Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Welcomes American to Sojka Pavilion Wednesday
2/9/2010 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 9, 2010
WHAT: Bucknell (7-14, 3-5) vs. American (14-8, 7-1)
WHERE: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
WHEN: 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 10
PROMOTIONS: WBCA Pink Zone, National Girls & Women in Sports Day
RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM, SportsJuice.com
STREAMING VIDEO: BucknellBison.com
LIVE STATISTICS: BucknellBison.com
Complete Bucknell-American Game Notes 
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ABOUT THE GAME
Bucknell is looking to get back on track against American on Wednesday, as the Bison host several game-day promotions spotlighting women's health and athletic participation. In addition to the matchup with the Eagles being designated a WBCA Pink Zone game, the Bison are also celebrating National Girls & Women in Sports Day at Sojka Pavilion.
On the court, the Bucknell-American contest will feature some of the Patriot League's top rebounders. Bucknell's Cosima Higham and Joyce Novacek, and American's Ohemaa Nyanin each ranks in the top four in the league in offensive boards.
WITH A VICTORY OVER AMERICAN, BUCKNELL WOULD...
► Stay in the top four in the Patriot League standings.
► Avoid tying its longest losing streak to American in series history at four games.
► Improve its home record to 6-5 while dropping American's road record to 5-6.
► Even the series record at home against the Eagles at 6-6.
LAST MEETING - JAN. 13, 2010
► American 63, Bucknell 51 (Bender Arena)
► Despite the 12-point loss, Bucknell finished with some strong shooting percentages. At the final, the Bison shot 50 percent (21-for-42) from the field and 45.5 percent (5-for-11) from 3-point distance. American shot 35.5 percent (22-for-62) from the field.
► The Bison were hit with a scoring drought in the first half that lasted the better part of six minutes. Rachel Voss drilled a 3-point shot at 9:02 to interrupt the slump, but Bucknell continued to struggle. With 8:39 remaining in the first, Bucknell trailed 26-11 following a 13-3 American run.
► Bucknell had a difficult time protecting the ball and committed 15 turnovers in the first half, compared to just three for American. That led to a 16-0 advantage for the Eagles in points off turnovers and a 40-21 overall scoring advantage at the half.
► Bucknell did its best to chip away at American's lead throughout the second half. Although it still did not score at a blistering pace, it was able to limit American to six free throws and no field goals for nearly 13 minutes. With the defensive effort, Bucknell brought its deficit from 44-23 with 19:04 to go to 50-37 at the 6:16 mark. American eventually stopped its skid as Michelle Kirk drained back-to-back three pointers for the Eagles.
QUICK FACTS
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 fourth in career rebounds at Sojka Pavilion with 225, and Trisha Krewson is fourth in career three-pointers made on her home court with 25 ... Bucknell is averaging 50.0 points per game in Patriot League play ... Krewson has scored in double-figures in 10 of the last 11 games ... Bucknell has recorded at least one block in every game this year, including a season-high 10 at Cornell and vs. Colgate ... 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 ... 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 at least once this year.
HISTORY VS. AMERICAN
► The Bison earned a series-high six game win streak from February 2005 to January 2008 with the last game of that streak was the 67-64 overtime victory. Lauren Schober tallied 21 points and nine rebounds in 44 minutes during that contest. She was trailed by Kristina Collymore with 15 points, six rebounds, four steals and 3 assists. Andrea Wright (13 points) and Hope Foster (10) rounded out the double-figure scoring for Bucknell. Although the Orange and Blue made just one field goal in two attempts during the overtime period, they made their biggest impact offensively from the free throw line. Bucknell finished overtime 13-for-19 from the charity stripe.
► 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 5-6 against American on its home court. The Eagles have won each of the last two at Sojka Pavilion, but have never claimed three consecutive victories in Lewisburg since the series began in 1983.
► Bison Career Stats vs. Eagles
Cosima Higham: 4.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 21.8 mpg
Joyce Novacek:10.7 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 28.8 mpg
Taylor Phillips: 2.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 15.8 mpg
Christina Chukwuedo: 0.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 15.7 mpg
Trisha Krewson: 9.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 32.0 mpg
Morgan Wrightson: 4.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.3 apg, 14.7 mpg
► Recent Results:
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
Jan. 13, 2010: American, 63-51
ABOUT THE EAGLES
American took its first Patriot League loss of the season on Saturday, falling 53-46 at Lehigh. The defeat also snapped an eight-game winning streak and dropped the Eagles record to 14-8 overall and 7-1 in the Patriot League. American is outscoring its Patriot League foes by 12.2 points per game and has twice bettered its league opponent by 22 points (Colgate 80-58, Lafayette 53-31) this year.
The Eagles have four players ranked number one in the Patriot League in various statistical categories. Michelle Kirk is tops in scoring (18.7 ppg), Liz Leer in blocked shots (2.4 bpg), Raven Harris in assist/turnover ratio (1.5) and Ohemaa Nyanin in offensive rebounds (3.0).
CLASS ACTS
Bucknell has been getting contributions from every class this year. The junior cohort leads Bucknell with 38.9 percent of the team's rebounds (309) and 64.5 percent of its blocked shots (49). The sophomore class leads in scoring with 41.2 percent of the Bison's points (482) and assists (129) with 46.4 percent. The newest Bison lead in steals (74) with 46.5 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 yet to play in a game.
NO REBOUNDS FOR YOU
Bucknell held Navy to just five offensive rebounds on Saturday night, 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 +5.2. Lehigh is second at +0.9, followed by American in third at +0.6. No other team is averaging more rebounds than its opponents. 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.
IN THE (PINK) ZONE
Bucknell will continue its efforts to promote the fight against breast cancer when it hosts American. Among the activities planned as part of the Bison's WBCA Pink Zone game is a t-shirt giveaway. The first 500 fans to Sojka Pavilion will receive 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.
The WBCA Pink Zone® initiative is a global, unified effort for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. Since the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund was launched on December 3, 2007, the Fund has raised over $1.3 million.
NATIONAL GIRLS & WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY
The Bison are taking on more than just breast cancer on Wednesday night. Bucknell will also be celebrating National Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD). T-shirts promoting the national campaign will be tossed into the stands during the game, and all of Bucknell's women's teams will be recognized at halftime for their commitment to athletics.
NGWSD began in 1987 and has evolved into a day for acknowledging the past and recognizing present current sports achievemnts, the positive influence of sports participation and the continuing struggle for equality and access for women in sports. Among its on-campus activities, Bucknell also recognized its athletes at the Women's Sports Luncheon on Feb. 3, the official National Girls & Women in Sports Day.
ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT HONOREES
Trisha Krewson and Joyce Novacek were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team on Thursday. 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.
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 before handing the reigns over to classmate Trisha Krewson. 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 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.
UNLIKELY ASSISTS
Cosima Higham has begun to show off her passing skills this season. The junior forward has 57 career assists, with 31 of those coming this season. In Patriot League play, Higham is averaging 1.8 assists per game and has posted a career-high five at American.
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
Bucknell held three of its last 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. Cosima Higham posted 21 at Cornell, Joyce Novacek had 22 at Niagara and Morgan Wrightson was the first in the group with 22 against Yale.
100TH PATRIOT LEAGUE WIN FOR FEDORJAKA
With a win over Colgate on Jan. 23, head coach Kathy Fedorjaka earned her 100th career Patriot League. Now in her 13th year in the league, Fedorjaka has tallied a 101-67 (.601) record and has the third most league wins by an active coach. Holy Cross' Bill Gibbons ranks first (203-57), followed by Lehigh's Sue Troyan (109-83).
MORE HONORS FOR VOSS
Rachel Voss earned her second Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week honor on Jan. 25, days after notching her first career 20-point performance against Colgate. The freshman averaged 13.5 points and 5.0 rebounds and shot an impressive .474 from the field to help the Bison to back-to-back league wins last week. Voss earned her first Rookie of the Week award on Nov. 30 after averaging 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds, helping the Bison to a 1-1 record against Loyola (Md.) and UMBC.
Trisha Krewson and Lindsay Horbatuck have brought in some weekly awards from the league as well. Krewson earned her first Player of the Week citation on Jan. 4 on the heels of back-to-back 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. Horbatuck was named Rookie of the Week 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.
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 13 double-figure rebounding nights in her career, the most of any current Bison. Joyce Novacek is close behind, however, with 12.
MAKE IT THREE
Strong outside shooting has quickly become the norm for Trisha Krewson. Over the last 11 games, Krewson has shot .500 or better from behind the three-point arc in all but four contests, including a career-high .667 (8-for-12) against Lycoming on Dec. 30. During that stretch, Krewson is 34-for-74 (.459) from three-point distance. In the 10 games prior to her breakout against Lycoming, the sophomore was just 9-for-33 (.273).
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).
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 50.3 points per game and -14.7. 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 +2.4 margin in defeats.
CENTURY MARK
Joyce Novacek became the first Bison this season with more than 100 points and 100 rebounds after facing Navy on Jan. 8. The junior now has 204 points, which brings her to 600 for her career, and 156 rebounds on the year. Since then, Cosima Higham has joined her with 143 points and 133 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
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 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.
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.
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 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 77 and is seventh on the list. Cosima Higham now has 65 in her two-plus years in the Orange and Blue, ranking her ninth all-time at Bucknell.
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.
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.
UP NEXT
Bucknell will spend its next three games on the road, traveling first to Holy Cross on Saturday, Feb. 13. Tipoff at the Hart Center is slated for 3 p.m.
