Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Shooting for Redemption at Towson Monday
12/6/2009 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 6, 2009
WHAT: Bucknell (2-6) vs. Towson (2-3)
WHERE: Towson Center, Towson, Md.
WHEN: 7 p.m., Monday, Dec. 7
RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM, SportsJuice.com
STREAMING VIDEO: TowsonTigers.com
LIVE STATISTICS: TowsonTigers.com
Complete Bucknell-Towson Game Notes 
ABOUT THE GAME
Bucknell will look to avoid its longest winless streak of the season as it heads to Towson for a 7 p.m. tip on Monday. Both teams will be trying to get closer to a winning record as a win for the Tigers will improve their season tally to .500.
The showdown with the Tigers will be the last before the Bison take a break for final exams. Bucknell's next game following its trip to Towson will be Dec. 21 at Drexel.
WITH A VICTORY OVER TOWSON, BUCKNELL WOULD...
► Snap its six-game losing streak against the Tigers.
► Earn its first road win of the season.
► Avoid its longest losing streak since the Nov. 29 - Dec. 9 last season. The Bison fell to Drexel, Loyola (Md.), Towson and Penn State during that stretch.
► Finish the year 2-1 against opponents from Baltimore.
LAST MEETING - DEC. 3, 2008
► Towson 62, Bucknell 51 (Sojka Pavilion)
► After opening last season 3-0, Bucknell's loss to Towson helped bring the Bison's record back down to .500 at 3-3. Two Bison scored in double figures in the contest with Towson, including Joyce Novacek who put up what was then a season-best 17 points.
► Bucknell trailed 32-26 at halftime. Much of that deficit was created as a result of turnovers. The Bison had 18 in the first frame, leading to 13 points of turnovers for the Tigers.
► Bucknell trailed by double digits a number of times in the second half, but on several occasions was able to reduce its hole to just three. Towson claimed its largest lead of the game at 11 points with just 10 seconds remaining in the game.
► Despite the nine-point deficit at the end, Bucknell had the advantage in several areas. The Bison led in field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, free throw percentage and rebounds.
QUICK FACTS
Bucknell got a second consecutive game with a player scoring 20- plus points as Morgan Wrightson posted 22 against Yale on Saturday ... Joyce Novacek had a career-high 22 points and led the team in blocks (3) and rebounds (7) at Niagara last Wednesday ... Bucknell has outrebounded its opponents in each of the last five games ... the Bison had a season-high 48 rebounds vs. UMCB Nov. 29 ... Rachel Voss became the first Bison to earn a Patriot League honor this season, earning Rookie of the Week Nov. 30 ... 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. TOWSON
► The series with Towson has not had many changes in momentum since beginning in 1981. Bucknell won the teams' first meeting, 56-48, but Towson took the next seven. The Bison then responded with their own winning streak, earning victories in the next five games. Since then, Towson has won seven of eight.
► Bucknell was 6-9 against Towson when the two teams were members of the East Coast Conference. One of those wins came in March 1987 to give the Bison a conference tournament victory over the Tigers. Bucknell pulled out the 77-74 win in that game.
► Bucknell has lost each of its last six meetings with Towson. That is the second-longest current losing streak for the Bison. Bucknell has also lost to Delaware each of the last nine games - their last meeting was in 2002 - and to Penn State and Pitt-Johnstown each of the last six.
► Recent Results:
Feb. 21, 1990: Towson, 73-64
Feb. 21, 1994: Towson, 83-73
Dec. 28, 1996: Towson, 61-54 (at La Salle)
Jan. 3, 1998: Towson, 75-53
Dec. 3, 2008: Towson, 62-51
ABOUT THE TIGERS
Towson will put its 3-4 record on the line when it hosts Bucknell. Like the Bison, the Tigers have faced Loyola (Md.) and UMBC this season and have had similar results. Towson defeated Loyola, 68-66, on its home court but lost 74-72 to UMBC, also at home. The Tigers have had some close calls early in the 2009-10 season. Five of their seven contests have been decided by 10 points or less. Towson is 3-2 in those games.
Shanae Baker-Brice has led the Tigers in scoring in every game so far, including posting 20 points or more on six occasions. At 20.9 points per game, Baker-Brice is well ahead of Towson's second leading scorer, Omara Parker with a 6.2 scoring average.
FINDING THEIR STROKE
Bucknell recorded a season-best .846 average from the free throw line against Yale, shooting 11-for-13 from the stripe. The mark was a major improvement over their season average of just .550.
HELPING HANDS
Four Bison are averaging 2.3 assists or better this year. Morgan Wrightson took over the lead with three helpers against Yale on Saturday, giving her 20 (2.5 apg) on the season. Trisha Krewson and Christina Chukwuedo are second with 19 (2.4) apiece, and Rachel Voss comes in with 18 (2.3).
The distribution is a different trend from one year ago when Amanda Brown had a commanding team lead with nearly five assists per game. Second on the squad was Lauren Schober with a 2.5 average.
MAKING ADJUSTMENTS
Bucknell used its third different starting lineup of the season when it took on Yale on Saturday. Christina Chukwuedo earned her first starting assignment of the year against the Bulldogs. The sophomore had five starts last year, with the last coming at Lafayette on Jan. 21.
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 nearly repeated that mark by putting up 22 vs. Yale on Dec. 5 on 10-for-14 shooting. The guard also had a 20-point game vs. Wofford last year.
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 39.6 percent of the team's points, followed by the freshmen (31.0) and the juniors (29.5). The junior class has more of an edge in rebounding, however, with 37.6 percent of the Bison's boards. The freshmen come in at 30.4 percent, followed by the sophomores at 21.3.
Bucknell's lone senior, Le'Le' LeSeur, has yet to play a game this year while recovering from off-season knee surgery.
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.
VOSS NAMED WEEK'S TOP ROOKIE
Rachel Voss earned her first Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor on Nov. 30. 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 ranked 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 57 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.
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 eight games, three of Bucknell's top five scorers are underclassmen. Sophomores Morgan Wrightson (13.5 ppg) and Trisha Krewson (6.8), and freshman Rachel Voss (9.0) help lead the way along with juniors Joyce Novacek (10.6) and Cosima Higham (7.0). 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.
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.
Including their most recent performance vs. Yale, the Bison have now outrebounded their last five opponents and six of their last seven.
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.
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
After a short break to wrap up the semester and take final exams, Bucknell will be back on the court on Monday, Dec. 21. The Bison will take on Drexel in Philadelphia at 1 p.m.
