sojka Pavilion debut, it did not show. The newest group of Bison, including Alyssa Dunn, Lindsay Horbatuck, Felicia Mgbada and Rachel Voss, scored 31 of the team's 62 points against Penn State. All four put up career-high scoring totals in the process. The freshmen shot a collective 12-for-18 (.667) from the floor, earned six steals and grabbed nine rebounds.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM FOR HIGHAM
Cosima Higham opened the 2009-10 season on a high note. After the first weekend of play at the Iona Tip-Off Tournament, Higham averaged 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds. Her performance earned her Bucknell's only selection to the All-Tournament Team last weekend.
QUICK START FOR VOSS
Bison fans did not have to wait long to see what Rachel Voss is capable of. The freshman guard opened her Bucknell career in the team's season opener last Saturday vs. Miami (Ohio) with 10 points, four assists and three steals. Voss also earned her first start in the Orange and Blue.
Including the game with the RedHawks, Voss has started her career with double-figure scoring in three of four games, including a personal-best 13 points vs. Fordham on Saturday.
HOME STRETCH
Bucknell is now in the thick of its longest homestand of the season. The Bison have now played the first two games in a stretch where five of six contests will be held within the friendly confines of Sojka Pavilion. Still remaining in the homestand are Loyola (Md.) (Nov. 24), UMBC (Nov. 29) and Yale (Dec. 5). Only a trip to Niagara on Dec. 2 breaks up the home stretch.
FILLING SOJKA PAVILION
The Bucknell-Penn State matchup in 2007 drew one of the largest crowds for a women's game at Sojka Pavilion since the facility opened in 2003. That game drew 1,682 fans, ranking it fifth in the court's brief history until last night's contest with the Lady Lions. The teams' latest meeting drew an attendance of 1,847, which is now the third-largest crowd to see a women's basketball game at Sojka Pavilion. The best-attended women's game at Sojka Pavilion came in 2003 when Bucknell hosted Lehigh in front of 2,641 fans.
400 PROGRAM WINS
Bucknell women's basketball recorded the 400th win in program history against Lafayette on Feb. 18, 2009. In their 36 years, the Bison have accumulated a 402-481 record. Bucknell began a varsity team in 1973-74 and, since its inaugural season, the Orange and Blue have made two trips to the NCAA Tournament, won two Patriot League regular-season titles and recorded three 20+ win seasons. Bucknell is the sixth team in the Patriot League to hit the 400-win mark, following Holy Cross (615 wins at the end of the 2008-09 season), Army (467), Navy (454), Lafayette (417) and Lehigh (414).
PL POSTSEASON HONORS
A trio of Bison earned Patriot League postseason honors prior to the league tournament last year. Former Bison Amanda Brown was named First Team All-Patriot League, while classmate Lauren Schober was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection. Trisha Krewson started off her career in the Orange and Blue with a bang, adding Rookie of the Year to her All-Rookie Team nod. Krewson is the fifth Bison to be named the Patriot League's top rookie.
Bucknell has now placed 15 players on the league's first team, including one in each of the last four years in Hope Foster (2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08) and Brown (2006-07). The Orange and Blue have also had 15 Second Team selections and 15 All-Rookie selections. Schober is the first Bison named to the Second Team since Lindsey Hollobaugh in 2005-06, while Krewson is the first member of the All-Rookie Team since current teammate Le'Le' LeSeur was chosen in 2006-07 and the first Rookie of the Year since Hollobaugh in 2003-04.
WINS, WINS...
By finishing the 2008-09 season with a 16-12 record, Bucknell women's basketball put together four consecutive seasons with a winning percentage of .500 or better for the first time in program history. During that stretch, the Bison are 70-49.
... AND MORE WINS
Bucknell finished its 2008-09 Patriot League campaign with an 8-6 record, giving the team a .500 or better record in each of the last four seasons as well as 14 of the last 15. The Bison also posted an 8-6 record in 2007-08, a 12-2 tally in 2006-07 and a 10-4 record in 2005-06 to start the streak.
FLUID LINEUP
For the second consecutive year, the Bison used nine different starting lineups in 2008-09. That total ranks second in program history, tying the 1981-82, 1983-84, 1992-93 and 2007-08 teams. They trail only the 1991-92 squad, which used 13 different lineups over the course of the year.
The 2008-09 team started its season with six different crews in the first eight games before settling in for the final stretch. After trying out some different combinations, Bucknell finished the season with the same lineup in each of its last 11 games, playing to a 7-4 record.
BLOCK PARTY
Bucknell women's basketball hosted quite the block party in 2008-09. Cosima Higham and Joyce Novacek both joined the program leaders in single-season blocked shots. Higham completed her sophomore year tied for seventh with Marie Kocornik with 36, while Novacek finished tied for 10th with Anne Kirwin with 33. Interestingly, Kocornik and Kirwin also set those marks as teammates during the 1985-86 season.
TWO MORE FOR THE CLUB
For the second straight year, two Bison broke the 1,000-point barrier in the same season. Amanda Brown achieved the milestone in just the fifth game of the season at Loyola (Md.), while Lauren Schober followed suit against Army later in the season. Brown finished her career with 1,344 points, ranking her seventh all-time at Bucknell. At 1,129 points, Schober is 15th all-time.
Teammates Who Reached 1,000+ Points in the Same Year
1. Jennifer Walz & Marie Kocornik (1987-88)
2. Jennifer Walz* & Lynne Walshaw (1988-89)
3. Molly Creamer & Vicki Quimby (2000-01)
4. Molly Creamer*, Desire Almind, Kate Franks (2002-03)
5. Hope Foster & Kesha Champion (2007-08)
6. Amanda Brown & Lauren Schober (2008-09)
* Scored 2,000th point
PATRIOT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
Bucknell was picked fifth in the 2009-10 Patriot League Preseason Poll. The Bison were also picked fifth prior to the 2008-09 season on their way to finishing in a tie for third place by season's end. Bucknell has now finished at or better than predicted eight times in the last 11 years.
Lehigh was picked first in the 2009-10 poll with 97 points, including 13 first-place votes. The Mountain Hawks were trailed by American and Holy Cross, which tied for second with 76 points and Navy (54) in fourth place.
2009-10 PATRIOT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
| Team (First-place votes) | Points | |
| 1. | Lehigh (13) | 97 |
| 2. | American (3) | 76 |
| Holy Cross | 76 | |
| 4. | Navy | 54 |
| 5. | Bucknell | 52 |
| 6. | Army | 50 |
| 7. | Colgate | 22 |
| 8. | Lafayette | 21 |
Preseason All-Patriot League Team
Michelle Kirk, American
Erin Anthony, Army
Briana McFadden, Holy Cross
Erica Prosser, Lehigh (Player of the Year)
Alex Ross, Lehighv
IN THE (PINK) ZONE
The Bison will again be joining the national effort to promote the fight against breast cancer. Last season, Bucknell hosted a Pink Zone Night when it played Holy Cross on February 14. Bucknell players wore pink t-shirts during warm-ups, with two of those shirts being autographed by the team and auctioned on BucknellBison.com. More than 30 of the same shirts were also tossed into the stands during the game.
In 2009-10, those efforts will continue when the Bison welcome American on Feb. 10. Among the planned activities is another t-shirt giveaway, sponsored by Evangelical Community Hospital. The Bison are very pleased to be teaming up with Evangelical's Women's Resource Center to help spotlight breast cancer and promote women's health.
UP NEXT
Bucknell will close out November with a matchup against UMBC on Sunday, Nov. 29. Tipoff against the Retrievers is set for 2 p.m. at Sojka Pavilion. Sunday is Take A Kid to the Game Day. The Bison will host a youth clinic following the contest for kids 12 years old and younger.
