Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Faces Lehigh in PL Quarterfinals Saturday
3/4/2010 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 4, 2010
WHAT: Bucknell (7-20) vs. Lehigh (26-3)
WHERE: Hart Center, Worcester, Mass.
WHEN: 2:30 p.m., Saturday, March 6
RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM, SportsJuice.com
STREAMING VIDEO: BucknellBison.com
LIVE STATISTICS: GoHolyCross.com
Complete Bucknell-Lehigh Game Notes 
Other Links:
ABOUT THE GAME
Bucknell looks to start the tournament season with a clean slate when it takes on top-seeded Lehigh in the Patriot League Quarterfinals at the Hart Center in Worcester, Mass., on Saturday. The No. 8 Bison will play in the second game of the day, scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
Lehigh is attempting to defend its title. The Mountain Hawks won the tournament championship in 2009, claiming the league's coveted automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
WITH A VICTORY OVER LEHIGH, BUCKNELL WOULD...
► Advance to the Patriot League Tournament semifinals for the first time since it won the league championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2008.
► Improve its Patriot League Tournament record to 15-16.
► Win its first game since defeating Army on Jan. 30.
► Snap a six-game losing streak to the Mountain Hawks.
► Finish the season 1-2 against the Mountain Hawks.
► Become the second No. 8 seed to upset the No. 1 seed at the Patriot League Tournament in league history.
LAST MEETING - FEB. 24, 2010
► Lehigh 56, Bucknell 41 (Sojka Pavilion)
► Bucknell women's basketball committed 22 second-half turnovers, turning its halftime lead into a 56-41 loss to Lehigh at Sojka Pavilion.
► Bucknell and Lehigh traded the lead back and forth several times as the clock wound its way to zero. The first half saw eight lead changes and nine ties. The Bison got the last word before the teams headed to the locker room, however, taking a 24-23 advantage into the break.
► Lehigh restarted play much sharper than it had been through the first 20 minutes, and Bucknell saw its offensive production all but disappear. The Bison went more than five minutes without a field goal, a fact that was made worse by their five turnovers during that time. Even with the slow start, the Bison still trailed by just 32-28.
► An inability to take care of the ball sealed the deal for the Bison. Twelve turnovers in the first half turned into 34 for the game, tying a season high. The miscues had a direct impact on Bucknell's ability to get shots off, as the Bison were 5-for-11 in the last 20 minutes.
► The Mountain Hawks went on to outscore the Bison 30-7 off turnovers and 42-12 in the paint.
QUICK FACTS
Trisha Krewson (Second Team All-PL) and Rachel Voss (All-Rookie) both received Patriot League honors on Tuesday ... Bucknell broke the single-season turnover record, recording 596 this year ... Bucknell is outrebounding its Patriot League opponents by 6.1 boards per game ... at 35 blocked shots, Joyce Novacek is ninth on the Bucknell single-season blocks list ... Bucknell held Navy to five offensive rebounds on Feb. 6, tying a Sojka Pavilion record for fewest offensive boards by an opponent ... the Bison nearly equaled that record vs. Lehigh, allowing just six offensive boards on Feb. 24 ... Bucknell set a Sojka Pavilion record with 34 turnovers vs. Lehigh ... Novacek ranks third in career rebounds at Sojka Pavilion with 238, and Krewson is fourth in career three-pointers made on her home court with 32 ... Bucknell is averaging 49.9 points per game in Patriot League play ... 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. LEHIGH
► Bucknell is 1-2 against Lehigh in the Patriot League Tournament. The Mountain Hawks won the first two by an average of less than four points, but the Bison took the last win in a 10-point decision in the 2006 quarterfinals. The No. 3 seed, Bucknell went on to lose to No. 2 Holy Cross in the semifinals. The 2006 tournament was also held at the Hart Center in Worcester, Mass.
► The Bison are 2-1 against the Mountain Hawks when playing at a neutral site, but just 1-1 in the Patriot League Tournament on a neutral court.
► Bucknell has outrebounded Lehigh in four of the last five meetings and in six of the last 11.
► Previous Patriot League Tournament matchups with Lehigh have seen their share of scoring. Three Bison have registered double-digit scoring totals in all three meetings, and three Mountain Hawks have reached double figures on two occasions. Bucknell has shot better than .400 twice, including .423 (22-for-52) in 2006.
► Bison Career Stats vs. the Mountain Hawks
Cosima Higham: 6.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 20.8 mpg
Joyce Novacek: 5.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 24.0 mpg
Taylor Phillips: 2.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 10.8 mpg
Christina Chukwuedo: 1.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.5 apg, 13.8 mpg
Trisha Krewson: 9.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 28.5 mpg
Morgan Wrightson: 3.0 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 1.3 apg, 17.0 mpg
Alyssa Dunn: 5.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 13.5 mpg
Lindsay Horbatuck: 3.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 16.0 mpg
Felicia Mgbada: 0.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.0 spg, 15.0 mpg
Rachel Voss: 3.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.5 apg, 26.5 mpg
► Recent Results:
Feb. 27, 2008: Lehigh, 55-48
Jan. 28, 2009: Lehigh, 66-53
Feb. 25, 2009: Lehigh, 69-60
Jan. 27, 2010: Lehigh, 69-47
Feb. 24, 2010: Lehigh, 56-41
► All-time Tournament Results vs. Lehigh:
Feb. 27, 1998: Lehigh, 59-55
March 3, 2005: Lehigh, 54-52
March 2, 2006: Bucknell, 64-54
ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN HAWKS
Finishing the season at 13-1 in the Patriot League, Lehigh shared the regular-season title with American, but the Mountain Hawks claimed the No. 1 seed in the league tournament based on RPI ranking. Lehigh has won 13 straight since falling in overtime to American on Jan. 9, bringing its overall record to 26-3 for the regular season. Its 26 wins ties a program record.
Three Mountain Hawks were named All-Patriot League on Tuesday. Emily Gratch and Erica Prosser were voted to the first team, while Alex Ross was named to the second team. Lehigh's three selections led the league, with American and Holy Cross being the only other teams to have more than one player chosen.
2010 PATRIOT LEAGUE POSTSEASON HONORS
Trisha Krewson and Rachel Voss each earned postseason honors for the Bison on Tuesday. Krewson was a Second Team All-Patriot League honoree, while Voss was named to the All-Rookie Team. Krewson received the award after leading Bucknell in scoring with 12.5 points per game, including a 14.0 scoring average in Patriot League action. The guard's .409 three-point field goal percentage (56-for-137) is also tops among Bison and ranks in the top 40 nationally.
Voss has twice been named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week this season leading to her first postseason honor. In her debut campaign, the freshman guard is averaging 6.1 points and a team-leading 2.2 assists per game. Voss worked her way into the Bison's rotation immediately, earning her first starting assignment in Bucknell's season opener and scoring 10 points and dishing out four assists.
PL TOURNEY SCORING
Although Bucknell has had some great success in the Patriot League Tournament over the last few years, it will be looking for production from some new faces this weekend. Heading into the matchup with Lehigh, only Cosima Higham and Joyce Novacek have scored in a Patriot League Tournament game. Higham is averaging 7.0 points, while Novacek is at 8.5 points per game in their four postseason contests. In last year's PL Tournament game vs. Navy, former Bison Lauren Schober and Amanda Brown combined for 32 of the team's 51 points, and Higham and Novacek tallied the remaining 19.
ON THE POSITIVE
For the second consecutive year, Christina Chukwuedo is among the Bison leaders in assist/turnover ratio. The sophomore guard has recorded a 1.04 mark this season, which is best on the team. Chukwuedo was second on the squad a year ago with a ratio of 1.5. Former teammate Amanda Brown led the squad in 2008-09 at 1.9.
LOTS OF POINTS
Cosima Higham has been on a scoring streak of late, registering double-figure point totals in each of the last five games. That streak sets a career high for the junior, breaking her previous career-best mark of four set last season and again earlier this year.
STARTING STREAK
With her start against Army last Saturday, Joyce Novacek has earned 51 consecutive starting assignments, dating back to last season. The last time Novacek did not start a game was Nov. 25, 2008 vs. Drexel. That did not keep the junior from producing, however, as she tallied 10 points and nine boards in the matchup with the Dragons.
Novacek has drawn 65 career starts, more than any other Bison. Trisha Krewson is second on the squad with 43 career starts.
CAREER MARKS
Trisha Krewson apparently has never heard of the dreaded sophomore slump. After averaging 5.4 points and earning Patriot League Rookie of the Year as a freshman, the guard came back even stronger for her second campaign. With one regular-season game remaining, Krewson is averaging 12.5 points, a team best, and has already set career highs in assists (55), steals (25), blocks (4), free throws (35), field goals (123) and 3-point field goals (56).
SECOND-HALF STRUGGLES
Heading into the Patriot League Tournament, Bucknell finds itself on a seven-game losing streak. The last time the Bison lost more than six in a row was in 1991-92 when it fell in 13 straight.
BIG NUMBERS FOR NOVACEK
With 13 points and 11 rebounds at Colgate on Feb. 20, Joyce Novacek recorded her fifth double-double of the season. That ranks second in the Patriot League behind Army's Erin Anthony, who has an impressive 13 double-doubles on the year.
Novacek's performance against the Raiders was also a near repeat of the first time the two teams met this season. The junior forward posted a double-double when Bucknell hosted Colgate in January as well. Novacek averaged 12.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 3.0 steals vs. the Raiders this season.
PRODUCTION STREAK
Despite its record in the last half of Patriot League play, Bucknell has some things to smile about. Trisha Krewson (13.3) and Cosima Higham (11.0) are both averaging double-figure scoring numbers during the 0-7 stretch. As a team, the Bison are outrebounding their opponents by 6.4 boards per game.
CLOSE CALLS
Bucknell has had some close games, losing four consecutive contests by six or fewer points recently. Bucknell fell to American (53-49), Holy Cross (65-60), Lafayette (60-54) and Colgate (62-58). The Bison have not experienced such a tight stretch since February 2000 when they dropped four straight games by five or fewer points. Those Bison lost to Lehigh (96-91 OT), Colgate (69-66), Albany (64-63) and Lafayette (61-60) that 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 (84) and Higham in a tie for eighth (72).
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 ninth with 35 rejections in 2009-10.
CHARITY STRIPE SUCCESS
Cosima Higham set career highs in free throws made and attempted at Lafayette on Feb. 17. 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.
BOARD DOMINANCE
Bucknell outrebounded Holy Cross 46-25 on Feb. 13. 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.
HORBATUCK NAMED PL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK... AGAIN
Lindsay Horbatuck earned her second Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week honor on Feb. 15. 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.
NATIONALLY RANKED
The Bison broke into the top 25 nationally a few weeks ago in rebounding margin. As of Feb. 28, Bucknell had slipped a bit but was still ranked 31st in the country at +5.5. Liberty was ranked first nationally at +14.6.
BLOCKING SHOTS
With 11 blocked shots at Lafayette on Feb. 17, 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-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.
CLASS ACTS
Bucknell has been getting contributions from every class this year. The junior cohort leads Bucknell with 38.6 percent of the team's rebounds (392) and 61.2 percent of its blocked shots (63). The sophomore class leads in scoring with 41.6 percent of the Bison's points (611) and assists (155) with 46.3 percent. The newest Bison lead in steals (83) with 41.3 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 +5.5. American is second at +1.5, while Lehigh is third at +1.3. No other team in the league sits on the positive side of the margin. 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 has recorded a 3.97 cumulative GPA while majoring in English and minoring in Spanish.
As First Team selections, Novacek and Krewson were eligible for Academic All-America honors. In order to be considered for Academic All-District 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.
POINT CONTROL
Bucknell held Army to 41 points on Jan. 30 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 18-5 all-time in those meetings, which includes six of the last seven 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.
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 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.
UP NEXT
Should Bucknell advance through the quarterfinal matchup vs. Lehigh, the team will take on the winner of No. 4 Army vs. No. 5 Holy Cross in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals on Sunday, March 7, also in Worcester, Mass. The league championship game is slated for 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 13 at the site of the higher remaining seed.
