Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Looks to Bounce Back vs. Yale Saturday
12/4/2009 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 4, 2009
WHAT: Bucknell (2-5) vs. Yale (2-3)
WHERE: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
WHEN: 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 5
RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM, SportsJuice.com
STREAMING VIDEO: BucknellBison.com
LIVE STATISTICS: BucknellBison.com
Complete Bucknell-Yale Game Notes 
ABOUT THE GAME
When Bucknell takes on Yale at 7 p.m. on Saturday, it will be the Bison's last game at Sojka Pavilion until Dec. 30. The Bison are looking to right their ship after dropping their last two games. Bucknell will also go for its first ever winning streak against Yale as the two teams have alternated taking the victory since the series began in 1994.
Aside from the game, Saturday will feature BJ's $10,000 Shot and has also been designated High School Team Night.
WITH A VICTORY OVER YALE, BUCKNELL WOULD...
► Start its first winning streak against the Bulldogs in series history.
► Avoid its second three-game losing streak of the season.
► Improve to 2-1 at home against Yale and be 1-0 against the Bulldogs at Sojka Pavilion.
► Improve to 3-2 at Sojka Pavilion this year.
LAST MEETING - NOV. 18, 2008
► Bucknell 73, Yale 70 (Lee Amphitheater)
► Bucknell won its second of three straight games after some last-second heroics last year. Amanda Brown hit two three-pointers in less than a minute to put the Bison ahead and steal the Bulldogs' home opener. Brown finished with a game-high 21 points.
► Morgan Wrightson had her first career double-figure scoring night, posting 12 against the Bulldogs. Le'Le' LeSeur also had a strong night with nine points and seven rebounds in 12 minutes of play.
► Four Bulldogs tallied double figures. Two of those return in Melissa Colborne, who finished with 16 points last year, and Mady Gobrecht with 15.
► Although Bucknell outshot Yale with a .476 shooting percentage, the Bulldogs made up for any lost ground from the free throw line. Yale went 18-for-24 from the line, including 10-for-13 in the first half. Bucknell was just 10-for-13 in the entire game.
QUICK FACTS
Joyce Novacek posted a career-high 22 points and led the team in blocks (3) and rebounds (7) at Niagara on Tuesday ... Bucknell has outrebounded its opponents in each of the last four games ... the Bison also had a season-high 48 rebounds vs. UMCB last Sunday ... Rachel Voss became the first Bison to earn a Patriot League honor this season, earning Rookie of the Week on Monday ... Bucknell outscored Loyola (Md.) 40-26 in the paint and 25-8 off turnovers on Nov. 24 ... Novacek earned the third double-double for Bucknell in as many games by posting 10 points and 15 rebounds vs. Fordham, followed by 15 points and 10 rebounds vs. Loyola (Md.) ... 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 ... in their Sojka Pavilion debut, the Bucknell freshmen scored half of their team's 62 points vs. Penn State ... 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.
HISTORY VS. YALE
► Yale managed to handcuff some of Bucknell's top scorers in their first three contests. Kim Delfs, who ranks 18th on the university's all-time scoring list with 1,016 points, managed just two points in two games (1995, 1997). She was held scoreless as a freshman in 1995.
► Bucknell and Yale have not had many high-scoring affairs. In last year's meeting, the two teams combined for a series-record 143 points. It was also the first game in which Bucknell had scored more than 60 points. Before that November matchup, the Bison averaged 49.3 points in their previous three meetings with the Bulldogs.
► At 2-2 against the Bulldogs, Bucknell is .500 or better against four Ivy League teams throughout program history: Cornell (14-4), Columbia (3-0), Penn (3-3) and Yale (2-2). Bucknell is 24-17 all-time against all Ivy League foes.
► Series Results:
Jan. 9, 1994: Yale, 74-56
Dec. 3, 1995: Bucknell, 49-40
Dec. 7, 1997: Yale, 62-43
Nov. 18, 2008: Bucknell, 73-70
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Yale enters the weekend with a 2-3 record. Both the Bulldogs' wins this season have come against Patriot League teams, as the team opened the season with a 66-60 win over Holy Cross and a 55-42 victory over Army, both at home. The Bulldogs are currently in the midst of a three-game losing streak having dropped contests against Arizona State, Toledo and North Carolina A&T. The Bulldogs' last loss was especially heartbreaking as they fell by a score of 80-79 to North Carolina A&T. Five players finished in double-figure scoring and the team shot .507 from the field.
Yale finished 11-17 overall and 4-10 in the Ivy League last season. A majority of that team is returning, as the Bulldogs lost just one starter and three letterwinners from a year ago.
NO STOPPING NOVACEK
In a season in which she already has posted back-to-back double-doubles, Joyce Novacek had yet another career night at Niagara on Wednesday. The forward recorded a career-high 22 points on 10-for-16 (.625) shooting. That scoring total gave her better than 53 percent of her team's points on the night. It was also her first career game with 20 or more points.
Novacek also tied for the game high in rebounds with seven and claimed three of her team's four blocked shots.
EVEN DISTRIBUTION
The Bison have been getting production from each of their classes. The sophomore class leads in scoring with 38.0 percent of the team's points, followed by the juniors (32.1) and the freshmen (29.9). The junior class has more of an edge in rebounding, however, with 38.8 percent of the Bison's boards. The freshmen come in at 29.4 percent, followed by the sophomores at 20.3.
Bucknell's lone senior, Le'Le' LeSeur, has yet to play a game this year while recovering from off-season knee surgery.
VOSS NAMED WEEK'S TOP ROOKIE
Rachel Voss earned her first Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor on Monday. The freshman averaged 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds last week, helping the Bison to a 1-1 record. Voss is third on the team in scoring and fourth in rebounds this season while starting all six of the team's games. She also ranks among the Patriot League leaders in scoring, field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage.
BLOCK PARTY
Bucknell women's basketball hosted quite the block party in 2008-09 and that has not changed much in the new season. With her first of two blocks against Loyola (Md.) last week, the junior moved into the top 10 all-time at Bucknell in career blocks. Since that game, she has improved her career total to 56 and is ninth on the list.
Last season, Cosima Higham and 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 their marks as teammates during the 1985-86 season.
PRODUCIN' KREWSON
Although it is still early in the year, Trisha Krewson is on pace to smash some previous season highs. The sophomore has 10 steals this year, just five shy of the 15 she grabbed as a freshman. With 19 assists through the team's first seven games, she is also on pace to more than double last year's total of 31 helpers.
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.
DOUBLE THE DOUBLE-DOUBLE
When the Bison took on Loyola (Md.) on Nov. 24, Joyce Novacek recorded her second double-double in as many games. After posting 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds vs. Fordham, the junior forward put up a season-high 15 points and 10 boards against the Greyhounds. The last Bison to earn a double-double in consecutive games was Hope Foster on Feb. 9 and Feb. 13, 2007. Foster had 19 points and 10 boards against Holy Cross, followed by 16 points and 11 rebounds vs. Lafayette. Like Novacek, both Foster's high-production nights came at Sojka Pavilion.
BALL THIEF
Lindsay Horbatuck swiped a career-high six steals against Loyola (Md.) on Nov. 24. The last Bison freshman to earn as many steals in a single game was current teammate Taylor Phillips. Now a junior, Phillips recorded six against Holy Cross on Jan. 20, 2008.
Prior to Horbatuck's defensive effort against the Greyhounds, the last Bison to record six or more steals was recent graduate Lauren Schober. Schober set the Sojka Pavilion record with nine steals vs. Colgate on Feb. 21, 2009.
UNDERCLASSMEN LEADING THE WAY
Through the first seven games, three of Bucknell's top five scorers are underclassmen. Sophomores Morgan Wrightson (12.3 ppg) and Trisha Krewson (7.4), and freshman Rachel Voss (8.6) help lead the way along with juniors Joyce Novacek (11.6) and Cosima Higham (8.2). High-scoring youngsters are not new to the Bison, however, as three of the top five scorers have been underclassmen in three of the last five years.
Should Wrightson maintain her position as Bucknell's leading scorer, the sophomore would be in rare company. The last sophomore to lead the squad in scoring average was Lindsey Hollobaugh in 2004-05 with 14.9 points per game. Hollobaugh finished her career with 1,386 points, ranking sixth all-time at Bucknell.
HIGH SCORING
With a career-high 25 points vs. Fordham on Nov. 21, 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 Nov. 21. 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 outrebounded Fordham, 44-29, as a team. 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.
The Bison have now outrebounded their last four opponents and five of their last six.
PICKPOCKETS
All 10 Bison who saw game action against Penn State 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.
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 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 four of five games, including a personal-best 13 points vs. Fordham on Nov. 21.
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).
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.
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.
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, Lehigh
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 kick off its longest series of road games this season with a Dec. 7 matchup at Towson. The Bison and Tigers will face off at 7 p.m. in Towson, Md. Live stats and video as well as live audio on the radio and Internet will be available.
