Bucknell Women's Basketball Hits the Road Looking for Upset at Holy Cross Saturday
1/14/2011 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 14, 2011
WHAT: Bucknell Bison (3-11, 0-2 PL) at Holy Cross Crusaders (5-12, 1-1 PL)
WHERE: Hart Center, Worcester, Mass.
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 15, 3 p.m.
RADIO: SportsJuice.com
VIDEO: Bison Vision/Patriot League All-Access 
LIVE STATS: GoHolyCross.com
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
ABOUT THE GAME
Bucknell will be looking for its Patriot League win of the season, and Holy Cross will try to right itself after a tough three-point loss to Army on Thursday night when the Bison and Crusaders face off at the Hart Center on Saturday afternoon. Although still early in the league schedule, a victory would go a long way to moving either team up the Patriot League standings.
The game can be heard live only on SportsJuice.com. Ryan Unger will call the action.
WITH A VICTORY OVER HOLY CROSS, BUCKNELL WOULD...
► Give head coach Kathy Fedorjaka her 200th win at Bucknell.
► Earn its first road victory since Jan. 30, 2010.
► Avoid a three-game losing streak to the Crusaders, its longest since 2006.
► Snap its current three-game losing streak. The Bison's last win was on Dec. 30 over Cornell.
LAST MEETING - FEB. 13, 2010
► Holy Cross 65, Bucknell 60 (Hart Center)
► The contest started at a frenzied pace and did not let up. Although the Bison found themselves trailing early, it was not for a lack of effort. Play was physical on both ends of the court, and Bucknell's ability to battle on the boards and hold its own in the paint kept the team in the mix.
► The Crusaders earned their biggest lead of the afternoon with just over 8:00 remaining the first half at 23-14. A brief scoring drought by Holy Cross then opened the door for Bucknell, however. After being down nine, the Bison finished the half with a 17-8 run.
► The game went back and forth throughout the second half, and Taylor Phillips hit a 3-pointer for 45-44 with 10:36 remaining to keep her team within one. After that point, however, the Crusaders began to create some space, hitting jumpers with more consistency and going on an 8-2 run to put them ahead 53-46 at the 6:25 mark.
► Bucknell began to chip away at the Crusaders' advantage and clamped down on defense to bring it back to within a single point with less than a minute to play. A 3-pointer by Morgan Wrightson with :45 remaining set the score at 61-60, but the Crusaders closed it out with four straight points.
QUICK FACTS
Bucknell committed a season-low 15 turnovers vs. Navy on Jan. 8 ... Kathy Fedorjaka claimed her 199th win at Bucknell with the Bison's 54-45 victory over Cornell on Dec. 30 ... all three of Bucknell's wins this year have come at Sojka Pavilion ... Lindsay Horbatuck recorded back-to-back games with double-digit rebounds with the help of 10 boards at Penn State on Dec. 28 ... Shelby Romine was named the Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week on Nov. 15, Nov. 22, Dec. 27, Jan. 3 and Jan. 10 ... Felicia Mgbada and Horbatuck each had double-doubles at Wofford, giving Bucknell its second game this season in which two players achieved the feat in the same contest ... Alyssa Dunn is averaging 9.7 points in games in which she is a part of the starting lineup and 4.5 points off the bench ... Joyce Novacek tied a career high with a team-best five assists vs. Iona ... Romine leads the Bison with five 20-point games, while Novacek and Cosima Higham both have two career 20-plus scoring games ... Romine led Bucknell in scoring in four of her first five collegiate games ... eight of Rachel Voss' 11 double-digit scoring performances have come at Sojka Pavilion ... Bucknell was picked eighth in the 2010-11 Patriot League Preseason Poll.
HISTORY VS. HOLY CROSS
► Bucknell has struggled historically against Holy Cross, as the Crusaders have a 36-12 all-time lead in the series. At the Hart Center, which includes five Patriot League Tournament games, Holy Cross is 21-4 against Bucknell.
► The last time Bucknell won at the Hart Center was a 57-45 decision over Holy Cross in the 2008 Patriot League Championship. With the victory, the Bison advanced to their second-ever NCAA Tournament.
► Holy Cross has outscored Bucknell by an average of 12.5 points per game in Worcester, Mass. In Lewisburg, the Crusaders' average drops to 5.5 more points per game.
► Bucknell has met Holy Cross in the Patriot League Tournament more than any other opponent. The Bison are 3-5 in eight meetings, but 2-1 in championship games.
► Bucknell outrebounded Holy Cross in both meetings last season, 40-31 at Sojka Pavilion and 46-25 at the Hart Center. It was the first time the Bison had won the battle of the boards against the Crusaders since the 2006-07 season. Since 2000-01, Bucknell has outrebounded Holy Cross just 10 times in 25 opportunities.
► Molly Creamer has Bucknell's highest points and assists totals against Holy Cross since the 2000-01 season. Creamer tallied 33 points against the Crusaders on Feb. 2, 2003 and 11 assists on March 6, 2002.
► In 11 appearances against Holy Cross, Desire Almind recorded five double-doubles. Four of those came consecutively during the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons. Few outings were as impressive all-around as the forward's performance in the Patriot League Tournament on March 5, 2004. Almind finished the night with 24 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, four blocks and six steals. She also shot 7-for-17 from the field and 10-for-10 from the free throw line in that contest.
► Recent Results:
March 12, 2008: Bucknell, 57-45 (PL Championship)
Jan. 17, 2009: Holy Cross, 66-60
Feb. 14, 2009: Bucknell, 58-44
Jan. 16, 2010: Holy Cross, 55-42
Feb. 13, 2010: Holy Cross, 65-60
ABOUT THE CRUSADERS
Holy Cross snapped a seven-game losing streak with a win at Lafayette, 72-67, in its Patriot League opener last weekend. The Crusaders were unable to use that momentum on Thursday night, however, as they fell 50-47 to Army at the Hart Center. The most recent loss drops their record to 5-12 overall and 1-1 in the Patriot League so far this season. During its non-conference schedule, Holy Cross played a pair of opponents familiar to Bucknell in Yale and Fordham. The Crusaders dropped both decisions, 74-71 to Yale in the first game of the season and 67-36 to Fordham.
The Crusaders were picked fifth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll after posting one of their toughest years in 2009-10. Returning from the team that went 10-21 overall and 5-9 in the league is Second Team All-Patriot League selection Whitney Fremeau and all-rookie honoree Amy Lepley.
ODDS & ENDS
► Bucknell has faced just two opponents with a winning record this season. American was 10-4 overall when it entered the game with the Bison on Wednesday night, while Penn State was 10-3 prior to its game with Bucknell on Dec. 28.
► Freshman Shelby Romine leads Bucknell in scoring (15.1), steals (19) and minutes played (37.7) this season. She also ranks second on the team in assists (37).
► Four Bison have combined for six double-doubles on the year. Joyce Novacek and Lindsay Horbatuck have two, while Cosima Higham and Felicia Mgbada each has one.
► All three of Bucknell's wins this season have come by single digits. The Bison defeated Rider by five (53-48), Niagara by seven (69-62), and Cornell by nine (54-45).
► Bucknell has outrebounded six of its last nine opponents, including Loyola (Md.) (51-27), UMBC (36-33), Iona (35-31), Wofford (47-43), Cornell (48-35) and Navy (36-27).
► Shelby Romine has 30 of Bucknell's 44 made three-point shots this season.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5: ROMINE NAMED PATRIOT LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK AGAIN
For a league-best fifth time, Shelby Romine was named the Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week on Monday. The freshman, who was also cited as the league's top newcomer on Nov. 15, Nov. 22, Dec. 27 and Jan. 3, earned the award after leading Bucknell with 20 points against Navy last week. Romine also recorded two assists, two rebounds and a steal against the Mids in their Patriot League opener.
Romine's first two Rookie of the Week accolades came back-to-back to open the season, making her the sixth player in league history to be named the top newcomer in each of the season's first two weeks. With her latest honor, the guard becomes the first Bison to earn at least five league rookie accolades since Lindsey Hollobaugh received the award eight times in 2003-04.
EXTRA TIME
Bucknell played its first overtime in more than two years when it lost to American, 60-55, on Wednesday night. The last time the Bison needed extra time was on March 8, 2008, when they knocked Army out of the Patriot League Tournament with a 50-47 victory. The 2007-08 season saw four games into overtime with Bucknell going 3-1 in those contests. Here are some other OT tidbits:
► The Bison are 18-15 all-time in overtime games.
► The four overtime games in 2007-08 tied a program record for the most in a single season. The 1988-89 team also played four overtime games, going 2-2.
► The last overtime loss prior to Wednesday night vs. American came on Jan. 23, 2008. Bucknell fell to Lafayette, 64-58, at Sojka Pavilion.
► Bucknell is now 2-2 against American in overtime games.
► The Orange and Blue's longest overtime game came on Dec. 17, 2005. Bucknell defeated Maryland-Eastern Shore 93-92 in triple-OT.
► Bucknell is 1-3 all-time in double-overtime games.
DEFENSIVE SPECIALISTS
The Bucknell sophomore class has proved itself to be a key component of the Bison defense. Felicia Mgbada, Rachel Voss, Lindsay Horbatuck and Alyssa Dunn have combined for 20 blocked shots, or 48.8 percent, of the team's total in addition to 50 steals, or 49.0 percent. Those marks received a boost from Mgbada on Wednesday night. The forward led Bucknell with four steals and three blocks against American. Both numbers were career highs for Mgbada.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Bucknell might be 0-7 in road games this season, but several individuals are putting up some solid numbers away from Sojka Pavilion. Joyce Novacek is nearly averaging a double-double with 9.0 points and 9.0 rebounds, and Shelby Romine leads all Bison with 15.6 points per game in those seven contests. Four Bison - Novacek (.511), Cosima Higham (.714), Felicia Mgbada (.561) and Christina Chukwuedo (.571) - are also shooting better than .500 from the floor.
OPENINGS AGAINST THE LEAGUE
Bucknell has opened Patriot League play with back-to-back losses seven times since the beginning of the league in 1990-91. During those first six seasons, the Bison have responded to the slow start by winning the third game on three occasions. Those victories came against Army in 1998-99 and Navy in 2002-03 and 2003-04. More recently, Bucknell lost to Holy Cross (55-42) to drop to 0-3 in league play last season.
WELCOME BACK
After missing six games due to injury, Cosima Higham came back against Navy on Jan. 8 looking as if she hadn't missed a beat. The senior scored all eight of her points in the first half and eventually finished the night with seven rebounds, two blocked shots, a steal and an assist. She was also 4 of 8 from the field in 29 minutes of play.
RETURN OF THE BLOCK PARTY?
Cosima Higham's return against Navy gave Bucknell a boost in the paint on Jan. 8. The Bison closed the game with five blocked shots to tie a single-game high this season. Prior to that, Bucknell also recorded five rejections against Buffalo, Youngstown State and Niagara. In the four games, Higham was responsible for seven of the squad's 15 blocks.
MILESTONES ON THE HORIZON
Several Bison are looking to achieve some career milestones over the next few games. Next up on the horizon are Cosima Higham with 584 points, Lindsay Horbatuck with 179 points and 195 rebounds, and Joyce Novacek with 769 points. Novacek's and Higham's point totals are the highest among current players, while Horbatuck looks to be the first non-senior to earn both 200 points and 200 rebounds.
LEAGUE STRUGGLES
With the loss to American on Jan. 12, Bucknell has dropped nine straight regular-season Patriot League decisions dating back to last season. The only time the Bison have had a longer Patriot League losing streak came over the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons when they fell in 11 straight contests. Those marked the first campaigns in Patriot League history, and Bucknell combined for 5-31 in league play during those two years.
COACHING MILESTONES
Head coach Kathy Fedorjaka is coming up on yet another milestone in her coaching career. Now in her 14th year at Bucknell, Fedorjaka has a 199-190 record with the Orange and Blue, good for a .512 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 entered 2010-11 with a career record of 101-73 in the league.
100 GAMES AND COUNTING
Joyce Novacek played in her 100th career game when she went up against Navy on Jan. 8. Novacek's classmate, Taylor Phillips, is also looking to join the club, having played in 91 career contests. The last Bison to reach 100 contests were Amanda Brown (113) and Lauren Schober (120), who both played from 2005-06 to 2008-09.
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. With 120 rebounds (8.6/game) this season, Novacek leads all current Bison with 630 career rebounds. The senior has a shot at cracking the program's all-time top-10 list in boards this year, needing just 48 more to do so.
STRONG PERCENTAGES
Bucknell shot a season-best 49.0 percent (24-for-49) from the field against Yale on Jan. 2. The Bison eventually went on to shoot 45.1 percent (23-for-51) against American 10 days later. Bucknell is now 1-5 this season in games in which they shoot better than 40 percent with the lone win coming against Niagara (.453). Last season, Bucknell was 5-11 in games in which its field goal percentage topped 40 percent.
The last time the Bison shot 50 percent or better from the field came during the 2009-10 season finale against Lehigh. Bucknell was 52.2 percent (24-for-46) against the Mountain Hawks in last year's Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals. Lehigh still won, however, 72-58.
TURNING THEM AWAY
After not registering a blocked shot in the first game of the season, Cosima Higham tried to make up for lost time. Since the season opener vs. Rider, the senior has eight blocks, including a season-best three vs. Buffalo and at Youngstown State. Higham now has 85 rejections in her career, ranking seventh all-time at Bucknell and two shy of sixth place.
Joyce Novacek tallied a pair of blocked shots vs. Niagara on Nov. 28. The outing moved her into fifth place and she has since improved her total to 91 career rejections.
HALF AND HALF
It took some time for them to heat up, but several Bison came on strong at the conclusion of the non-conference schedule.
► Joyce Novacek has 13 assists in the last six non-conference games, compared to just three in her first six games of the season.
► Felicia Mgbada has made one of the biggest all-around improvements. In the first half of the non-conference schedule, Mgbada averaged 3.0 points and 2.3 rebounds and totaled five assists. In the second half of non-league play, the forward came in at 8.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in addition to 10 assists.
► After averaging less than five points per game in the season's first six contests, Rachel Voss was at 8.0 points per game in the team's next six contests.
► Christina Chukwuedo improved her scoring average from 2.7 points in the first six games to 4.2 points in the next six.
HOME SWEET HOME
Having played more than 30 games apiece during their careers at Sojka Pavilion, Joyce Novacek and Cosima Higham are starting to move up the facility record lists. Novacek is second on her home court in rebounds (319) and blocked shots (41) and tied for fourth in free throws attempted (102). Higham is third in blocks (32) and tied for fourth with former teammate Lauren Schober in rebounds with 229.
Novacek is looking to ink her name to even more lists as well, needing to play in three games and make one more start to move into the top five. Felicia Mgbada is one blocked shot shy of entering the top five as well, having rejected 13 shot attempts in less than two seasons at Sojka Pavilion.
ON THE HOME FRONT
After seven games at Sojka Pavilion, Bucknell has posted a 3-4 record. Shelby Romine leads the team on their home court with 14.7 points, 3.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game. She is also shooting a team-best .404 (38-94) from the field and .429 (12-28) from behind the 3-point arc.
Joyce Novacek is tops in rebounding with 8.1 boards per game and Felicia Mgbada leads with 1.3 blocks per game. As a unit, the Bison are averaging 20.4 turnovers, nearly three below their season average.
FINALLY PAYING OFF
Bucknell outrebounded Cornell, 48-35, on Dec. 30 and for the first time this season, the effort paid off. The Bison had grabbed more boards than their opponent six times prior to facing the Big Red, but not one of those occasions resulted in a win at the end of the game. The meeting between Bucknell and Cornell was also the first game this winter in which the Orange and Blue won the game when they totaled 40 or more rebounds.
DISHING IT OUT
Taylor Phillips dished out a career-high-tying three assists against Cornell on Dec. 30 before equaling that total at Yale just days later. The performances gave the senior her 10th assist in five games. She has since recorded a season-best 20 assists on the year. Phillips' unselfish play has been rewarded by making her one of only two Bison with a positive assist/turnover ratio this season at 1.5.
MAKING ADJUSTMENTS
Opponents seem to be catching on that Shelby Romine can score, but no one has been able to stop the freshman for an entire game yet. In Bucknell's last five outings, Romine scored 39 of her 64 points after halftime. Against Penn State on Dec. 28, all 11 points came in the final frame, while seven of her nine points against Cornell on Dec. 30. At Yale on Jan. 2, 15 of her 22 points came down the final stretch as did 10 of her 20 points vs. Navy. Over the course of the entire season, Romine has scored at least half of her points in the game's final 20 minutes 10 times.
SCORING STREAKS
Three Bison have scored in all 12 games this winter, including Felicia Mgbada, Joyce Novacek and Shelby Romine. Of that trio, Novacek has the longest scoring streak, dating back to previous seasons. The senior has at least one point in each of her last 84 games. The last time she did not score was on Jan. 23, 2008 when she faced Lafayette as a freshman in Sojka Pavilion. In 101 career games, Novacek has been held scoreless just six times, all during her freshman campaign.
MORE STREAKING
Joyce Novacek's 84-game scoring streak is not the only streak she has going right now. The senior forward has ...
► played in 95 consecutive games (last non-appearance: at Marist, 12/1/07).
► made 66 consecutive starts (last non-start: vs. Drexel, 11/25/08).
► grabbed at least one rebound in 15 straight games (last rebound-less night: vs. Army, 2/27/10).
Over the course of her career, Novacek has played in 101 of a possible 102 games and has been a part of the Bison's starting lineup 80 times. She has been held scoreless six times and without a rebound six other times.
CHUKWUEDO'S COMEBACK
After being limited by injury during much of December, Christina Chukwuedo looked to be on the comeback trail at Penn State on Dec. 28. The junior guard set career highs in points (8) and field goals made (4) and attempted (7) against the Lady Lions. Two nights later against Cornell, Chukwuedo set a career high in rebounds with seven. She also finished with seven points and three assists. Just three days after that, she tied her personal-best mark in assists with six at Yale while also adding six points.
REBOUNDING REPEATS
With 13 rebounds at Wofford and another 10 in the following game at Penn State, Lindsay Horbatuck became the first Bison this year to earn double-digit boards in back-to-back contests. The sophomore was also the last Bucknellian to achieve the feat, earning 10 rebounds against both Navy and American last season.
During the 2009-10 campaign, Horbatuck was one of three Bison to record double-digit rebounds in at least two consecutive games. Cosima Higham went three straight vs. Holy Cross (16), Lafayette (11) and Colgate (13), while Joyce Novacek had back-to-back strong outings against Fordham (15) and Loyola (Md.) (10).
PUTTING POINTS ON THE BOARD
Despite the season being just 14 games old, Shelby Romine already has nine contests in which she has scored in double figures. That is the most by a Bison freshman since Lauren Schober had 16 double-digit scoring games and Amanda Brown had 15 during the 2005-06 season. Romine's highest point total this year was 23 at Wofford on Dec. 21, while her lowest mark is eight points vs. Iona in the previous game on Dec. 18.
MGBADA MADNESS
Felicia Mgbada's first career double-double a Wofford on Dec. 21 should not come as a surprise. The sophomore forward had flirted with a personal-best scoring total in each of her previous two contests, tying a career-high seven points against UMBC and Iona. She also had a season-best five rebounds in two of the previous three games. After teasing Bison fans with her production, Mgbada finally finished with 12 points on 6 of 8 shooting and 10 rebounds at Wofford. Mgbada is the fourth Bucknellian to earn a double-double this season.
BECOMING A HABIT
Shelby Romine continued to impress when she recorded 20 points vs. Navy last weekend. The point total gives the freshman five games with at least 20 points this season. The last Bucknellian to have at least five 20-point games in the same campaign was Amanda Brown, who posted seven in 2008-09. Lindsey Hollobaugh was the last Bison freshman with more than five 20-point games, tallying nine during her rookie season.
HEATING UP
As the winter weather has gotten colder, Lindsay Horbatuck has been heating up. In five games in November, the sophomore forward averaged 4.8 points and 4.0 rebounds. When the calendar turned to December, Horbatuck's averages improved to 6.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. December also included her first two career double-doubles - 11 points and 10 rebounds at Loyola and 11 points and 13 boards at Wofford - and an improvement from 1.2 steals per game in November to 1.8 steals.
DOING IT ALL
Joyce Novacek has continued to demonstrate her well-rounded play since returning from the exams break on Dec. 18 vs. Iona. Against the Gaels she led the team in both rebounding and assists. Her nine boards gave the forward the team's high mark for the third straight game, while her five assists tied a career high. Novacek later contributed four assists, eight points and eight rebounds at Wofford on Dec. 21 and 12 rebounds against Cornell on Dec. 30.
The last time Novacek dished out five assists came at Howard on Jan. 5, 2009. She also finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds against the Bison from Washington, D.C.
LEAGUE LEADERS
Bucknell is the only Patriot League school with four players who have recorded double-doubles. Joyce Novacek, Cosima Higham, Lindsay Horbatuck and Felicia Mgbada have combined for six double-doubles this season. With two apiece, Lafayette, Navy and Colgate are the only other teams with more than one player to achieve the feat. Army's Erin Anthony has more double-doubles than any other single player with eight.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
With the holiday season getting into full swing and the Bison on break from classes, Bucknell has a handful of projects planned off the court. Starting in January, the Bison will volunteer at the Lewisburg Food Bank and Milton soup kitchen as part of their ongoing efforts to make a difference in the community that supports them throughout the season.
ANOTHER DOUBLE DOUBLE-DOUBLE
For the second time this season, Bucknell had two players record double-doubles in the same game when Lindsay Horbatuck and Felicia Mgbada posted all-around games at Wofford on Dec. 21. Mgbada's double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds was the first of her career, while Horbatuck's was her second with 11 points and 13 boards. Horbatuck was involved in the Bison's first double double-double this season as well, as she teamed up with Joyce Novacek at Loyola (Md.) on Dec. 1. Novacek led the Orange and Blue with 18 points and 19 rebounds, while Horbatuck finished with 11 points and 10 boards.
Mgbada and Horbatuck's performance against Wofford gave Bucknell its eighth game with two players in double-double territory in the last 10 years. The Bison are 5-3 since the 2000-01 season when two or more players have earned double-doubles.
ROAD MARGINS
Road games have been kind to the Bison when it comes to rebounding. In its seven games away from Sojka Pavilion, Bucknell has a rebounding margin of +4.1 and is holding its opponents to 34.1 boards a game. Scoring margin has not been quite as friendly, however, as the Bison are being outscored by an average of 15.7 points per game.
NOVACEK KNOCKS GREYHOUNDS
Joyce Novacek seems to like playing Loyola (Md.). Throughout her career, the senior forward has averaged 11.8 points and 10.0 rebounds against the Greyhounds. After failing to register a single point or rebound in the teams' meeting as a freshman, Novacek went on to claim double-doubles in each of the next three matchups, including her performance this year on Dec. 1 that ended in a season-best 18 points and a career-high 19 boards.
LET'S TAKE IT OUTSIDE
Helping Shelby Romine to her 22-point performance at UMBC on Dec. 4 was her 6-for-12 shooting from 3-point distance. The six made shots tie her for fifth with Kate Franks on Bucknell's single-game list, while the 12 attempts tie her for third with Molly Creamer, Franks, Lauren Schober and Trisha Krewson.
Bucknell's single-game record for 3-pointers made is eight, set by Creamer vs. Army on Jan. 6, 2002 and Krewson vs. Lycoming on Dec. 30, 2009.
LOW SCORING
Bucknell's 16 points in the first half against Penn State on Dec. 28 was a season low. The last time the Bison had 16 or fewer points in one half came against Drexel on Nov. 25, 2008 when they tallied a mere 15 points in the second half vs. the Dragons. Bucknell lost that contest 44-35 and set a Sojka Pavilion record for fewest points scored in a game.
FRESHMAN FEAT
Through Bucknell's first three games this season, the same name appeared atop the scoring column. Shelby Romine posted the team's highest point total in the first outings, 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.
STILL STARTING
Joyce Novacek has emerged as one of the team's most steady veterans. The senior has made 80 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 66 games dating back to the Nov. 29, 2008 meeting at Loyola (Md.).
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.
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.
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
Although still technically a road game, the Bison will not have to go far for their next contest. Bucknell will travel to Easton, Pa., to take on Lafayette at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 19. The Leopards hold a 35-30 series advantage over the Bison.