Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Challenges Colgate in Program's 900th Game
1/22/2010 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 22, 2010
WHAT: Bucknell (5-12, 1-3) vs. Colgate (6-12, 1-3)
WHERE: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
WHEN: 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 23
PROMOTIONS: USA Jump Rope Team, postgame autographs
RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM, SportsJuice.com
STREAMING VIDEO: BucknellBison.com
LIVE STATISTICS: BucknellBison.com
Complete Bucknell-Colgate Game Notes 
ABOUT THE GAME
Bucknell will play for its second straight league victory in its 900th game in program history when it takes on Colgate on Saturday night. The Bison are 407-492 (.453) in nearly 37 years of play. They have seen even greater success over the Raiders in the 51-game series, earning a 33-18 (.647) record since 1983.
The USA Jump Rope Team will perform at halftime. Bucknell players will also be available after the game for autographs on the Sojka Pavilion concourse.
WITH A VICTORY OVER COLGATE, BUCKNELL WOULD...
► Claim back-to-back Patriot League wins.
► Win its fifth straight game against the Raiders and the sixth straight on its home court.
► Improve its home record to better than .500 for the first time this season since being 2-1 in November.
► Give head coach Kathy Fedorjaka her 100th win in the Patriot League.
► Move ahead of the Raiders in the Patriot League standings.
LAST MEETING - FEB. 21, 2009
► Bucknell 53, Colgate 35 (Sojka Pavilion)
► Four Sojka Pavilion records fell as the Bucknell women's basketball team defeated Colgate on Senior Night. The Bison improved on the facility's high mark with 20 steals and held the Raiders to nine first-half points on 9.1 percent shooting, both new opponent lows on that court. Lauren Schober also finished with nine steals, giving her the single-game record for a Bison at Sojka.
► The Orange and Blue held Colgate to just two field goals, both of them three-pointers, and three free throws in the opening stanza. Four of those nine first-half points came from Sami Kozlowski, who tallied the first Colgate field goal at 6:46.
► Bucknell pounded the ball inside on the offensive end. The Bison's final 18 points of the game came in the paint with a Trisha Krewson layup giving the team its first 20-point lead of the game. Bucknell went on to outscore Colgate 36-14 in the paint.
► The 35 points the Bison allowed were the fewest of the season. It also gave Bucknell its third straight game of holding its opponent to fewer than 50 points. The 24.1 percent shooting was the lowest of the season by a Bucknell opponent as well.
QUICK FACTS
Joyce Novacek ranks fifth in career rebounds at Sojka Pavilion with 207, and Trisha Krewson is tied for fourth in career three-pointers made on her home court with 24 ... Bucknell is averaging 47.0 points per game in Patriot League play ... Krewson has scored in double-figures in each of the last seven games ... 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 by the Bison in series history ... 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 ... Novacek has recorded at least one blocked shot in 10 of the last 14 games ... Rachel Voss and Lindsay Horbatuck have each been named the Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week this year ... Higham was named to the Iona Tip-Off All-Tournament Team during the season's opening weekend.
HISTORY VS. COLGATE
► Bucknell has won eight of the last nine matchups with the Raiders. The lone loss came on March 3, 2007 as Colgate became the only team in Patriot League history seeded eighth in the tournament to upset the No. 1 seed. During that stretch, the Bison have outscored Colgate 79.1 points to 59.6. Bucknell also beat the Raiders by 32 points twice in that time, which is the largest margin of victory by either team in 51 tries.
► The Bison are 18-4 at home against Colgate, having won those contests by an average of more than eight points per game. Bucknell has also won 13 of the last 14 on its home court.
► Bucknell has held Colgate to fewer than 40 points in each of the teams' last three meetings at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison have also held Raiders to fewer than 60 points in seven of the last nine contests, regardless of venue. Over the entire series, Bucknell is 16-1 in games when Colgate scores less than 60 points.
► Bison Career Stats vs. Raiders
Cosima Higham: 5.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 14.8 mpg
Joyce Novacek: 9.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 19.5 mpg
Taylor Phillips: 7.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.0 apg, 15.5 mpg
Christina Chukwuedo: 0.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 9.0 mpg
Trisha Krewson: 9.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 25.5 mpg
Alison Nahra: 3.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.0 bpg, 8.5 mpg
Morgan Wrightson: 14.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 23.0 mpg
► Recent Results: March 3, 2007:
Colgate, 69-62 (PL Tournament)
Jan. 26, 2008: Bucknell, 65-36
Feb. 23, 2008: Bucknell, 88-57
Jan. 24, 2009: Bucknell, 86-54
Feb. 21, 2009: Bucknell, 53-35
ABOUT THE RAIDERS
Colgate opened its season by going 5-0. The winning streak ended after an 11-point victory over Mount St. Mary's on Nov. 24 and was followed by a 10-game losing streak. The Raiders finally put a stop to the run by defeating Lafayette 71-63 on the road. Most recently, Colgate fell to Lehigh in Hamilton, N.Y., 57-45. The Raiders led by as many as eight points in the first half and, although they never led in the second, came within just two points of the Mountain Hawks with five minutes remaining in the contest. Lehigh closed it out with a 13-3 run to hand Colgate the loss.
Sami Kozlowski and Tricia Oakes are neck-and-neck for the Raiders' top scoring position with 10.5 and 10.4 points per game, respectively. Oakes also leads the team in rebounding with 5.3 boards per game. Jhazmine Lynch has already made a splash in her first year in the league, twice claiming the Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor.
THIS WEEK'S COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Saturday's contest continues with the planned activities as the game vs. Colgate has been designated Elementary School/Girl Scout/Cheerleader/Daycare Center Night. The USA Jump Rope Team will return for its annual appearance at Sojka Pavilion, and the Bison will hold a postgame autograph session.
LOOKING FOR 100
With a win over Colgate, head coach Kathy Fedorjaka will have 100 Patriot League victories in her career. Now in her 13th year in the league, Fedorjaka has tallied a 99-65 (.604) record and has the third most league wins by an active coach. Holy Cross' Bill Gibbons ranks first (201-55), followed by Lehigh's Sue Troyan (105-83).
HIGHAM ON THE BOARDS
With 11 rebounds against Lafayette on Wednesday, Cosima Higham earned her second consecutive game with double-digit boards. The junior also had a season-high 16 rebounds against Holy Cross on Jan. 16. That marks the first time in Higham's career that she has reached double figures in back-to-back tries.
Higham has had 12 double-figure rebounding nights in her career, the most of any current Bison. Joyce Novacek is close behind, however, with 11.
MAKE IT THREE
Strong outside shooting has quickly become the norm for Trisha Krewson. Over the last seven games, Krewson has shot .500 or better from behind the three-point arc, including a career-high .667 (8-for-12) against Lycoming on Dec. 30. During that stretch, Krewson is 29-for-51 (.569) from three-point distance. In the 10 games prior to her breakout against Lycoming, the sophomore was just 9-for-33 (.273).
NATIONALLY RANKED
With her recent success from behind the three-point arc, Trisha Krewson has moved herself onto the list of the country's top long-distance shooters. As of Jan. 17, the sophomore guard ranked 21st nationally in three-point field goal percentage.
SLIPPED AWAY
After going into halftime with a one-point lead against Holy Cross Jan. 16, the Bison suffered a scoring drought that eventually handed them a 13-point loss. That was a rare event for Bucknell, which has been successful at protecting first-half leads lately. The last time the Bison fell by 13 or more points after leading at halftime came on Dec. 16, 2006 at Coppin State. After earning the 26-25 lead midway through the action, the Bison lost 64-50 despite shooting 45.5 percent (10-for-22) from the field in the second frame. Coppin State bettered that mark, however, at 51.1 percent (16-for-31).
RARE LOOKS
Bucknell did not make many trips to the free throw line in its first three Patriot League games, shooting a combined 9-for-18 in those matchups. By contrast, Bucknell was 18-for-24 against Cornell in its non-conference finale and 11-for-18 against Lafayette in the fourth league game of the season.
NIGHT AND DAY
A quick comparison of the Bison's statistics when they win versus lose paints a clear picture. In games Bucknell has won this year, it is averaging 69.4 points with a +16.8 scoring margin. In games lost, however, those figures drop to 50.9 points per game and -14.1. No Bison is averaging double-digit points in losses, while four are reaching that mark in wins. The Orange and Blue also has a +10.6 rebounding margin in victories, compared to a slimmer +2.5 margin in defeats.
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 on Jan. 8. 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 following her outing at Navy on Jan. 8. The junior has now tallied 172 points and 126 rebounds on the year. Since then, Cosima Higham has joined her with 127 points and 111 boards.
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 on Jan. 6 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.
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.
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.
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 67 and is eighth on the list. Cosima Higham posted a career-high six blocks at Cornell on Jan. 6 and now has 60 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.
LET'S COMPARE
Despite having a 5-12 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 9-8 through its first 17 games. All but five opponents have been the same in each season.
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
| Points/gm | 58.1 | 56.4 |
| Rebounds/gm | 38.9 | 37.5 |
| Rebounding margin | +2.8 | +4.9 |
| FG% | .404 (387-958) | .422 (366-868) |
| 3FG% | .311 (68-219) | .326 (71-218) |
| Steals/gm | 6.3 | 7.7 |
| Assists/gm | 14.1 | 13.5 |
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.
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.
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.
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 pleasant three-game homestand, Bucknell will return to the road to take on Lehigh and Army. The Bison will challenge the Mountain Hawks first, traveling to Bethlehem, Pa., on Wednesday, Jan. 27. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.
