Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Takes on Navy in Patriot League Opener at Sojka Pavilion Saturday
1/7/2011 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2011
WHAT: Bucknell Bison (3-9, 0-0) vs. Navy Midshipmen (7-7, 0-0)
WHERE: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 8, 7 p.m.
RADIO: SportsJuice.com
VIDEO: BucknellBison.com 
LIVE STATS: BucknellBison.com 
Navy Game Preview
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
ABOUT THE GAME
Bucknell opens its Patriot League season against the Navy Midshipmen, a team it has claimed a 27-18 all-time record against. The Bison will be looking for a return to old form against their foes, however. After winning 22 of 24 meetings from 1999 to 2009, the Orange and Blue have dropped each of the last three showdowns against Navy.
The game can be heard live only on SportsJuice.com. Ryan Unger will call the action. Jr. Bison Club members can stick around after the game for a party, including pizza, prizes and autographs with the team.
WITH A VICTORY OVER NAVY, BUCKNELL WOULD...
► Snap a three-game losing skid against the Midshipmen.
► Give head coach Kathy Fedorjaka her 200th win at Bucknell.
► Win its 14th Patriot League-opener. The last time the Bison won their first league game of the season was a 66-50 decision over the Mids on Jan. 10, 2009.
► Improve to 4-2 at Sojka Pavilion this year.
LAST MEETING - FEB. 6, 2010
► Navy 61, Bucknell 46 (Sojka Pavilion)
► Bucknell fell victim to some stellar shooting from Navy, which shot 23-for-44 (52.3 percent) from the field, including 12-for-21 (57.1 percent) from 3-point range. The Mids' 12 made 3-pointers tied a Sojka Pavilion record for an opponent.
► Bucknell suffered the opposite fate, shooting 36.1 percent (22-for-61) from the field and 16.7 percent (2-for-12) from behind the 3-point line. The Bison also ended the night at 0-for-6 on free throws, marking the first time the home team failed to make a charity shot at Sojka Pavilion.
► Most of the Bison's scoring came in the paint, as the Bison outscored the Mids 32-12 from under the basket. Lindsay Horbatuck played a big part in the total. The freshman registered her first double-digit rebound game, and eight of her 10 boards came on the offensive glass. Two of her three assists also ended in fast break layups.
QUICK FACTS
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 and Jan. 3 ... 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 5.5 points off the bench ... Joyce Novacek tied a career high with a team-best five assists vs. Iona ... Romine leads the Bison with four 20-point games, while Novacek and Cosima Higham both have two career 20-plus scoring games ... Novacek was one basket and one rebound shy of her first career 20-20 game when she led Bucknell with 18 points and 19 rebounds at Loyola ... Romine has six of Bucknell's seven highest point totals this season ... 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. NAVY
► Bucknell is 13-7 and is outscoring the Midshipmen by 5.1 points per game on its home court against Navy. The Bison's last win at Sojka Pavilion came 66-50 on Jan. 10, 2009.
► In their most recent winning streak, which extended to nine games, the Bison were outscoring the Midshipmen by more than 18 points. The tides have turned, however, and in Navy's three wins since then, Bucknell is being outscored by nearly 16 points per game.
► Several Bison have posted some impressive numbers during their careers against Navy, and not surprisingly, few have come up bigger than Molly Creamer. Creamer, who averaged 19.2 points in 11 career games against the Midshipmen, has Bucknell's top two point totals since the 2000-01 season. In the 2003 Patriot League Tournament Quarterfinals, Creamer dropped 36 points in 79-69 overtime win against Navy. She also posted 32 points in an 83-71 victory a year earlier.
► Bucknell has worked its way to some lengthy streaks in the series against Navy, including a series-best 13 straight victories and 22 wins in 24 tries from 1999 to 2009. Desire Almind, Molly Creamer and Kate Franks played a key role in the Bison's success during that stretch, and nowhere was it as obvious as during the 2002-03 season. Creamer averaged 27.7 points, Franks 16.7 points and Almind 19.7 points and 14.7 rebounds in the teams' three meetings that year.
► On Jan. 18, 2003, Molly Creamer, Desire Almind and Kate Franks combined for 66 points, 13 assists and 10 steals. That left the rest of the Bison with eight points, six assists and two steals in Bucknell's 75-64 win over Navy.
► In addition to Molly Creamer's 36 points on March 7, 2003, other Bucknell high marks since the 2000-01 campaign include 19 rebounds from Desire Almind (3/7/03) and Cosima Higham (3/7/09) and 11 assists from Kesha Champion (1/12/08). Defensively, Hope Foster recorded four blocked shots twice (1/30/05 and 1/7/06), and Almind (1/17/04) and Lauren Schober (2/7/09) each had six steals.
► Series Results:
Jan. 10, 2009: Bucknell, 66-50
Feb. 7, 2009: Bucknell, 66-54
March 7, 2009: Navy, 53-51 (PL Quarterfinals)
Jan. 8, 2010: Navy, 70-40
Feb. 6, 2010: Navy, 61-46
ABOUT THE MIDSHIPMEN
Navy comes out of non-conference play with a 7-7 record thanks to a 58-45 win over Howard in its latest outing. The Midshipmen mounted a well-balanced attack against the Bison of Washington, D.C., as Cassie Consedine and Angela Myers shared the team lead in scoring with nine points apiece. Myers added seven assists, while freshman Jade Geif finished with eight points, nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
After finishing third in the Patriot League and falling to American (72-47) in the tournament semifinals last year, Navy was again picked third in the league's preseason poll this winter. The Mids return Myers, who was a first team all-league selection last year and is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year. All-Rookie Team honoree Chey Arvin is also back.
LAST TIME OUT
Bucknell kept things interesting with Yale in New Haven, Conn., for much of the game and several times claimed a six-point lead. That advantage slipped away toward the end of the game, however, as the Bulldogs finished play with a 15-6 run. A shortage of scoring for the Bison ultimately handed them a 69-58 loss on the road.
Shelby Romine continued to show off her scoring prowess. The freshman totaled 22 points to lead the team. Felicia Mgbada shot 6-for-6 from the field in the first half and ended the game with a career-best 14 points, while Joyce Novacek added 11 points and seven rebounds. Christina Chukwuedo continued her comeback from injury, tying her career high with six assists.
ODDS & ENDS
► Freshman Shelby Romine leads Bucknell in scoring (15.3), assists (2.8) and minutes played (37.1) this season. She also ranks second on the team in steals (1.3) and fifth in rebounds (3.0).
► 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.
► Five Bison are shooting 40 percent or better from the field this season, including Christina Chukwuedo (.548), Cosima Higham (.484), Lindsay Horbatuck (.457), Felicia Mgbada (.484) and Joyce Novacek (.425).
► 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).
► Before their games with the Bison, Bucknell's first 13 opponents had a combined record of 31-61 (Rider 0-0, Fordham 1-1, Buffalo 1-2, Youngstown State 0-3, Niagara 0-4, Loyola 0-5, UMBC 2-5, Iona 2-6, Wofford 4-5, Penn State 10-3, Cornell, 1-8, Yale 3-9, Navy 7-7).
► Bucknell has outrebounded five of its last seven opponents, including Loyola (Md.) (51-27), UMBC (36-33), Iona (35-31), Wofford (47-43) and Cornell (48-35).
► Shelby Romine has 25 of Bucknell's 35 made three-point shots this season.
ROMINE TOP ROOKIE AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND THEN ONE MORE TIME
For a league-best fourth 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 and Dec. 27, earned the award after leading Bucknell in scoring with 14.0 points and 2.3 steals per game last week. The stretch included a team-best 22 points at Yale and 11 points at Penn State, a career-high three steals against both Penn State and Cornell, and another team-best in assists with five against Cornell.
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 four league rookie accolades since Lindsey Hollobaugh received the award eight times in 2003-04.
COACHING MILESTONES
Head coach Kathy Fedorjaka is coming up on yet another milestone in her coaching career. Now in her 14th year at Bucknell, Fedojraka has a 199-188 record with the Orange and Blue, good for a .514 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 enters 2010-11 with a career record of 101-73 in the league.
100 GAMES AND COUNTING
Joyce Novacek will play in her 100th career game when she goes up against Navy on Saturday. The last Bison to reach 100 contests were Amanda Brown (113) and Lauren Schober (120), who both played from 2005-06 to 2008-09.
STRONG PERCENTAGES
Bucknell shot a season-best 49.0 percent (24-for-49) from the field against Yale last Sunday. The Bison are now 1-4 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.
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 her last six 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 is at 8.0 points per game in the team's last six contests.
► Christina Chukwuedo improved her scoring average from 2.7 points in the first six games to 4.2 points in the last six.
► Lindsay Horbatuck is averaging 1.8 steals in her last six games, after setting a 1.0 steals per game mark in her first six contests.
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 (283) and blocked shots (40) and fifth in free throws attempted (95). Higham is tied for third in blocks (30).
Both are looking to ink their names to even more lists as well. Novacek needs to play in five games and make three more starts to move into the top five. With 217 rebounds at Sojka Pavilion, Higham is six boards shy of tying Desire Almind for fifth as well.
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 10 assist in five games and brings her season total to 16, tying the 16 she recorded as a freshman for a season high. Phillips' unselfish play has been rewarded by making her the only Bison with a positive assist/turnover ratio this season at 1.5.
The last time Phillips had three assists in a single contest was also during her freshman campaign, coming against Navy, Holy Cross and Colgate during a five-game stretch.
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 three outings, Romine scored 25 of her 35 points in the second half. 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 and 15 of her 22 points at Yale on Jan. 2 came down the final stretch as well. Over the course of the entire season, Romine has scored at least half of her points in the game's final 20 minutes nine 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 82 games. The last time she did not score was on Jan. 23, 2008 when she faced Lafayette as a freshman in Sojka Pavilion. In 99 career games, Novacek has been held scoreless just six times, all during her freshman campaign.
MORE STREAKING
Joyce Novacek's 82-game scoring streak is not the only streak she has going right now. The senior forward has ...
► played in 93 consecutive games (last non-appearance: at Marist, 12/1/07).
► made 64 consecutive starts (last non-start: vs. Drexel, 11/25/08).
► grabbed at least one rebound in 13 straight games (last rebound-less night: vs. Army, 2/27/10).
Over the course of her career, Novacek has played in 99 of a possible 100 games and has been a part of the Bison's starting lineup 78 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 12 games old, Shelby Romine already has eight 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.
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.
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 22 points at Yale last weekend. The point total gives the freshman four games with more than 20 points this season, adding to her 21 points vs. Buffalo on Nov. 21, her 22 at UMBC on Dec. 4 and a career-best 23 points at Wofford on Dec. 21. The last Bucknellian to have at least four 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 four 20-point games, tallying nine during her rookie season.
FOLLOW ME
With four games at 20-plus points this winter, Shelby Romine is putting herself at the top of the Patriot League standings in a number of ways. As of Jan. 6, the freshman was tied with Lehigh senior Courtney Dentler for the most 20-point games by a Patriot League player this winter.
Romine also leads the league in scoring (15.3 ppg) and playing time (37.1 mpg). The guard's three-point field goal percentage (fourth, .431), assists total (seventh, 2.8), steals total (14th, 1.3), field goal percentage (14th, .385) and free throw percentage (14th, .683) also rank among the Patriot League's best.
BACK IN THE MIX
After scoring 11 points in the season opener vs. Rider, Rachel Voss had been relatively quiet in the scoring column. The sophomore and former Patriot League All-Rookie selection recently returned to her old form, reaching double digits in three of Bucknell's last four games. Most recently, Voss tallied 13 points vs. Cornell. Her season average now stands at 6.3 points.
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.
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 108 rebounds (9.0/game) this season, Novacek leads all current Bison with 618 career rebounds. The senior has a shot at cracking the program's all-time top-10 list in boards this year, needing just 60 more to do so.
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, PART I
A majority of the Patriot League's leading scorers are veterans, but freshman Shelby Romine helps prove the exception. The Bison rookie is averaging 15.3 points this season for the best mark in the league through Jan. 6. Colgate sophomore Jhazmine Lynch was second with 15.2 points. Numbers three through 10 are all seniors.
LEAGUE LEADERS, PART II
After non-conference play, 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. 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 five.
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.
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.
NEW FACE
The Bison coaching staff welcomed its newest addition to the sideline against Rider. Bill Broderick joined the team as an assistant coach during the summer after spending the last two seasons as an assistant at Elon. The Vienna, Va., native's career also includes stops at Potomac State College (1992-94), Frostburg State (1994-95), Arizona (1995-98) and Pittsburgh (1998-2002).
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 five 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.
GETTING IT DUNN
Alyssa Dunn has been picking up steam steadily during her sophomore season and recently put together the best performance of her young career. Through the first four games this winter, the guard combined for 21 points on 9 of 30 shooting (.300). Against Niagara on Nov. 28, Dunn netted a career-best 16 points on 7 of 14 shooting (.500) to go along with a personal-best six rebounds. As a freshman, Dunn averaged 1.9 points. Now in her second year with the Orange and Blue, she is third on the squad in scoring with 6.6 points per game.
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 83 rejections in her career, ranking seventh all-time at Bucknell and four 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 90 career rejections.
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.
THE LAST TIME THAT HAPPENED, WE WON
After taking a three-point lead at halftime against Fordham on Nov. 17, Bucknell fell flat offensively in the second half and shot 3-for-14 (.214) from the field in the final 20 minutes. The last time a Bison squad made just three field goals in a single half was on Jan. 20, 1993. Bucknell played Army in Davis Gym and went 3-for-26 (.115) in the first half. Despite the poor shooting, the 1993 Bison took a 16-14 lead into halftime and ended the night with a 51-37 victory over the Black Knights. The difference came at the free throw line as Bucknell made 25 of 35 attempts, including 15 of 18 from Bucknell Hall of Famer Lisa Fink, compared to 5-for-15 shooting for Army.
STILL STARTING
Joyce Novacek has emerged as one of the team's most steady veterans. The senior has made 78 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 64 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
Bucknell will play its second straight game at home when it welcomes American to Sojka Pavilion on Wednesday, Jan. 12. Tip-off against the Eagles is set for 7 p.m.
The contest has also been designated BU Dining/State Farm Feed the Fan Night. Free pizza will be available at the game.
