Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball to Challenge Lafayette at Sojka Pavilion on Wednesday
2/17/2009 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 17, 2009
WHAT: Bucknell (13-10, 5-5) vs. Lafayette (8-17, 2-8)
WHERE: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
WHEN: Wednesday, Feb.18, 7 p.m.
RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM, SportsJuice.com
TV: None
STREAMING VIDEO: Bison Vision
LIVE STATISTICS: GameTracker
Complete Bucknell-Lafayette Game Notes 
***Bid on an autographed Bucknell Women's Basketball Poster***
With a Victory Over Lafayette, Bucknell Would...
- Split the 2009 regular-season meetings with the Leopards. Bucknell lost in Easton, Pa., 75-58, on Jan. 21.
- Extend Lafayette's losing streak to seven games.
- Improve its Patriot League record to better than .500 at 6-5.
About the Game
Bucknell will seek to ride the momentum of a 14-point victory over Holy Cross on Saturday to win its third consecutive home game as it takes on the Lafayette Leopards. The Orange and Blue will also attempt to avenge their loss to Lafayette earlier this season.
The Bison are celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day with pre-game face painting and snacks from 6-7 p.m., a ceremony at halftime recognizing student-athletes of the month from the past year and a post-game autograph session. The game is also Youth Basketball Night and Girl Scouts Night. The first 500 fans in attendance will receive free t-shirts.
Bucknell-Lafayette Series
At 28-34, the series between the two teams has been relatively balanced. Bucknell has dominated in the second half of the series, going 22-9 over the past 31 meetings. That includes a 39-point win on Feb. 7, 2001, the largest margin of victory by either team.
Last Meeting - Jan. 21, 2009
- Bucknell dropped its third consecutive game in a 75-58 defeat to Lafayette on the road in late January. The Bison suffered from poor first-half shooting, making just nine of their 27 shots from the field. Bucknell bounced back in the second to outscore the Leopards 36-34, but the 19-point halftime deficit proved too much to overcome.
- Amanda Brown totaled 21 points, the third straight game with more than 20, to lead the Bison. Joyce Novacek also had a strong outing with 16 points. With seven rebounds, the sophomore forward shared the rebounding lead with Trisha Krewson and Cosima Higham.
- With 14 points, LaKeisha Wright was one on three Leopards in double-digit scoring. Cristin Zavocki and Jessica Spicer added 13 points and 10 points, respectively. Lafayette shot better than 51.9 percent from the field, including 87.5 percent (7-for-8) from three point distance in the first half.
Quick Facts
Bucknell has put four scorers in double figures in seven games this season ...Trisha Krewson earned her second Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor of the season for the week of Feb. 1 ... Bucknell has outrebounded its opponent 12 times this season, including three of the last four games ... Lauren Schober became the 19th Bison to join the 1,000-point club vs. Army on Jan. 31 and was named the Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week the following Monday ... Cosima Higham posted her fourth double-double of the season with 16 points and 14 rebounds at Colgate ... Amanda Brown leads the Patriot League in assists (4.9) ... After tying her career high with 23 points against American Jan. 14, Brown set a new high with 26 points at Holy Cross Jan. 17 ... Brown's 21 points at Lafayette marked her sixth game this season and 14th of her career with more than 20 points ... Brown also moved into the Bucknell top ten in assists with 318 ... Lauren Schober tied a Sojka Pavilion record against Cornell with seven steals by a Bison ... Joyce Novacek posted her second double-double of the season and the fourth of her career with 19 points and 14 rebounds at Howard ... Morgan Wrightson also collected a Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor this season (Dec. 7) ... Bucknell has two of the top 15 scorers in program history on this year's team in Amanda Brown (9th) and Lauren Schober (15th).
History vs. Lafayette
- Bucknell's loss at Lafayette earlier this season was indicative of its scattered success at the Kirby Sports Center over the years. The Bison trail the series at Lafayette, 10-20. They have faired much better at Sojka Pavilion and Davis Gym, however, winning 18 of 29 home contests.
- The last time either team was able to string together two or more consecutive wins was the 2005-06 season. Bucknell won back-to-back contests on Feb. 1 and Feb. 14. Lafayette had taken the previous two meetings, but the Bison topped that by winning eight straight from Jan. 13, 2001 to Feb. 20, 2004.
- Most Recent Results:
Jan. 16, 2007 Lafayette, 68-63
Feb. 13, 2007 Bucknell, 53-39
Jan. 23, 2008 Lafayette, 64-58 (OT)
Feb. 20, 2008 Bucknell, 68-45
Jan. 21, 2009 Lafayette, 75-58
About the Leopards
The Leopards have managed just two Patriot League victories this season, one of which came against the Bison. Lafayette's other league victory came against Colgate on Jan. 14. Since the two teams last met, the Leopards have been on a six-game winless streak. The skid includes a 62-61 loss to Colgate that gave the Raiders their first Patriot League victory in more than two years. Lafayette comes to Sojka Pavilion with an 8-17 overall record and a 2-8 tally in the league.
Most recently, Lafayette fell to Navy 60-57 at the Kirby Sports Center. The Leopards relinquished a nine-point lead with 10 minutes remaining in the game despite strong shooting. Lafayette finished the game having shot 22-for-44 (50.0%) from the field, including 4-for-9 (44.4%) from behind the three-point arc and 9-for-9 from the free throw line. Emily Garner posted her third double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Last Time Out
Bucknell bounced back from a disappointing outing at American to defeat Holy Cross, 58-44 on Saturday at Sojka Pavilion. It was the most lopsided win for either team since the Bison handed Holy Cross a 63-37 loss in 2006. Bucknell shot better than 43 percent in the game, while holding the Crusaders to 7.7 percent (1-for-13) from three-point distance.
Lauren Schober posted a team-high 15 points and shared the lead in assists with four with Amanda Brown. Brown also finished in double-digit scoring with 11 points. Cosima Higham added 12 points and seven rebounds, one less board than Joyce Novacek's team-best eight.
Approaching 400 Program Wins
Bucknell women's basketball is approaching its 400th win. Entering the contest with Lafayette, the Bison have accumulated a 399-478 record over nearly 36 years. Bucknell began a varsity team for the 1973-74 season. 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.
National Girls and Women in Sports Day
Bucknell is celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) as the Leopards come to Sojka Pavilion. Started in 1987, NGWSD is celebrated in all 50 states with community-based events, award ceremonies and activities honoring the achievements and encouraging participation of girls and women in sports.
Bucknell also promoted life-long participation in sports at the monthly Women's Sports Luncheon on Feb. 4. The luncheon included highlights of Bison women's sports and speeches from Page Kannor, a senior rower, Megan Mongan, a junior swimmer, and Lisa Verge, a current Bucknell staff member and volunteer softball assistant coach, who spoke about the importance of athletics and physical activity in their lives.
Lucky 13
Just one day after Friday the 13th, Bucknell earned its 13th win of 2008-09. It marked the 13th time in program history that the Bison had reached 13 wins in a season.
Double Digits x4
Throughout the season, Bucknell has aimed to place at least four of its scorers in double figures each game. The team has met that goal on seven occasions, most recently at American on Wednesday as Amanda Brown (16 points), Joyce Novacek (14), Lauren Schober (11) and Trisha Krewson (10) hit the high tallies. Four combinations of players, including Cosima Higham, Taylor Phillips and Morgan Wrightson in addition to the above four, have helped to accomplish the feat during the season. Schober is the only Bison to factor in each of the seven games. Bucknell is 5-2 in games in which four players score in double figures.
Two-Time Rookie of the Week
For the second time this season, Trisha Krewson was named the Patriot League Baden Rookie of the Week on Feb. 9. The award follows a career night for the freshman in which she totaled a personal-best 18 points on 4-for-5 shooting from three-point distance against Navy. The long-range shots total is a career high for Krewson who had yet to make more than one three-pointer in a single game this season. The Ohio native also tied a career high in rebounds with seven.
Perfection On the Line
The Bison shot a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line against Navy on Feb. 7. Those 12 made shots is the second-most in Bucknell history, beaten only on Feb. 20, 1991 when the Bison shot 18-for-18 at Colgate. The Orange and Blue have had a perfect night from the free throw line in seven games in nearly 36 seasons.
| Date | Opponent | Free Throws |
| Feb. 24, 1976: | vs. Mansfield |
2-2 |
| Feb. 20, 1991: | at Colgate | 18-18 |
| Dec. 21, 2001: | vs. Lehigh | 11-11 |
| Feb. 7, 2006: | vs. American | 8-8 |
| Dec. 21, 2007: | at Duke | 4-4 |
| Dec. 9, 2008: | at Penn State | 3-3 |
| Feb. 7, 2009: | at Navy | 12-12 |
Novacek Earns Academic All-District Honors
Joyce Novack was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II First Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Feb. 5. A management major, Novacek has earned a cumulative grade-point average of 3.94, including two semesters with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Her success in the classroom, combined with her volunteer efforts in the community and her prominent role in the Bison's on-court success has earned her a spot on the ballot for Academic All-America Team to be voted on later this month. Novacek is the first Bison to earn Academic All-District honors since Lindsey Hollobaugh was named to the Second Team in 2006-07.
One Down
The Bison will be without their lone junior for the remainder of the season. Le'Le' LeSeur suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice in late January. The forward earned four starts this year, all coming in the first games of the season. A former Patriot League All-Rookie Team selection, LeSeur was averaging 2.1 points and 2.0 rebounds in less than 10 minutes per game.
250 Wins for Fedorjaka
With the win over Colgate on Jan. 24, head coach Kathy Fedorjaka earned her 250th career victory. In 16 years as a head coach, Fedorjaka has amassed a 253-194 (.566) record and is 186-155 (.545) in her 12th season at Bucknell. Prior to Bucknell, Fedorjaka coached at Connecticut College and Bloomsburg. She returned to Lewisburg after serving as a Bucknell assistant from 1990-93 to take over as head coach in 1997. Since then, she has led two teams to the NCAA tournament and twice earned Patriot League Coach of the Year honors.
Block Party
Joyce Novacek and Cosima Higham are approaching the program leaders in single-season blocks. Novacek has rejected 29 shots, while Higham has blocked 30 this year. Susie Hopper and Marie Kocornik are tied for 10th on the list with 32. Two pairs of teammates have made the top-10 list previously - Kocornik (36 blocks) and Ann Kirwin (33) in 1985-86, and Hopper (32) and Julie Bachman (34) in 1989-90.
Dishing It Out
While most fans recognize Amanda Brown as the Patriot League's leading scorer, she is also the Bison's most adept passer, dishing out 4.9 assists per game. That average is good for first in the Patriot League and 43rd in the nation (as of Feb. 12). Brown is also ranked 25th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.86). The success is not new for the senior either, who is sixth in program history with 318 career assists.
Mixing It Up
After using the same starting lineup in each of their first three games, the Bison have been mixing it up ever since. The team recently used its ninth different starting combination at Colgate on Jan. 24. The switches are not new to Bucknell fans, as the team also used nine different sets of starters last year as well, 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.
Connecting with the Community
The Bucknell women's basketball team has always understood the importance of community service, but in the midst of the winter break from classes, the Bison took their involvement to another level. The Orange and Blue spent an afternoon playing basketball and other games with children at the Donald Heiter Community Center in Lewisburg. Players and coaches also visited recently with families at the Ronald McDonald House in Danville and residents at the RiverWoods senior living community in Lewisburg.
Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
Lauren Schober was named a candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award on Dec. 20. She was 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.
Thousand Point Club
Bucknell women's basketball has welcomed two new members to the 1,000-point club this season. Lauren Schober became the newest member on Jan. 31 as she scored 20 points versus Army. She now has 1,064 for her career. Amanda Brown achieved the milestone on Nov. 29 at Loyola (Md.). Since the game against the Greyhounds, Brown has reached 1,276 points in her career. Brown was the 18th Bison to score 1,000 career points, while Schober was the 19th.
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.
Brown and Schober will both be recognized for their scoring achievments during Senior Night on Saturday, Feb. 21. The Bison will face Colgate at 4:30 p.m. at Sojka Pavilion.
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 it tied the Dragons with 43 boards. In the next five games, Bucknell pulled back on top in the category, claiming 42.6 rebounds per game compared to 34.6 for its opponents. That includes the matchup with Loyola (Md.) in which Bucknell outrebounded the Greyhounds 51-36. More recently, Bucknell won the battle of the boards against Lehigh (37-22), Army (40-36) and Navy (38-35). The Bison topped the Mountain Hawks on the offensive glass, 20-5, before tallying 22 offensive boards against Army.
Slides That Led to Success
The four-game losing skid earlier this season was 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.
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 14
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
Bucknell closes its home schedule on Saturday, Feb. 21 with a 4:30 game against Colgate. The contest is part of a doubleheader with the men's team at Sojka Pavilion, which plays Delaware as part of ESPNU Bracketbusters at 2 p.m. The Orange and Blue will recognize Amanda Brown and Lauren Schober in the Senior Night festivities for their four years of dedication to Bucknell basketball as well as for their success in scoring 1,000 career points.
In addition to also being Upward Youth Basketball Night and Cheerleading Night, all fans in attendance will be eligible to win a $500 gift certificate to the Bucknell Bookstore or one of two $250 Lewisburg Dollar Certificates.
