Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Wraps Up Road Trip at American Wednesday
1/12/2010 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 12, 2010
WHAT: Bucknell (4-10, 0-1) vs. American (8-7, 1-0)
WHERE: Bender Arena, Washington, D.C.
WHEN: 7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 13
RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM, SportsJuice.com
STREAMING VIDEO: Patriot League All-Access
LIVE STATISTICS: None
Complete Bucknell-American Game Notes 
ABOUT THE GAME
Bucknell takes on a tough opponent in American as it looks for its first Patriot League win of the season. The Eagles were picked second in the league's preseason poll behind Lehigh, a team they defeated last Saturday. The Bison are looking to rebound from a disappointing road loss to Navy in their own league opener.
WITH A VICTORY OVER AMERICAN, BUCKNELL WOULD...
► Win its first Patriot League contest of the season.
► Snap a two-game losing streak against the Eagles.
► Close out the four-game road trip with a 2-2 record.
► Avoid starting the Patriot League season 0-2. The last time the Bison started 0-2 against league foes was in 2003-04 when they dropped back-to-back contests to American and Lehigh.
LAST MEETING - FEB. 11, 2009
► American 71, Bucknell 63 (Bender Arena)
► Although Bucknell struggled with its outside shooting throughout much of the game, the Bison went 4:20 in the second half without a field goal, while the Eagles scored six during that stretch. Lauren Schober finally put an end to the drought with 7:24 remaining, but American had already given itself a 66-48 lead.
► Behind Amanda Brown's game-high 16 points was Joyce Novacek with 14, Schober with 11 and Trisha Krewson with 10. The game marked the second time four Bison had scored in double figures but the team was unable to bring home a victory.
► Novacek scored all 14 of her points in the first half.
QUICK FACTS
Bucknell has recorded at least one block in every game this year, including a season-high 10 at Cornell ... Cosima Higham's six blocked shots at Cornell ties her for sixth at Bucknell for most rejections in a single game ... Bucknell's 30-point loss at Navy was the largest margin of defeat in series history ... three Bison have scored in double figures in four of the last five games ... Trisha Krewson became the first Bison this year to score better than 20 points in two consecutive contests, posting 30 vs. Lycoming and 25 at Buffalo ... Krewson's performances in those two games earned her Patriot League/Anaconda Player of the Week ... Joyce Novacek has recorded at least one blocked shot in nine of the last 12 games ... Bucknell had two players with 20-plus points in back-to-back games when Novacek posted a career-high 22 points at Niagara on Dec. 2 and Morgan Wrightson had 22 points against Yale on Dec. 5 ... Novacek also led the team in blocks (3) and rebounds (7) at Niagara ... Rachel Voss and Lindsay Horbatuck have each been named the Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week this year ... 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 in the opening weekend.
HISTORY VS. AMERICAN
► After winning eight of 10 meetings, the Bison dropped two straight against the Eagles last year. Those two defeats evened the all-time series at 11 wins apiece.
► The last win Bucknell earned over American came 60-52 in the semifinals of the 2008 Patriot League Tournament. Joyce Novacek had one of the best games of her career, registering her second double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds. That was not the first time Novacek had double-figure rebounds against the Eagles, however, as she also had 13 boards in the team's February meeting earlier that year.
► Bucknell is 5-5 all-time at Bender Arena. The last time the Bison won on American's home court was the 67-64 overtime win on Jan. 15, 2008.
► Bison Career Stats vs. Eagles
Joyce Novacek: 10.0 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.0 bpg, 25.4 mpg
Cosima Higham: 4.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 17.3 mpg
Taylor Phillips: 4.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 15.8 mpg
Trisha Krewson: 7.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 32 mpg
Morgan Wrightson: 6.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 17.5 mpg
Christina Chukwuedo: 4.0 apg, 3.0 rpg, 12 mgp
► Recent Results:
Jan. 16, 2008: Bucknell, 67-64 (OT)
Feb. 13, 2008: American, 50-46
March 9, 2008: Bucknell, 60-52 (PL Tournament)
Jan. 14, 2009: American, 61-55
Feb. 11, 2009: American, 71-63
ABOUT THE EAGLES
With wins in its last two games, American improved its 2009-10 record to 8-7 overall and 1-0 in the Patriot League. The Eagles' latest victory came in a surprise 69-65 overtime decision over Lehigh in the teams' Patriot League opener last Saturday. Like the Bison in non-conference play, American took a loss to Drexel (50-40) but won over Buffalo (54-43).
Michelle Kirk is leading the Patriot League in scoring this season at 19.9 points per game. That average was helped by a 32-point performance in the Eagles' win over the Mountain Hawks. Kirk has also been named the league's player of the week three times this season with the most recent accolade coming on Monday.
BUCKNELL-HOLY CROSS SLATED FOR 2 P.M.
Bucknell will open its Patriot League home schedule with Holy Cross on Saturday, Jan. 16. Tipoff at Sojka Pavilion is scheduled for 2 p.m. The Bison will be available for autographs following the game.
THIS WEEK'S COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Bison fans will be in for a treat when Bucknell returns to Sojka Pavilion on Saturday. The game has been designated State Farm Feed the Fan with those in attendance able to receive a free slice of pizza during the game. Prior to the 2 p.m. tipoff, fans middle-school aged and younger can attend a carnival on the Sojka Pavilion concourse as part of Kids' Day Out.
Saturday's game vs. Holy Cross also marks the beginning of a raffle in which fans can win a mino flip video camera. Bison faithful will be eligible for the prize when they fill out an NCAA survey at the game. The contest will be held at all home games during the Patriot League regular season.
ALL THE WAY
Trisha Krewson became the second Bison this year to clock the full 40 minutes in a single game when Bucknell took on Navy last Friday. The extra time paid off, as Krewson was the only member of her team to score in double digits with 16 points. She also had a team-high seven rebounds.
Joyce Novacek also played 40 minutes in Bucknell's 67-60 win over Loyola (Md.) on Nov. 24. She finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. It was her second consecutive double-doubles.
CENTURY MARK
Joyce Novacek became the first Bison this season with more than 100 points and 100 rebounds. The junior has tallied 145 points on the year, while her six boards at Navy last Friday gave her 104 for the season.
DYNAMIC DUO
Cosima Higham (21 pts.-13 reb.) and Joyce Novacek (16 pts.-11 reb.) each recorded a double-double when the Bison defeated Cornell on Jan. 6. That marks the first time two players recorded double-doubles in the same contest since Desire Almind and Lindsey Hollobaugh on Jan. 2, 2004. Almind had 13 points and 18 rebounds, while Hollobaugh added 18 points and 11 boards, but the Bison fell 54-49 to Manhattan.
Although it has been six years between accomplishments, the 2004 squad did not have to wait so long between repeat performances. Almind and Hollobaugh also had double-doubles when Bucknell defeated Coppin State, 69-64, earlier that season.
REJECTED
Bucknell finished the game at Cornell with a season-best 10 blocks as a team. Cosima Higham and Taylor Phillips each set career highs in the blocks with six and two, respectively. The Bison had not reached 10 or more rejections in a single game since facing nationally ranked Michigan State on Nov. 17, 2006. Against the No. 17 Spartans, Bucknell had 12 blocked shots. Hope Foster also set the school record for rejections with 11 in that game.
NO SLUMPING HERE
Joyce Novacek bounced back in a big way against Cornell after struggling at Buffalo earlier in the week. After tallying just six rebounds and one point on 0-for-4 shooting in 29 minutes against the Bulls, the junior recorded her third double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 boards in 27 minutes against the Big Red. Novacek shot 7-for-12 in Ithaca, putting her shooting percentage back over .500. She has now shot .500 or better in nine of the last 11 games.
LEAGUE'S BEST
A third Bison earned weekly honors from the Patriot League on Jan. 4, as Trisha Krewson earned her first Player of the Week citation. Krewson's award came on the heels of back-to-back career-best shooting nights, combining for 55 points against Lycoming (30 pts.) and Buffalo (25). The sophomore shot .633 (19-30) from the field, including .652 (15-23) from three-point distance. She also totaled five rebounds, five assists and two steals in those two games.
Rachel Voss and Lindsay Horbatuck have each been named the Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week this year as well. Voss earned the award Nov. 30 after averaging 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds, helping the Bison to a 1-1 record against Loyola (Md.) and UMBC. Horbatuck was named the League's top rookie on Dec. 14 after scoring a career-high and team-best 13 points at Towson. The freshman forward also tied her career high with six rebounds in the contest.
HOT-HANDED KREWSON
Trisha Krewson had quite the outing against Lycoming, recording the best offensive night of her career. The sophomore finished with 30 points, making her the first Bison since Desire Almind had 30 against Holy Cross on Feb. 27, 2004. Helping Krewson to her points total was an 8-for-12 shooting performance from behind the arc. Her eight three-pointers tied her with Molly Creamer, who had eight vs. Army on Jan. 16, 2002, for most long-distance shots in a single game. It also doubled the previous Sojka Pavilion record.
Krewson had an equally impressive outing against Buffalo a few days later, tallying 25 points on 9-for-14 shooting, including 7-for-11 from behind the arc. Her 15 made three pointers last week is the highest two-game total in program history.
Krewson's previous scoring career high was 18 at Navy last season. The guard also had the hot hand from behind the arc in that game, finishing 4-for-5.
MAKING IT A HABIT
By tallying 55 points in two games vs. Lycoming and Buffalo, Trisha Krewson became the first Bison to reach the scoring total in two games since Lindsey Hollobaugh combined for 55 against Holy Cross (28 pts.) and Colgate (27) in February 2004. Hollobaugh's feat came in the middle of a streak in which she recorded at least 20 points in six consecutive games to end the 2003-04 season.
RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCES
Bucknell produced a number of record-breaking marks in the matchup with Lycoming on Dec. 30. The team's 93 points was a Sojka Pavilion record and the most scored since the Bison defeated Maryland-Eastern Shore 93-92 in triple overtime on Dec. 17, 2005. The 43-point margin of victory was also a Sojka record.
At 12-for-24 from three-point distance, Bucknell broke the Sojka Pavilion record and tied the program mark for three pointers made, as well as tied the facility record for threes attempted in a single game.
GETTING UP EARLY
Getting off to a good start has been crucial for the Bison this season, as they are 4-1 when leading after the first half. The only game in which they were unable to hold on to their advantage came against Iona in the second contest of the season. Bucknell has also outscored its opponents in the second half on seven occasions and is 4-3 in those games.
CONTROLLING THE PAINT
Bucknell outscored Lycoming in the paint, 40-14, on Dec. 30. That was the fifth consecutive game in which the Bison had overpowered their opponent inside. During that stretch, Bucknell was averaging 12.4 more points in the paint than its opponents.
Those numbers are a direct result of the strong play by Joyce Novacek and Cosima Higham. Including the games against Lycoming and Drexel, when the Bison won the battle in the paint 28-14, the juniors combined for 21-for-28 (.750) shooting from the field.
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.) on Nov. 24, Joyce Novacek moved into the top 10 all-time at Bucknell in career blocks. Since that game, she has improved her career total to 62 and is tied for eighth on the list. Cosima Higham posted a career-high six blocks at Cornell on Jan. 6, to give her 57 in her two-plus years in the Orange and Blue. That ranks her 10th all-time at Bucknell.
Last season, 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.
HELPING HANDS
Four Bison are averaging 2.1 assists or better this year. Morgan Wrightson and Rachel Voss have been taking turns for the turn team lead, and Christina Chukwuedo has recently gotten in the mix. The trio is tied with 34 assists (2.4) this season. Trisha Krewson completes the group with 29 (2.1).
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.
LET'S COMPARE
Despite having a 4-10 record, the Bison's statistics show that they are not far from where they were at this time last season. Many of this year's squad's averages closely resemble those put up by the 2008-09 team, which was 9-5 through its first 14 games. Nine of the 14 opponents were the same in each season, including Penn State, Fordham, Loyola (Md.), Yale, Towson, Drexel, Buffalo, Cornell and Navy.
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
| Points/gm | 58.2 | 57.9 |
| Rebounds/gm | 40.5 | 37.9 |
| Rebounding margin | +4.1 | +4.4 |
| FG% | .402 (317-789) | .421 (307-729) |
| 3FG% | .305 (51-167) | .331 (58-175) |
| Steals/gm | 6.7 | 8.4 |
| Assists/gm | 13.9 | 13.7 |
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 Dec. 2. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 finally returns to the friendly confines of Sojka Pavilion after spending much of the last month on the road. The Bison face off against Holy Cross at 2 p.m. on Jan. 16 for the first Patriot League contest at home of the year.
