Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Aims for Pre-Thanksgiving Feast at Youngstown State on Wednesday
11/23/2010 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 23, 2010
WHAT: Bucknell (1-2) vs. Youngstown State Penguins (0-3)
WHERE: Beeghly Center, Youngstown, Ohio
WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 24, 5:15 p.m.
RADIO: WVBU 90.5, SportsJuice.com
VIDEO: YSUsports.com 
LIVE STATS: YSUsports.com
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
ABOUT THE GAME
Bucknell will shoot for its first road win of the season when it travels to Ohio for a pre-Thanksgiving contest against the Youngstown State Penguins on Wednesday. Both squads are hoping for continued success from their youth - Bucknell's leading scorer is freshman Shelby Romine, while Youngstown State's is sophomore Brandi Brown - to help put them back in the wins column.
Wednesday's contest is part of a double-header at Youngstown State. The Penguin's men's squad will host Toledo following the women's game.
WITH A VICTORY OVER YOUNGSTOWN STATE, BUCKNELL WOULD...
► Snap a two-game losing skid and even its 2010-11 record at 2-2.
► Snap a three-game losing streak against the Penguins.
► Win its first road game since defeating Army 59-41 on Jan. 30, 2010.
► Give head coach Kathy Fedorjaka her first-ever win over the Penguins.
► Hand the Penguins their 35th straight loss dating back to their 2008-09 season finale.
LAST MEETING - JAN. 4, 1992
► Youngstown State 71, Bucknell 45 (Beeghly Center)
► Seniors Kelly Dee and Kristen Ellison both reached double-digit scoring with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Both just missed a double-double with eight rebounds each.
► Stronger shooting throughout the game from the Penguins doomed the Bison to their sixth loss of the year. Youngstown State shot 33-for-85 (.388) from the field. Bucknell was just 13-for-44 (.295) in the game.
► Youngstown State's win gave the Penguins their 19th consecutive home victory. That undefeated streak eventually stretched to 23 games.
► The loss was the fifth in a 13-game losing streak for the Bison that ran from Dec. 6, 1991 to Jan. 27, 1992. It was also their third consecutive loss to the Penguins.
QUICK FACTS
Shelby Romine has led Bucknell in scoring in each of her first three collegiate games, including a 21-point performance vs. Buffalo on Nov. 21 ... Christina Chukwuedo has led Bucknell in assists all three games this season and has a team-best 1.63 assist/turnover ratio ... Joyce Novacek at least shared the team rebounding lead in two of the first three games this season ... Romine was named the Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week on Nov. 15 and Nov. 22 ... Novacek claimed her 10th career double vs. Rider on Nov. 12 ... Six of Rachel Voss' eight double-digit scoring performances have come at Sojka Pavilion ... 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 ... Cosima Higham each enter her senior season with nine career double-doubles ... 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).
HISTORY VS. YOUNGSTOWN STATE
► Bucknell and Youngstown State have played just four times in series history with the last meeting coming during the 1991-92 season. The Bison's first and only victory came by 10 points on Jan. 16, 1989.
► In their three series wins, the Penguins have won by an average of 23.3 points per game. The Bison have never come closer than 20 points in a loss.
► When Kirsten Ellison was beginning her career at Bucknell, the Bison were just beginning the series with the Penguins. The matchup proved advantageous for the center who averaged 11.8 points and 9.3 rebounds in four games against Youngstown State. In the first two contests, Ellison recorded double-doubles with 15 points and 11 rebounds as a freshman followed by 17 points and 15 rebounds a year later. Ellison went on to finish her career with 1,050 points in the Orange and Blue. At the time of her graduation, she also held the program record with 892 career rebounds. She currently ranks third on the list.
► Ellison's 15 rebounds on Jan. 18, 1990 is the most by a Bison against Youngstown State. Eleven of those boards came on the offensive glass. Bucknell Hall of Famer Jennifer Walz also set a series high with 31 points against the Penguins on Jan. 16, 1989.
► In Bucknell's first win over Youngstown State on Jan. 16, 1989, Jennifer Walz' 31 points came on 10-for-15 shooting from the field. She was also 10 of 11 from the free throw line. As a team, the Bison finished with a field goal percentage of .491 (27-55), while the Penguins shot .475 (28-59). The difference came at the free throw line where Bucknell was successful on 17 of its 30 attempts. Youngstown State made just five trips to the line during the game, sinking four of its shots.
► Past Results:
Jan. 16, 1989: Bucknell, 72-62
Jan. 18, 1990: Youngstown State, 92-68
Dec. 11, 1990: Youngstown State, 78-58
Jan. 4, 1992: Youngstown State, 71-45
ABOUT THE PENGUINS
Youngstown State is looking to snap a losing streak that has lasted over parts of three seasons and enters the contest with Bucknell with a 0-3 record in 2010-11. The losses this year have come against Pittsburgh (78-58), Bowling Green (86-40) and Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne (73-61). Sophomore Brandi Brown scored 20 or more points in two of those contests, including a season-high 29 against IPFW.
Brown was named to the Horizon League All-Newcomer Team a year ago. As a freshman, she averaged a double-double during the regular season with 11.6 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Eleven of her 14 double-doubles on the year came in Horizon League play. New to the team this season is the Penguins' head coach, Bob Boldon.
ROMINE TOP ROOKIE ... AGAIN
Shelby Romine became the first Bison to cop Patriot League honors when she was named the league's Rookie of the Week on Nov. 15. She repeated the feat on Nov. 22 when she was voted the Rookie of the Week for a second consecutive voting period, making her the sixth player in league history to be named the top newcomer in each of the season's first two weeks.
Romine's most recent honor came after averaging 15.0 points and 4.5 rebounds against Fordham and Buffalo last week. The freshman posted a career-high 21 points against the Bulls on Sunday to give her the team lead in scoring for the third consecutive game. The guard's first award came just days after recording a squad-best 17 points and five assists against Rider. Romine earned the start in her first collegiate game and played 38 minutes opposite the Broncs.
RARE ROOKIE COMPANY
With her 21 points against Buffalo last Sunday, Shelby Romine became the first Bison this season and the fourth freshman in five years to reach the 20-point plateau. Other Bucknellians that scored at least 20 points in a game during their rookie campaigns include Romine's teammate Rachel Voss (20 vs. Colgate, Jan. 23, 2010), Morgan Wrightson (20 vs. Wofford, Dec. 19, 2008), Amanda Brown (20 at UMES, Dec. 17, 2005; 22 at Buffalo, Dec. 28, 2005; 21 at Navy, Jan. 7, 2006) and Lauren Schober (22 at American, Jan. 10, 2006; 21 at Colgate, Feb. 4, 2006).
Including Romine, 21 freshmen have scored at least 20 points in 68 game in program history. Leading the group are Lindsey Hollobaugh (2003-07), Molly Creamer (1999-2003) and Jane Meyer (1982-84) who each had nine 20-point performances as rookies.
FRESHMAN FEAT
Through Bucknell's first three games this season, the same name has appeared atop the scoring column. Shelby Romine has posted the team's highest point total in each outing so far, tallying 17 against Rider, nine at Fordham and 21 against Buffalo. No other single Bison freshman has ever led the team in scoring in each of her first three contests.
During the 1975-76 season, which was Bucknell's third sponsoring women's basketball as a varsity sport, freshmen led the team in scoring in every game. No single player posted the high mark in three consecutive games, however. The 1975-76 roster was comprised of six freshmen, three sophomores and two juniors.
FREE THROW DUO
Joyce Novacek and Shelby Romine have been earning plenty of time at the free throw line this season. After three games, the duo has combined to go 23 of 35 (.657) from the line. The rest of the team is a combined 20-for-29 (.690).
PHILLIPS OFF THE BENCH
After going scoreless in her first three 2010-11 appearances, senior Taylor Phillips connected for five points in 15 minutes off the bench against Buffalo. Phillips was 2-for-6 from the field, including 1-for-2 from 3-point distance against the Bulls. The last time the guard scored came at Holy Cross on Feb. 13, 2010. Phillips' scoreline was nearly identical with five points on 2-for-5 shooting and 1-for-3 from behind the arc.
HORIZON LEAGUE CONNECTION
Bucknell has limited experience with Youngstown State's Horizon League. The Bison's second-year assistant coach Brenna Rollie is the exception, however. Prior to joining Bucknell, Rollie served as the director of basketball operations at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, a conference foe of the Penguins.
PUTTING UP 20-PLUS
At the close of the 2009-10 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.
THE LAST TIME THAT HAPPENED, WE WON
After taking a three-point lead at halftime against Fordham on Nov. 17, Bucknell fell flat offensively in the second half and shot 3-for-14 (.214) from the field in the final 20 minutes. The last time a Bison squad made just three field goals in a single half was on Jan. 20, 1993. Bucknell played Army in Davis Gym and went 3-for-26 (.115) in the first half. Despite the poor shooting, the 1993 Bison took a 16-14 lead into halftime and ended the night with a 51-37 victory over the Black Knights. The difference came at the free throw line as Bucknell made 25 of 35 attempts, including 15 of 18 from Bucknell Hall of Famer Lisa Fink, compared to 5-for-15 shooting for Army.
SCORING STRUGGLES
It has not been as long as you might think since Bucknell scored as few as 17 points in a single half. Prior to suffering their scoring drought against Fordham on Nov. 17, the Bison posted 17 points in the second half against Lehigh on Feb. 24 and Holy Cross on Jan. 16 as well as in the first half against Lehigh on Jan. 27 last season.
100s UPDATED
Christina Chukwuedo hit the century mark in both career points and assists at Fordham on Nov. 17. The junior now has 104 points and 105 assists in the Orange and Blue. Chukwuedo's assists total is a team high.
Chukwuedo added to her list of 100s against Buffalo the following game. With three boards against the Bulls, Chukwuedo currently sits at 100 career rebounds.
KEEPING THEM OFF THE GLASS
For the first time this season, Bucknell outrebounded its opponent, winning the battle on the glass against Fordham, 31-25. The Bison held foes to 25 or fewer rebounds eight times last season. Lycoming struggled the most, grabbing just 21 total rebounds on Dec. 30.
Bucknell also limited Fordham to seven offensive boards. That happened on five occasions during the 2009-10 season with the fewest being five against Navy on Feb. 6.
ONCE A THIEF, ALWAYS A THIEF
Lindsay Horbatuck has picked up where she left in the steals department. After leading the team in steals as a freshman (34), the scrappy forward picked up two steals in each of her first two games this season.
NOT-SO-SHARP SHOOTING
After their first two games, the Bison were just 1 of 6 from 3-point range. The 2004-05 squad had similar shooting performances in its season debuts, combining for 1-for-9 from behind the arc against Florida International and Texas A&M. That team broke open the scoring in their third game, shooting 4-for-19 against Cornell. Following that trend, the current Bison pulled out of their funk by shooting 4-for-8 from 3-point distance opposite Buffalo on Sunday afternoon.
THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE THROWS
Bucknell was 18 of 25 from the free throw line against Rider on Nov. 12. Those numbers turned out to be noteworthy for several Bison.
► Shelby Romine was 9-for-13 from the line. The freshman's outing was just the fifth time since 2005-06 that a Bison made at least nine free throws in a single game. Romine joins Cosima Higham and Hope Foster, who sank nine free throws on three occasions, during that stretch.
► Joyce Novacek made seven of her eight free throw attempts against the Broncs. The last time the forward posted similar success at the charity stripe was at American last season. Novacek was also 7-for-8 (.875) in that contest.
► The Bison reached 18 made free throws three times all of last season, including at Cornell (18-24), Army (20-24) and Lafayette (18-23).
► The last time Bucknell attempted 25 or more free throws was against Colgate on Jan. 23, 2010 when they shot 16-for-27.
EARLY DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Joyce Novacek posted her 10th career double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds against Rider on Nov. 12. Such a performance in the first game of the season is not unusual for the Bison. Bucknell now has had a player reach the double-double achievement in the season opener five times in the last six years.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES IN RECENT SEASON OPENERS
| Lindsey Hollobaugh | 2005-06 | at Stony Brook | 14 pts.-11 reb. |
| Hope Foster | 2006-07 | vs. Hampton | 20pts.-16 reb. |
| Lauren Schober | 2007-08 | at St. Bonaventure | 10 pts.-10 reb. |
| Cosima Higham | 2009-09 | at George Mason | 12 pts.-13 reb. |
| Joyce Novacek | 2010-11 | vs. Rider | 11 pts.-13 reb. |
DEFENSIVE POWER
Bucknell held Rider to .298 shooting from the field (17-57) on Nov. 12, and everyone is hoping that is a sign of good things to come. Despite posting one of the best scoring defense marks in program history last season, the Bison limited opponents to less than 30 percent shooting just twice, including Colgate (.295; 18-61) and Army (.278; 15-54).
STARTING ON THE RIGHT FOOT
There's something about season openers that seems to get Rachel Voss going. In Bucknell's 2009-10 opener vs. Miami (Ohio), Voss totaled 10 points and three steals. Against Rider in the 2010-11 season opener, the sophomore tallied 11 points and tied that career high in steals. NEW FACE
The Bison coaching staff welcomed 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).
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. Now in her 14th year at Bucknell, Fedojraka has a 197-181 record with the Orange and Blue, good for a .521 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.
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.
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 534 career rebounds. The senior has a shot at cracking the program's all-time top-10 list in boards this year, needing just 144 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 69 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 54 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.
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 tied for seventh on the program ledger with 80. 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.
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
7. 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
Bucknell will return to Sojka Pavilion for the last time in the month of November, hosting Niagara at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 28. The Bison lead in the all-time series with the Purple Eagles, 4-3. They will try to extend that lead after suffering a 25-point loss at Niagara last winter.
