Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Looking to Reverse Fortunes at Colgate Saturday
2/19/2010 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 19, 2010
WHAT: Bucknell (7-17, 3-8) vs. Colgate (9-16, 4-7)
WHERE: Cotterell Court, Hamilton, N.Y.
WHEN: 2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 20
RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM, SportsJuice.com
STREAMING VIDEO: Patriot League All-Access
LIVE STATISTICS: GoColgateRaiders.com
Complete Bucknell-Colgate Game Notes 
ABOUT THE GAME
Bucknell is looking to get back on the winning track when it concludes its regular-season road schedule at Colgate on Saturday. The Bison are mired in a four-game losing streak after being upset by Lafayette on Wednesday.
Colgate is also looking to return to its winning ways. The Raiders have dropped their last two contests at American and Lehigh, but they pulled out victories in each of the previous three.
WITH A VICTORY OVER COLGATE, BUCKNELL WOULD...
► Complete the regular-season sweep against the Raiders for the 11th time since joining the Patriot League. It would also complete the first regular-season sweep against any opponent in 2009-10.
► Set a new series-high winning streak of six games.
► Find itself in fourth, fifth or sixth place in the Patriot League standings, depending on the outcome of other games.
► Avoid their second five-game losing streak of the season. The Bison also dropped five straight in non-conference play. That is the longest stretch without a win this season.
LAST MEETING - JAN. 23, 2010
► Bucknell 60, Colgate 47 (Sojka Pavilion)
► Rachel Voss scored a career-high 20 points on 7 of 14 shooting to lead three Bison in double figures. Voss's previous career high of 13 points came in the season's fourth game against Fordham and she matched it at American. She surpassed that in the first half against Colgate with 16 of Bucknell's 27 first-half points. Voss also pulled down a career-high nine rebounds, including six before intermission.
► Joyce Novacek posted her eighth career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds and added a career-high six blocked shots. Cosima Higham also reached double figures in rebounds with 13, her third consecutive game with at least 11 boards.
► A jumper from Voss and five points from Novacek helped Bucknell extend its run to 16-4 as it built a 13-point lead before the first media timeout of the second half. A 3-pointer by Sami Kozlowski, who was the lone Raider in double figures with 13 points, brought Colgate to within four at 36-32 with just under 13 minutes to play. The Raiders would not get closer as the Bison limited them to two points over a span of nearly 10 minutes.
QUICK FACTS
Bucknell is outrebounding its Patriot League opponents by 7.6 boards per game ... at 33 blocked shots, Joyce Novacek is tied for 10th (with her 2008-09 mark and Ann Kirwin) on Bucknell single-season blocks list ... Bucknell held Navy to five offensive rebounds on Feb. 6, marking a Sojka Pavilion record for fewest offensive boards by an opponent ... a sophomore has led the team in scoring average for all but two games this season ... Joyce Novacek ranks third in career rebounds at Sojka Pavilion with 234, and Trisha Krewson is fourth in career three-pointers made on her home court with 28 ... Bucknell is averaging 51.2 points per game in Patriot League play ... Krewson has scored in double-figures in 13 of the last 14 games ... Bucknell has recorded at least one block in every game this year, including a season-high 11 at Lafayette ... Cosima Higham's six blocked shots at Cornell and Novacek's six vs. Colgate tie them for sixth at Bucknell for most rejections in a single game ... 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 ... Rachel Voss and Lindsay Horbatuck have each been named the Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week twice this year.
HISTORY VS. COLGATE
► Bucknell has won nine of the last 10 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 70.6 points to 49.9. Bucknell also beat the Raiders by 32 points twice in that time, which is the largest margin of victory by either team in 52 tries.
► During their current winning five-game winning streak, the Bison are outscoring the Raiders by an average of nearly 25 points (70.4-45.8).
► Bucknell is 13-9 against Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y. The last time the Bison lost to the Raiders on the road was an 84-66 decision on Feb. 26, 2005. That was also Bucknell's last regular-season loss to Colgate.
► Bucknell's 34 all-time wins against Colgate is the most against any Patriot League opponent. The Bison also have 30 wins over both Lafayette and Lehigh. Bucknell's winning percentage (.654) against the Raiders is also number one compared to its other league foes. The Bison also have winning percentages over Army (.636) and Navy (.600).
► Bison Career Stats vs. Raiders
Cosima Higham: 4.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 18.6 mpg
Joyce Novacek: 8.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 22.2 mpg
Taylor Phillips: 5.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 13.0 mpg
Christina Chukwuedo: 1.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.0 apg, 12.0 mpg
Trisha Krewson: 9.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 30.0 mpg
Alison Nahra: 2.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.7 bpg, 5.7 mpg
Morgan Wrightson: 9.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.3 apg, 18.0 mpg
► Recent Results:
Jan. 26, 2008: Bucknell, 65-36
Feb. 23, 2008: Bucknell, 88-57
Jan. 24, 2009: Bucknell, 86-54
Feb. 21, 2009: Bucknell, 53-35
Jan. 23, 2010: Bucknell, 60-47
ABOUT THE RAIDERS
Colgate is having one of its best seasons in recent years, coming into the game with a 9-16 record overall and 4-7 tally in the Patriot League. The Raiders, who had just one Patriot League victory in the previous two years, are currently in a fourth-place tie in the league standings. To put it in that position, Colgate has claimed wins over Navy and Army. The Raiders also completed the sweep of Lafayette last week.
The Raiders' starting center, Tricia Oakes, has had some individual success during her sophomore season. Oakes ranks first in the Patriot League in field goal percentage (.536) and is among the top 20 in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots.
CLOSE CALLS
Bucknell has had some close games lately, losing each of its last three by six or fewer points. The Bison have not experienced such a tight stretch since February 2000 when they dropped four straight by five or fewer points. Those Bison lost to Lehigh (96-91 OT), Colgate (69-66), Albany (64-63) and Lafayette (61-60).
CHARITY STRIPE SUCCESS
Cosima Higham set career highs in free throws made and attempted at Lafayette on Wednesday. The junior forward was 11-for-12 from the line against the Leopards, which helped her to her career-high 23 points. Higham's previous personal best for made free throws was five at Howard on Jan. 5, 2009.
Higham also becomes the first Bison to tally double-figure successful free throws since Desire Almind hit 10 vs. Holy Cross on March 5, 2004.
BLOCKING SHOTS
With 11 blocked shots at Lafayette on Wednesday, Bucknell set a new season-high in rejections. The Bison now have three games in which the team has registered double-digit blocks, which also sets a program record. The 2006-07 Bison finished the season with two such games (12 at Michigan State, 10 vs. Hampton), as did the 1985-86 squad (10 vs. Delaware, St. Bonaventure). Bucknell has finished eight games with double-figure rejections since the 1980-81 season when the stat was first tracked regularly.
BOARD DOMINANCE
Bucknell outrebounded Holy Cross 46-25 last Saturday. The Bison have now held their opponent to fewer than 30 rebounds 10 times this season, including six times in the Patriot League. The dominance on the boards over the Crusaders was also the third time in as many games the Bison have limited their foe on the glass to less than 30. Bucknell also won on the glass against American (42-27) and Army (40-29) most recently.
NATIONALLY RANKED
The Bison broke into the top 25 nationally last week in rebounding margin. As of Feb. 14, Bucknell was ranked 24th in the country at +6.3. Liberty was ranked first at +15.2.
HORBATUCK NAMED PL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK... AGAIN
Lindsay Horbatuck earned her second Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week honor on Monday. The freshman averaged 7.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in Bucknell's games vs. American and Holy Cross last week. Horbatuck posted one of her most complete games against the Eagles, tallying four points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocked shots.
Horbatuck was also named the league's top rookie on Dec. 14 after scoring a career-high and team-best 13 points and tying what was then a career high in rebounds with six at Towson.
PL HONORS
Lindsay Horbatuck is not the only Bison to pull in the weekly awards from the Patriot League this season. Rachel Voss has also claimed a pair of Rookie of the Week honors, and Trisha Krewson was named the Patriot League Player of the Week. Voss' most recent honor came on Jan. 25 after notching her first career 20-point performance when the Bison took on Colgate. The guard averaged 13.5 points and 5.0 rebounds and shot an impressive .474 from the field to help Bucknell to back-to-back league wins that week.
Krewson's citation came Jan. 4 on the heels of consecutive career-best shooting nights in which she combined 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.
BOARD-BATTLING HORBATUCK
After recording her first career game with double-digit rebounds vs. Navy on Feb. 6, Lindsay Horbatuck put up a repeat performance in the Bison's next contest vs. American. Since those back-to-back career nights on the boards, Horbatuck has improved her season total to 101, ranking her third on the team with a 4.6 average.
NOVACEK IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
Through Bucknell's first 10 Patriot League games, Joyce Novacek has been showing off her defensive skills. The junior leads the team in blocks (20), steals (13) and rebounds (7.2 rpg). Her offensive production is nothing to scoff at either, as she is third among Bison in scoring (7.3 ppg) and assists (15).
CLASS ACTS
Bucknell has been getting contributions from every class this year. The junior cohort leads Bucknell with 38.8 percent of the team's rebounds (357) and 62.0 percent of its blocked shots (57). The sophomore class leads in scoring with 40.9 percent of the Bison's points (545) and assists (143) with 45.8 percent. The newest Bison lead in steals (78) with 45.6 percent of the team's swipes. Bucknell's lone senior, Le'Le' LeSeur, recently came off the injured list after having knee surgery last year and has seen limited action this year.
NO REBOUNDS FOR YOU
Bucknell held Navy to just five offensive rebounds on Feb. 6, setting a Sojka Pavilion record for fewest offensive boards by an opponent in the process. By contrast, Lindsay Horbatuck grabbed eight offensive rebounds for the Bison. The game vs. the Midshipmen was the second time the Bison have broken that record this year. Bucknell also limited Loyola (Md.) to six offensive rebounds on Nov. 24.
STILL NUMBER ONE
Bucknell continues to lead the Patriot League in rebounding margin at +6.2. Lehigh is second at +1.5. Until recently, the Bison and Mountain Hawks were the only two teams on the positive side, but they have been joined by American (+0.6) and Navy (+0.1). The Bison have ranked first among league foes since Nov. 30. After coming in fourth (-1.0) after three games, the Bison jumped to first (+4.8) three games later and have remained there since.
ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT HONOREES
Trisha Krewson and Joyce Novacek were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team on Feb. 4. It is the second consecutive honor for Novacek, who has earned a 3.91 cumulative grade-point average while majoring in management. Novacek becomes the first Bison since Jennifer Walz (1986-87, 1987-88, 1988-89) to be voted an All-District team member in back-to-back seasons. Krewson, who has recorded a 3.97 cumulative GPA while majoring in English and minoring in Spanish, is the first Bucknell sophomore since Walz to be voted All-District.
As First Team selections, Novacek and Krewson are eligible for Academic All-America honors to be voted on later this month. In order to be considered for Academic All-America honors, a candidate must be at least a sophomore with a minimum 3.30 cumulative GPA and be a starter or significant reserve on his/her team.
BISON WITH THE COMMUNITY
Bucknell continued its efforts to promote the fight against breast cancer when it hosted American on Feb. 10. As part of the Bison's WBCA Pink Zone game, the first 500 fans to Sojka Pavilion received a free pink t-shirt, 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.
Bucknell also celebrated National Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD). T-shirts promoting the national campaign were tossed into the stands during the game, and all of Bucknell's women's teams were recognized at halftime for their commitment to athletics.
SOPHOMORE SCORING
Bucknell has been getting some major scoring from its underclassmen this season. The Bison's top player in terms of scoring average has been a sophomore for nearly the entire season. Morgan Wrightson led the team from Nov. 21 to Jan. 8. Trisha Krewson replaced Wrightson atop the scoring ledger after the game at American on Jan. 13 and has remained there ever since.
The last sophomore to lead the squad in scoring average was Lindsey Hollobaugh in 2004-05 with 14.9 points per game. Hollobaugh finished her career with 1,386 points, ranking sixth all-time at Bucknell.
TRIPS TO THE LINE
Bucknell did not make many trips to the free throw line in its first three Patriot League games (vs. Navy, American, Holy Cross), shooting a combined 9-for-18 in those matchups. Since then, the Bison have picked up the pace. Bucknell shot 52-for-79 from the charity stripe in its next four contests (vs. Lafayette, Colgate, Lehigh, Army). That tally includes a season-high 20 made free throws on 24 attempts at Army on Jan. 30.
POINT CONTROL
Bucknell held Army to 41 points on Jan. 31 and, not surprisingly, came away with the win. The Bison have had some major success throughout the series when it holds Army to less than 60 points. The Bison are 18-4 all-time in those meetings, which includes each of the last six games.
CLEANING THE GLASS
Bucknell brought down a season-high 52 rebounds when it faced Colgate on Jan. 23. That marks the first time this season the Bison have surpassed the 50-boards mark. The last time Bucknell had 50 or more rebounds came on Nov. 29, 2008 when the squad outrebounded Loyola (Md.), 51-36.
DEFENSIVE EFFORT
To end the first round of Patriot League play, Bucknell held three of four opponents to fewer than 50 points with wins over Lafayette (55-42), Colgate (60-47) and Army (59-41). The last time Bucknell had a similar defensive effort, the Bison went 3-0 against Holy Cross (58-44), Lafayette (58-40) and Colgate (53-35) last season.
OFFENSIVE EFFORT
With her 20 points against Colgate on Jan. 23, Rachel Voss became the fifth Bison this season to hit the scoring milestone. Trisha Krewson has scored 20-plus on three occasions this season, including a 30-point night versus Lycoming, and Cosima Higham has twice tallied more than 20. Joyce Novacek had 22 at Niagara, and Morgan Wrightson was the first in the group with 22 against Yale.
MORE RECORDS FALLING
Bucknell continued to break Sojka Pavilion records when it faced Colgate on Jan. 23. The Bison recorded 24 offensive rebounds, which bettered the previous high mark of 23 set against American on Feb. 7, 2006. The Bison's 10 blocked shots also tied a facility mark set on Nov. 10, 2006 against Howard.
HIGHAM ON THE BOARDS
With 13 rebounds against Colgate on Jan. 23, Cosima Higham earned her third consecutive game with double-digit boards. The junior also had a season-high 16 rebounds against Holy Cross on Jan. 16 and 11 versus Lafayette on Jan. 20. That marks the first time in Higham's career that she has reached double figures in three straight tries. Higham has had 14 double-figure rebounding nights in her career, the most of any current Bison. Joyce Novacek is close behind, however, with 12.
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.
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 66.6 points with a +16.4 scoring margin. In games lost, however, those figures drop to 51.0 points per game and -13.0. Only Trisha Krewson is averaging double-digit points in losses, while three Bison are reaching that mark in wins. The Orange and Blue also has a +10.9 rebounding margin in victories, compared to a slimmer +4.2 margin in defeats.
REJECTED
For the second time this season, Bucknell recorded 10 blocked shots as a team when it faced Colgate on Jan. 23. Joyce Novacek led the Orange and Blue with a career-high six rejections. The Bison also finished the game at Cornell on Jan. 6 with 10 blocks. Cosima Higham and Taylor Phillips each set career highs in the contest with the Big Red, tallying six and two, respectively. The Bison had not reached 10 or more rejections in a single game since recording 12 against nationally ranked Michigan State on Nov. 17, 2006. Hope Foster set the school record for blocked shots with 11 in that game.
Since taking on Colgate, Bucknell's best 2009-10 mark has improved to 11 with the Bison's defensive effort at Lafayette on Feb. 17. Novacek, Higham and Felicia Mgbada each recorded three blocks against the Leopards, while Rachel Voss added two.
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 total was an 8-for-12 shooting performance from behind the arc. Those eight three-pointers tied her with Molly Creamer for the most successful 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 that 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.
BLOCK PARTY
Bucknell women's basketball hosted quite the block party in 2008-09 and that has not changed much in the new season. Both Joyce Novacek and Cosima Higham rank in the top 10 in career blocks with Novacek in sixth (82) and Higham in ninth (68).
Novacek and Higham also ranked in the top 10 on the single-season ledger last season. Novacek has repeated that feat this year, as she now is tied for 10th again with 33 rejections in 2009-10. The junior has equalled with her total from a year ago and the 33 posted by Ann Kirwin in 1985-86.
UP NEXT
Bucknell returns to Sojka Pavilion for its final home games of the season. The Bison host Lehigh at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24, followed by Army on Saturday, Feb. 27.
