Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Kicks Off 2010-11 Season at Home vs. Rider on Friday
11/10/2010 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 10, 2010
WHAT: Bucknell (0-0) vs. Rider (0-0)
WHERE: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
WHEN: Friday, Nov. 12, 5 p.m.
RADIO: WVBU 90.5, SportsJuice.com
VIDEO: Bison Vision 
LIVE STATS: GameTracker 
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
In the Herd: Women's Basketball Season Opener Preview
2010-11 Bucknell Women's Basketball Media Guide
ABOUT THE GAME
Bucknell starts with a clean slate with it hosts the Rider Broncs at Sojka Pavilion in its season opener on Friday. The game is the first of the year for both teams, which struggled last season. The Bison closed out 2009-10 with a 7-21 record overall, while the Broncs were 4-26.
The Orange and Blue returns a solid core of players with an extra year of experience, including the team's leaders in rebounds and blocked shots (Joyce Novacek), assists (Rachel Voss), steals (Lindsay Horbatuck) and assist-to-turnover ratio (Christina Chukwuedo). Bucknell also welcomes a quartet of fresh faces in Shelby Romine, Shelby Trotter, Ashley Baxter and Sarah Shehadi.
WITH A VICTORY OVER RIDER, BUCKNELL WOULD...
► Win its first season opener since defeating George Mason, 62-51, in 2008.
► Win its first home opener since defeating Hampton, 85-77, in 2006.
► Keep Rider from winning back-to-back games against them since 1985.
► Improve the program marks to 22-15 in home openers and 16-22 in season openers.
LAST MEETING - DEC. 6, 1997
► Rider 62, Bucknell 48 (Levien Gymnasium)
► Jessica Mathieson led both teams with 17 points on 8-for-14 shooting when Bucknell and Rider met at Columbia's Levien Gymnasium in 1997. Kim Delfs narrowly missed a double-double in the contest, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds.
► Although the Bison matched the Broncs point for point in the second half, Bucknell found itself trailing by 14 at halftime. Four-for 12 free throw shooting in the final frame did not help the Bison's cause.
► The game was the ninth of Kathy Fedorjaka's Bucknell head coaching career. Fedorjaka went on to finish the season 12-14 overall, earning her first career nod as the Patriot League Coach of the Year.
QUICK FACTS
Rachel Voss was selected to the Patriot League All-Rookie Team last year after leading Bucknell in steals and finishing as the team's fifth-leading scorer ... the Bison recorded at least one blocked shot in every game last year, including a season-best 11 at Lafayette ... Bucknell was picked eighth in the 2010-11 Patriot League Preseason Poll ... Joyce Novacek and Cosima Higham each enter their senior season with nine career double-doubles ... Novacek led the team with five double-doubles in 2009-10 ... Bucknell led the Patriot League in offensive rebounding (13.0/game), rebounding defense (31.9/game), rebounding margin (+5.8) and blocked shots (3.9/game) last season ... the Bison finished the 2009-10 campaign ranked in the top 100 nationally in rebounding margin (27th, +5.8), scoring defense (77th, 59.9) and blocked shots (91st, 3.9) ... Novacek was named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team for the second time in her career last year ... Bucknell ranked 14th nationally on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll with a team GPA of 3.422.
HISTORY VS. RIDER
► After playing 21 times in 17 years, Bucknell and Rider put their series on hiatus. The two teams have not faced off against each other since the 1997-98 season when they met at the Columbia Tournament. Rider won that contest, 62-48.
► The last time Rider played at Bucknell, the Broncs pulled out a 59-57 victory. That came in 1996, but two years earlier, the Bison won 94-78 at Davis Gym. At 16 points, that was just the fourth-largest margin of victory for Bucknell in series history. The largest came on Jan. 24, 1990 when Bucknell defeated Rider 110-80 on the road.
► Rider's largest margin of victory over Bucknell came on March 2, 1983. The Broncs won 93-52, giving them a 41-point spread, in just the second game in series history.
► Bucknell's longest winning streak of eight games ran from 1987 to 1990. The Bison won by an average of 16.75 points during that stretch. Rider has never won more than two in a row against Bucknell.
► Before joining the Patriot League in 1990-91, the Bison played in the East Coast Conference with the Broncs. Bucknell held a 10-3 advantage over Rider in their conference games from 1982-83 to 1989-90.
► Recent Results:
Dec. 6, 1994: Bucknell, 94-78
Dec. 5, 1995: Bucknell, 61-60
Nov. 26, 1996: Rider, 59-57
Nov. 25, 1997: Bucknell, 67-64 (OT)
Dec. 6, 1997: Rider, 62-48 (at Columbia Tournament)
ABOUT THE BRONCS
Rider opens its season on Friday after finishing 4-26 overall and 2-16 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference a year ago. The Broncs, which return just six letterwinners and have no seniors on their roster, were picked last in the MAAC's 2010-11 preseason poll with 13 points. Returning for another campaign is sophomore Caitlin Bopp, who led the team in rebounds, blocked shots and field goal percentage last season on her way to a MAAC All-Rookie Team selection.
The Broncs took on West Chester in a preseason exhibition game last Sunday. The contest went into overtime with Rider pulling out their first victory, 78-71, since February of last season.
LEADING OFF
Bucknell has done well for itself when beginning the season on its home court, going 7-3 in season openers that are also home openers. The most recent victory of that kind came in 2006-07 when the Bison hosted Hampton and handed the Pirates an 85-77 loss.
Season Openers That Were also Home Openers
| 2006-07: | Hampton | W, 85-77 |
| 2001-02: | Albany | W, 64-45 |
| 2000-01: | American | W, 79-73 |
| 1998-99: | Kent State | L, 54-81 |
| 1997-98: | Sacred Heart | W, 64-53 |
| 1996-97: | Marist | W, 75-69 |
| 1995-96: | Hofstra | W, 92:53 |
| 1984-85: | Bloomsburg | L, 50-63 |
| 1981-82: | Lock Haven | L, 37-49 |
| 1974-75: | Susquehanna | W, 73-27 |
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Bucknell continued to excel in the classroom during 2009-10. As a team, the Bison were ranked 14th nationally in grade-point average when the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) released its Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll in July. With a 3.422 GPA, Bucknell was the only Patriot League team to earn recognition.
Bucknell also led the pack on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. The Bison placed 11 of its 12 players on the list, while no other squad had more than seven.
Joyce Novacek and Trisha Krewson added ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team honors to their resumes as well. It was Novacek's second selection of her career.
COACHING MILESTONES
Head coach Kathy Fedorjaka is coming up on yet another milestone in her coaching career. After 13 years at Bucknell, Fedojraka has a 196-179 record with the Orange and Blue, good for a .523 winning percentage. That total has long put her at the top of the list for most program victories. Number two on that list is Fedorjaka's predecessor, Julienne Simpson, with a six-year mark of 65-98.
Last year, Fedorjaka surpassed the century mark in Patriot League wins with her 60-47 win over Colgate. She enters 2010-11 with a career record of 101-73 in the league.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
Seniors Cosima Higham, Joyce Novacek and Taylor Phillips have been named Bucknell's team captains for the 2010-11 season. Higham and Novacek also emerged as the squad's leaders last year, making them the first two-year captains since Lindsey Hollobaugh earned the title of captain in 2005-06 and 2006-07. They are also the 14th and 15th Bison in program history to claim the leadership role multiple times.
NEW FACE
The Bison coaching staff will welcome its newest addition to the sideline against Rider. Bill Broderick joined the team as an assistant coach during the summer after spending the last two seasons as an assistant at Elon. The Vienna, Va., native's career also includes stops at Potomac State College (1992-94), Frostburg State (1994-95), Arizona (1995-98) and Pittsburgh (1998-2002).
ENDING ON A HIGH NOTE
Joyce Novacek could hardly have ended her junior season on a higher note. The forward scored a career-high 24 points in the Patriot League Tournament Quarterfinals against Lehigh. That total is also tied for the third-most points by a Bison in the league tournament. Desire Almind also had 24 against Holy Cross on March 5, 2004, while Molly Creamer and Lindsey Hollobaugh share the record with 25.
TOP OF THE LIST
Joyce Novacek has ranked in the team's top three in rebounds each of her first three years at Bucknell and is just the 12th Bison to do so. The senior is also looking to become one of nine Bison to finish in the top three every year of her career joining, Hope Foster, Lindsey Hollobaugh, Vicki Quimby, Kim Delfs, Chiara Sockel, Kirsten Ellison, Marie Kocornik and Bobbi Castens.
Leading Rebounders
| Joyce Novacek (2007-pres.) | Shannon McGowan (1993-97) | ||||||
| Hope Foster (2004-08)* | Kirsten Ellison (1988-92)* | ||||||
| Lindsey Hollobaugh (2003-07)* | Marie Kocornik (1984-88)* | ||||||
| Vicki Quimby (1998-02)* | Liz Rabenold (1977-81) | ||||||
| Kim Delfs (1995-99)* | Bobbi Castens (1975-79) | ||||||
| Chiara Sockel (1993-97)* | Karin Wegener (1975-79) |
*Ranked among top three through all four years
REBOUNDERS BACK AGAIN
Bucknell returns each of its three leading rebounders from last season in Joyce Novacek (7.2 rpg), Cosima Higham (7.1 rpg) and Lindsay Horbatuck (4.1 rpg). The last time that happened was in 2006-07 when Hope Foster, Lindsay Hollobaugh and Lauren Schober each came back for another season. This season also marks the 11th time in the program's 37 years that each of the top three rebounders returned.
| Season | Leading Rebounders | ||
| 2009-10 | Joyce Novacek, Jr. | Cosima Higham, Jr. | Lindsay Horbatuck Fr. |
| 2005-06 | Hope Foster, So. | Lindsey Hollobaugh, Jr. | Lauren Schober, Fr. |
| 2001-02 | Vicki Quimby, Jr. | Monique LeBlanc, Jr. | Desire Almind, Fr. |
| 1995-96 | Shannon McGowan, Jr. | Kim Delfs, Fr. | Chiara Sockel, Jr. |
| 1994-95 | Shannon McGowan, So. | Casey Hollister, Jr. | Chiara Sockel, So. |
| 1985-86 | Ann Kirwin, Jr.* | Marie Kocornik, So. | Lynne Walshaw, Fr.* |
| 1981-82 | Jenny Burke, Jr. | Carolyn Gates, Fr. | Jody Travisano, So. |
| 1979-80 | Jill Henry, Jr.* | Liz Rabenold, Jr. | Anne Barry, So. |
| 1977-78 | Liz Rabenold, Fr. | Bobbi Castens, Jr.* | Karin Wegener, Jr.* |
| 1976-77 | Bobbi Castens, So.* | Karin Wegener, So.* | Patricia Sermon, So. |
| 1975-76 | Bobbi Castens, Fr.* | Karin Wegener, Fr.* | Sue Conaty, Fr. |
*Bucknell Hall of Famer
DOMINANCE ON THE GLASS
It is no secret that rebounding was one of Bucknell's strong points last season. The Bison finished the year with a +5.8 rebounding margin, one of the highest in program history. The last team that came close to such a mark was the 1997-98 squad that finished with a +5.4 margin on the glass.
Rebounding Margin Since 2000-01
| 2009-10 | +5.8 | ||
| 2008-09 | +2.1 | ||
| 2007-08 | -4.1 | ||
| 2006-07 | -2.5 | ||
| 2005-06 | -0.5 | ||
| 2004-05 | -4.8 | ||
| 2003-04 | +0.0 | ||
| 2002-03 | -6.7 | ||
| 2001-02 | +1.7 | ||
| 2000-01 | +3.4 |
MORE BOARDS
Joyce Novacek has been doing her best to leave her mark in the history books at Bucknell. The forward has ranked among the Bison's top three in rebounding in each of her first three seasons in the Orange and Blue. After averaging 4.3 boards as a freshman, that number improved to 6.3 in 2008-09 and finally 7.2 to lead the team in 2009-10. Novacek leads all current Bison with 510 career rebounds. The senior has a shot at cracking the program's all-time top-10 list in boards this year, needing just 168 more to do so.
KEEPING THE OPPONENT DOWN
The Bison held opponents to 59.9 points per game last season. That ranks eighth all-time on Bucknell's single-season scoring defense. This year's senior class finds itself on the ledger two other times as well, including third in 2008-09 (57.6) and seventh in 2007-08 (59.3).
CLASS CONTRIBUTIONS
Bucknell's current senior class made itself known for its interior play last season. Cosima Higham, Joyce Novacek and Taylor Phillips combined for nearly 40 percent of the Bison's rebounds in 2009-10.
The new sophomore class made equally important contributions defensively as Alyssa Dunn, Lindsay Horbatuck, Felicia Mgbada and Rachel Voss recorded 83 steals, or 41.3 percent of the team's total. The two classes teamed up to amass 101 blocked shots, giving them more than 90 percent of Bucknell's rejections throughout the year.
STILL STARTING
Joyce Novacek has emerged as one of the team's most steady veterans. The senior has made 66 career starts, more than any other Bison on the roster. Novacek also has the squad's longest streak of consecutive starting assignments, having been among the top five in each of her last 52 games dating back to the Nov. 29, 2008 meeting at Loyola (Md.).
ASSISTS LEADER
Rachel Voss joined some rare company when she led the Bison in assists last year. The freshman became Bucknell's first rookie to post the team's high mark in assists since Molly Creamer tied Lori Houck with 107 during the 1999-2000 season. Voss finished her debut campaign with 66 assists.
PATRIOT LEAGUE POSTSEASON HONORS
For the second consecutive year, Bucknell closed out the campaign with two players receiving postseason honors. Rachel Voss was named to the Patriot League All-Rookie Team, while Trisha Krewson earned second-team honors. Voss was the 16th Bison in program history to earn a spot among the league's top freshmen.
PUTTING UP 20-PLUS
At the close of the 2010-11 season, Bucknell had received nine 20-point performances from five different players. Joyce Novacek, Cosima Higham, Trisha Krewson and Morgan Wrightson each had two games of at least 20 points, while Rachel Voss chipped in one against Colgate.
The last season that more Bison reached the 20-point mark in a single game came during 2005-06. Amanda Brown, Lindsey Hollobaugh, Jacquie Seawright, Lauren Schober, Hope Foster and Kesha Champion combined for nine 20-point games as well. Seawright is the only player in that group to not join the 1,000-point club at Bucknell.
REJECTION CITY
Cosima Higham and Joyce Novacek will be looking to move up the record lists in blocked shots during the 2010-11 campaign. Novacek leads the duo on Bucknell's all-time rejections list with 85 blocked shots, ranking her sixth. Higham is eighth on the program ledger with 75. Both are also tied for sixth on the single-game blocks record list - Higham had six against Cornell, while Novacek turned away six opposite Colgate last January - and trail only all-time blocks leader Hope Foster and Ann Kirwin.
MIXING IT UP
Bucknell relied on the entire squad for production throughout the 2009-10 campaign. Last season six different Bison at least shared the team lead in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots during their 28 games. The team followed a similar trend in assists as well, as seven different players claimed game highs.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
Over the years Bucknell women's basketball has strived to make a difference in the community. Among the Bison's efforts last season were their annual celebration of National Girls & Women in Sports Day and the WBCA Pink Zone in support of breast cancer education and awareness. Those programs will continue in 2010-11. Bucknell will also make several visits to local elementary schools and the Donald Heiter Community Center, take part in a pen pal program and more. The current team's support of the Lewisburg community began last summer as the Bison volunteered with the Lewisburg Lights and Kelly Mazzante 5K runs, as well as with the street fair at the Bucknell Bookstore's grand opening.
PATRIOT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
Bucknell was picked eighth in the 2010-11 Patriot League Preseason Poll. American was picked first in the poll with 93 points, including nine first-place votes. The Eagles were followed closely by defending champion Lehigh with 91 points and seven first-place votes. Navy and Army rounded out the top half in third and fourth, respectively.
2010-11 PATRIOT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
Team (First-place votes) - Points
1. American (9) - 93
2. Lehigh (7) - 91
3. Navy - 70
4. Army - 59
5. Holy Cross - 42
6. Colgate - 40
Lafayette 40
8. Bucknell - 31
PRESEASON ALL-PATRIOT LEAGUE TEAM
Michelle Kirk, American (Player of the Year)
Angela Myers, Navy
Erin Anthony, Army
Erica Prosser, Lehigh
Liz Leer, American
UP NEXT
The Bison will not have to wait long for their first road test of the season. Bucknell will travel to Fordham for a 7 p.m. matchup on Wednesday, Nov. 17. After not playing each other since 1995, the teams renewed the series in 2008. The Bison won each of the last two meetings against the Rams, including a 47-46 decision the last time they were in Rose Hill Gym.
