Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Women's Hoops Wraps Up Round One of Patriot League Play with Army on Saturday
1/28/2011 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 28, 2011
WHAT: Bucknell Bison (5-13, 2-4 PL) vs. Army Black Knights (10-10, 4-2 PL)
WHERE: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 29, 7 p.m.
RADIO: WVBU 90.5/SportsJuice.com
VIDEO: Bison Vision 
LIVE STATS: GameTracker 
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
Auction: Sojka Pavilion Suite for Feb. 19 vs. Colgate
ABOUT THE GAME
Bucknell closes round one of Patriot League play with its 7 p.m. game against Army on Saturday. The Black Knights started the league slate 4-0 but have lost their last two heading into Sojka Pavilion. Like their opponent, the Bison are also looking to bounce back after a tough loss on Wednesday night that ended their two-game winning streak.
Saturday's activities begin at 1 p.m. with Bucknell's annual Alumni Game, and halftime of the Bucknell-Army contest will feature a performance by the USA Jump Rope Team. Fans are also encouraged to wear sneakers to the game and join the teams in support of Coaches vs. Cancer.
WITH A VICTORY OVER ARMY, BUCKNELL WOULD...
► Finish the first round of league play with a record of 3-4.
► Avoid its first set of back-to-back losses to the Black Knights since the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons.
► Avoid losing back-to-back games against the Black Knights at Sojka Pavilion for the second time in series history and the first time since the early 1990s.
LAST MEETING - FEB. 28, 2010
► Army 49, Bucknell 37 (Sojka Pavilion)
► Bucknell put together an 8-0 run late in the game to come within three of Army, but an otherwise sluggish offense handed the Bison a 49-37 loss on Senior Night. Cosima Higham scored a team-high 11 points, while the Black Knights' Erin Anthony posted her 13th double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
► The Bison's 37 points was a season-low as was their 14 made field goals and 25 rebounds. On the other hand, Bucknell had 14 steals, its most of the season.
► Army held a one-point lead at halftime, 20-19, and the scoring pace remained slow in the second half, but the Black Knights pieced together a couple of well-timed runs to give themselves some breathing room. Army reopened play after halftime with a seven-point run to make the score 27-19. That advantage hovered around nine points for much of the next eight minutes.
► After Army took its lead to 11 points, Bucknell finally earned its own scoring spurt by running off eight straight points. Higham's layup at 7:44 capped off the streak with the score at 36-33.
► Army pulled away down the stretch and ended the game on an 8-2 run. The Bison loss gave them the No. 8 seed in the PL Tournament.
QUICK FACTS
Joyce Novacek will play in her 100th consecutive game vs. Army on Saturday ... Shelby Romine broke a Bucknell record with 19 made free throws at Colgate on Jan. 22 ... Kathy Fedorjaka claimed her 200th win at Bucknell with the Bison's 57-49 victory at Lafayette on Jan. 19 ... the win at Lafayette was Bucknell's first on the road since Jan. 30, 2010 ... Bucknell's first three wins this year came 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 ... Romine was named the Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week on Nov. 15, Nov. 22, Dec. 27, Jan. 3, Jan. 10 and Jan. 22 ... 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 ... Novacek tied a career high with a team-best five assists vs. Iona ... Romine leads the Bison with six 20-point games, while Novacek and Cosima Higham both have two career 20-plus scoring games ... eight of Rachel Voss' 12 double-digit scoring performances have come at Sojka Pavilion ... Bucknell was picked eighth in the 2010-11 Patriot League Preseason Poll.
HISTORY VS. ARMY
► Bucknell leads Army in the all-time series, 28-17. That includes a 16-5 advantage in Lewisburg.
► The Bison have won eight of the teams' last 10 meetings, including a 50-47 win in overtime at the 2008 Patriot League Tournament. That victory allowed the Orange and Blue to advance to the semifinals and eventually win the program's second championship title. Bucknell is 3-1 against Army in Patriot League Tournament games.
► From 2001 to 2006, Bucknell shot better than .400 from the field in 10 of 12 meetings with Army. In those 10 games at .400 or better, the Bison recorded a 7-3 record. Bucknell has reached .400 just once since then, shooting .405 (17-for-42) in its 59-41 win on Jan. 30, 2010.
► It has been four years since Bucknell's last double-double opposite Army. Hope Foster is the last to achieve the feat, tallying 22 points and 10 rebounds on Jan. 27, 2007.
► Lauren Schober recorded her 1,000th career point when she scored a season-best 20 against Army on Jan. 31, 2009 at Sojka Pavilion. The 19th Bison to join the 1,000-point club, Schober finished her career 15th all-time at Bucknell with 1,129 points.
► Bucknell has had at least four players reach double-figure scoring six times against Army since the 2000-01 season. No game was as impressive as the Jan. 20, 2001 meeting, however, when six Bison - Kate Rounsley (17 pts.), Molly Creamer (16), Desire Almind (14), Monique LeBlanc (11), Vicki Quimby (10) and Kate Franks (10) - reached double digits. Those six players combined for all 78 points in Bucknell's 78-73 victory. Three other Bison earned playing time in the game but did not score.
► Not surprisingly, Molly Creamer holds the series record in scoring with 43 points on Jan. 16, 2002. The guard was 16 of 24 from the field, including 8 of 11 from 3-point range. When the Bison and Black Knights met the following month, Creamer dished out 11 assists, which is also a team high mark since the 2000-01 season.
► Recent Results:
March 8, 2008: Bucknell, 50-47 (OT) (PL Tournament)
Jan. 31, 2009: Bucknell, 59-57
Feb. 28, 2009: Bucknell, 56-50
Jan. 30, 2010: Bucknell, 59-41
Feb. 28, 2010: Army, 49-37
ABOUT THE BLACK KNIGHTS
Army saw its six-game winning streak come to an end recently and now finds itself with a two-game losing streak, bringing its season ledger to 10-10 overall and 4-2 in the Patriot League. Included in the Black Knights' successful stretch was a 4-0 start in league action with wins over Colgate (54-40), Holy Cross (50-47), Lehigh (54-52) and American (64-50). Since then, however, Army has fallen 55-46 to Navy in a game that decided the current standings leader and 54-42 at Lafayette on Wednesday. Army shot .258 (16-for-62) from the field against the Leopards and were outrebounded 48-36.
As the only player in the Patriot League averaging a double-double (14.6 ppg, 11.4 rpg), Erin Anthony is the clear leader of the Army squad. The first team all-league selection has 11 double-doubles on the season, but her streak of five straight came to an end at Lafayette where she was held to 11 points and two rebounds before fouling out. Anthony also leads the Black Knights in blocks (2.8) and steals (1.2).
ODDS & ENDS
► When Bucknell defeated Colgate 76-66 in overtime on Jan. 22, it marked the first time this season in which the Bison were the victors in the same game that Shelby Romine tallied at least 20 points. Bucknell is 1-5 this winter when Romine scores 20+ points.
► Bucknell has faced just three opponents with a winning record this season. American was 10-4 overall when it entered the game with the Bison on Jan. 12, while Penn State was 10-3 prior to its game with Bucknell on Dec. 28. Bucknell's third .500+ opponent was Lehigh (11-9) on Wednesday.
► 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.
► Four of Bucknell's first five wins this season came by single digits. The Bison defeated Rider by five (53-48), Niagara by seven (69-62), Cornell by nine (54-45) and Lafayette by eight (57-49). Bucknell earned its first double-digit victory at Colgate on Jan. 22, winning 76-66 in overtime.
► Bucknell has outrebounded 10 of its last 13 opponents, the most recent being Lehigh (32-21).
BISON, BLACK KNIGHTS TAKE PART IN COACHES VS. CANCER SUITS AND SNEAKERS
Bucknell's Kathy Fedorjaka, Army's Dave Magarity and their coaching staffs will be donning some unusual footwear when their teams face off on Saturday. The coaches will wear sneakers on the sidelines as part of Coaches vs. Cancer® Suits and Sneakers awareness weekend.
During the weekend of Jan. 28-30, basketball coaches nationwide will wear sneakers with their suits to demonstrate their support for the American Cancer Society and its vision of a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Basketball fans are encouraged to also wear sneakers to games that weekend to show their support.
ROSTERS SET FOR SATURDAY'S ALUMNI GAME
Bucknell will host its annual alumni game at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Sojka Pavilion. Among the nearly 20 former players scheduled to be at the event are all-time leading scorer Molly Creamer '03, Kesha Champion '08, Kim Delfs '99, Kate Franks '03, Lori Houck '00 and Lauren Schober '09.
BENCH BATTLERS
Bucknell got some big-time production from its bench players against Lehigh on Wednesday night. Of the Bison's 48 total points, 29 came from the team's reserves and all 13 first-half points came from non-starters. At the end of the game, Bucknell outscored Lehigh in bench points, 29-19.
The Bison have outscored opponents in bench points eight times this year, but no advantage was as convincing as in the Niagara contest on Nov. 28. Bucknell reserves won that battle, 41-11, thanks in large part to 16 points from Alyssa Dunn and 11 more from Cosima Higham.
MORE RECORDS FALL
Several Sojka Pavilion records fell when Bucknell and Lehigh met on Wednesday, although one of them the Bison would probably rather forget. Bucknell's 13 first-half points were the fewest ever by the home team, breaking the previous record of 15 set against Loyola (Nov. 25, 2003), Marist (Dec. 2, 2006) and Drexel (Nov. 25, 2008).
Lehigh also set or equaled two new low records. The Mountain Hawks' 12 defensive rebounds ended Lycoming's short run as the record holder. Lehigh's 21 total boards also tied Lycoming's mark from Dec. 30, 2009 for the fewest rebounds by an opponent in a Sojka Pavilion game.
SHOOTING PERCENTAGE HIGHS
Bucknell recorded its best field goal percentage of the season on Jan. 26, shooting 50.0 percent from the field against Lehigh. The Bison are now 3-6 in games in which they shoot better than 40 percent with the wins coming against Niagara (.453), Lafayette (.465) and Colgate (.420).
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. Last season, Bucknell was 5-11 in games in which its field goal percentage topped 40 percent.
FREE THROWS HIGHS AND LOWS
Four days after Bucknell recorded season-best marks from the free throw line by shooting 30 of 35 at Colgate, including a school-record 19 made baskets from Shelby Romine, the team set a season low in the same category against Lehigh. The Bison were 1-for-5 from the line against the Mountain Hawks. The one made basket is the team's fewest this winter.
RECORD-BREAKING ROMINE
Shelby Romine never ceases to amaze the crowd and the game at Colgate on Jan. 22 was no exception. The freshman guard broke a Bucknell record, making 19 of her 21 free throw attempts. Romine's success at the line snapped the record previously held by Molly Creamer, who was 18-for-22 vs. Navy on March 7, 2003. The 19 made free throws also tied a Patriot League record, set by Navy's Erica Hayes shot 19-for-22 vs. Morgan State on Jan. 19, 2000. Romine led all scorers against Colgate with a career-best 28 points.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6: ROMINE NAMED PATRIOT LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK AGAIN
For a league-best sixth time, Shelby Romine was named the Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week on Jan. 24. The freshman, who was also cited as the league's top newcomer on Nov. 15, Nov. 22, Dec. 27, Jan. 3 and Jan. 10, earned the award after setting the Bucknell free throw record with 19 made shots at Colgate and averaging 20.0 points, 7.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds on the week. In two games, Romine set career highs in points (28 at Colgate), assists (7 at Lafayette, Colgate) and rebounds (7 at Lafayette). She also combined to go 24-for-28 from the free throw line.
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 six league rookie accolades since Lindsey Hollobaugh received the award eight times in 2003-04.
ROMINE TAKING THE LEAD
With the season heading into the final stages, Shelby Romine is trying to hold on to her team lead in scoring (14.6) and assists (59). The last freshman to end her campaign with team highs in both categories was Molly Creamer. The former guard averaged 15.8 points and tied Lori Houck for the team high in assists with 107 during the 1999-2000 season.
FIRST HALF FUMBLES
Bucknell's 13 first-half points against Lehigh marked a season scoring low for the Bison, and unfortunately it's the latest in a trend against the Mountain Hawks. In each of the teams' first meetings over the last three years, Bucknell has been held to less than 20 points in the opening frame. Bucknell's 17 first-half points in the Jan. 2010 meeting at Lehigh was the Bison's lowest total for that season, while its 19 points in the Jan. 2009 contest was the fewest first half points in 2009-10.
MORE HONORS FOR ROMINE
Shelby Romine claimed a second honor Monday after her record-breaking performance. Along with her sixth Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week accolade, the guard was selected as the Susquehanna Valley Limousine Bison Athlete of the Week. Romine is the first women's basketball player to earn the award this season and the first since Lauren Schober on Feb. 1, 2009.
TRIPS TO THE LINE
Shelby Romine was not the only Bison to get in on the free throw shooting act at Colgate on Jan. 22. As a team, Bucknell was 30 of 35 (.857) from the line, setting a season high in free throws made. The team's previous high had been 18 against Rider in the season opener.
The last time Bucknell attempted more free throws was on Nov. 19, 2007. Bucknell was 31-for-38 (.816) from the line against Howard and won the game 89-79 at Sojka Pavilion.
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 15 blocks, including a season-best three against Buffalo, Youngstown State and Lafayette. Higham now has 90 rejections in her career, ranking sixth all-time at Bucknell and three shy of overtaking fifth place from teammate Joyce Novacek. 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 93 career rejections.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE
With the victory at Colgate on Jan. 22, Bucknell won back-to-back road games for the first time since defeating Saint Francis (Pa.) (61-56) and Howard (63-53) in December/January of 2008-09. It had been even longer since the Bison's last back-to-back set of Patriot League road victories. That came at Lafayette (68-45) and Colgate (88-57) in February of the 2007-08 season. That team eventually went on to win the Patriot League Championship despite entering the tournament as the fifth seed.
FEDORJAKA GETS 200TH WIN AT BUCKNELL
For the second year in a row, Kathy Fedorjaka has reached a major milestone in her head coaching career. Now in her 14th season at Bucknell, Fedorjaka claimed her 200th win with the Orange and Blue when they defeated Lafayette 57-49 on Jan. 19. She now has a 201-192 record at Bucknell, good for a .511 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.
PLENTY OF FIRSTS, BESTS AND MILESTONES
Bucknell's 57-49 win at Lafayette on Jan. 19 proved momentous for more than one reason. Among the highlights by the end of the game ...
► Bucknell won its first Patriot League game of the season and its first in 11 tries dating back to last season.
► Bucknell won its first away game since Jan. 30, 2010. The Bison's last road victory (and last Patriot League win) came at Army, 59-41, at West Point.
► Kathy Fedorjaka clinched her 200th win at Bucknell. The victory came against Fedorjaka's former coach, Dianne Nolan, who is now at the helm for Lafayette. Fedorjaka played under Nolan for four years at Fairfield University.
► Cosima Higham recorded her 600th career point. The senior had five points against the Leopards. She is second among current Bison in career scoring behind Joyce Novacek's 799 points.
► Bucknell earned its first win of the season when two players scored in double figures. Shelby Romine finished with 12 points, and Rachel Voss chipped in another 10. Bucknell is now 1-5 when two players reach double-digit point totals.
► Bucknell snapped a four-game losing streak, avoiding their longest of the season.
► Shelby Romine recorded a career-best seven assists and tied a personal high in rebounds with seven. The freshman also had 12 points to lead the Bison.
BACK IN THE WINS COLUMN
With its win at Lafayette on Jan. 19, Bucknell broke an 11-game road losing streak dating back to last season. The 11 games without a road victory is tied for the second-longest streak in program history, matching a stretch during the 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons. The most road games played between victories is 26 and covered three seasons, 1989-90 to 1991-92.
GLASS CLEANERS
Bucknell dominated on the glass at Holy Cross on Jan. 15. At the end of the day, the Bison held a 42-29 rebounding advantage. The +13 margin is the second-largest of the season for Bucknell, which outrebounded Loyola (Md.) 51-27 (+24) on Dec. 1. The Bison also had a +13 rebounding lead (48-35) vs. Cornell on Dec. 30.
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 (322) and blocked shots (42), tied for fourth in free throws attempted (102) and tied for fifth in games started (35). Higham is third in blocks (33) and fourth in rebounds with 238.
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.
OPENINGS AGAINST THE LEAGUE
Bucknell has opened Patriot League play with three consecutive losses five times since the beginning of the league in 1990-91. In those five seasons, the Bison have responded to the slow start by winning the fourth game on three occasions. Those victories came against Army (78-74) in 1998-99, Lafayette (55-42) in 2009-10 and more recently against Lafayette again (57-49) on Wednesday night.
EXTRA TIME
Bucknell played its first overtime in more than two years when it lost to American, 60-55, on Jan. 12. The Bison did not have to wait that long for their next overtime game, going into extra time at Colgate 10 days later. Before this season, the last time Bucknell needed overtime was on March 8, 2008, when it 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 19-15 all-time and 1-1 this year 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 Jan. 12 vs. American came on Jan. 23, 2008. Bucknell fell to Lafayette, 64-58, at Sojka Pavilion.
► The last overtime win prior to Jan. 22 at Colgate came on March 8, 2008 over Army, 50-47.
► 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.
MILESTONES ON THE HORIZON
Cosima Higham reached 600 career points at Lafayette on Jan. 19 and Lindsay Horbatuck totaled 200 rebounds at Colgate on Jan. 22, but the Bison are still looking to achieve some career milestones over the next few games. Horbatuck has 197 points, and Joyce Novacek is at 799 points. Novacek's and Higham's point totals are the highest among current players, while Horbatuck looks to be the first non-senior to reach both 200 points and 200 rebounds.
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 95 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 148 rebounds (8.7/game) this season, Novacek leads all current Bison with 661 career rebounds. The senior has a shot at cracking the program's all-time top-10 list in boards this year, needing just 17 more to do so.
ROAD MARGINS
Road games have been kind to the Bison when it comes to rebounding. In its 10 games away from Sojka Pavilion, Bucknell has a rebounding margin of +5.5 and is holding its opponents to 33.0 boards per game. Scoring margin has not been quite as friendly, however, as the Bison are being outscored by an average of 10.2 points per game.
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. Not until Jan. 19 at Lafayette did Bucknell repeat the feat. The Bison outrebounded the Leopards 35-31 and won the game, 57-49.
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 28 assists, nearly doubling her career total. In her previous three campaigns with the Bison, Phillips had totaled 31 assists. Phillips' unselfish play has been rewarded by making her the only Bison with the best assist/turnover ratio this season at 1.5.
SCORING STREAKS
Two Bison have scored in all 18 games this winter, including Joyce Novacek and Shelby Romine. Novacek has the longest scoring streak, dating back to previous seasons. The senior has at least one point in each of her last 88 games. The last time she did not score was on Jan. 23, 2008 when she faced Lafayette as a freshman in Sojka Pavilion. In 105 career games, Novacek has been held scoreless just six times, all during her freshman campaign.
MORE STREAKING
Joyce Novacek's 88-game scoring streak is not the only streak she has going right now. The senior forward has ...
► played in 99 consecutive games (last non-appearance: at Marist, 12/1/07).
► made 70 consecutive starts (last non-start: vs. Drexel, 11/25/08).
► grabbed at least one rebound in 19 straight games (last rebound-less night: vs. Army, 2/27/10).
Over the course of her career, Novacek has played in 105 of a possible 106 games and has been a part of the Bison's starting lineup 84 times, more than any other current Bison. She has been held scoreless six times and without a rebound six other times.
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
With the season being 18 games old, Shelby Romine has 11 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 six points at Holy Cross.
BECOMING A HABIT
Shelby Romine continued to impress when she recorded 28 points at Colgate on Jan. 22. The point total gave the freshman six games with at least 20 points this season. The last Bucknellian to have at least six 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 six 20-point games, tallying nine during her rookie season.
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.
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.
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.
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.
UP NEXT
Bucknell will have a week off before round two of the Patriot League season gets underway. When the Bison return to the court, it will be against Navy in Annapolis, Md. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.
When Bucknell and Navy squared off earlier in the season, the Midshipmen took a 62-56 win at Sojka Pavilion. Navy has now won each of its last four against Bucknell.
