Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Back at Sojka Pavilion Wednesday for Youngstown State
11/15/2011 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 15, 2011
WHAT: Bucknell (1-1) vs. Youngstown State (1-1) Women's Basketball
WHERE: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 15, 7 p.m.
RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM, SportsJuice.com
STREAMING VIDEO: BucknellBison.com 
LIVE STATISTICS: BucknellBison.com 
Complete Game Notes 
ABOUT THE GAME
Bucknell women's basketball eagerly awaits its return to Sojka Pavilion on Wednesday where it will take on Youngstown State at 7 p.m. The Bison are hoping to extend one streak and end another. The Orange and Blue have won its last six games on its home court but is 0-4 in its last handful of meetings with the Penguins.
Fans can catch the game live on local radio on WVBU 90.5 FM or anywhere on SportsJuice.com. Live stats on GameTracker and live streaming video on Bison Vision are also available at BucknellBison.com.
WITH A VICTORY OVER YOUNGSTOWN STATE, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• Start the season 2-1 for the first time since 2006-07.
• Snap a four-game losing streak to the Penguins and improve to 2-4 in the series.
• Improve to 2-0 at Sojka Pavilion this season and 7-0 at home since Jan. 29, 2011.
• Avoid its first set of back-to-back losses since Feb. 5-9, 2011.
LAST MEETING - NOV. 24, 2010
• Youngstown State 71, Bucknell 47 (Beeghly Center)
• Youngstown State claimed its first win since the 2008-09 season, defeating Bucknell by 14 points. Cosima Higham just missed her first double-double of the season, leading the Bison with 12 points and nine rebounds in the loss.
• Higham and Joyce Novacek combined for 15 of Bucknell's 30 points in the first half, and the Orange and Blue totaled 20 points in the paint compared to 14 for the Penguins. Bucknell also applied pressure to Youngstown State throughout the first half, making the Penguins' offense especially sluggish early on. They tallied just five field goals in the first 10 minutes of play, but the Bison still only had a 16-15 lead.
• The offensive pace picked up for both teams in the second half. Bucknell somehow kept up with the Penguins despite their outside shooting. Youngstown State shot 6-for-11 from 3-point range in the second half while Bucknell continued to pound the ball inside, and that proved to be a key difference in the end. Fittingly, the Penguins took a 52-50 lead on a Liz Hornberger shot from behind the arc with 8:53 to play, and Youngstown State never let go of the advantage again.
QUICK FACTS
• Although it's still early in the season, Bucknell leads the Patriot League in steals (9.5), rebounding defense (33.0) and scoring defense (49.0).
• Bucknell is 2-6 all-time against teams that are currently in the Horizon League. In addition to their 1-4 mark against Youngstown State - although the teams' last meeting is the only one that took place while the Penguins were Horizon League members - the Bison are also 1-1 opposite Cleveland State and 0-1 against Illinois-Chicago.
• The Bison went 8-5 at home but 3-12 on the road during the 2010-11 season. All three road victories came during Patriot League play.
• Bucknell won its first ever game against Saint Peter's on Nov. 11. The Bison are now 1-3 in the series.
• The Bison were voted fourth in the 2011-12 Preseason Patriot League Poll.
• Bucknell returns three starters and eight letterwinners from the 2010-11 squad that went 11-17 overall and 7-7 in the Patriot League. Despite that, the squad is still relatively young. The Bison feature just one senior and six freshmen and two new assistant coaches on their 2011-12 roster.
HISTORY VS. YOUNGSTOWN STATE
• Bucknell is 1-1 all-time when playing against Youngstown State in Lewisburg. The Bison's only win at home, and in the series, came 72-62 on Jan. 16, 1989 at Davis Gym. The Penguins have never played at Sojka Pavilion.
• In their four series wins, the Penguins have won by an average of 21.0 points per game. Their largest margin of victory is 26 points (71-45, Jan. 4, 1992), while their smallest is 14, which was set last season.
• When Kirsten Ellison was beginning her career at Bucknell, the Bison were just beginning the series with the Youngstown State. The matchup proved advantageous for the center who averaged 11.8 points and 9.3 rebounds in four games against the Penguins. In the first two contests, Ellison recorded double-doubles with 15 points and 11 rebounds as a freshman followed by 17 points and 15 rebounds a year later. Ellison went on to finish her career with 1,050 points in the Orange and Blue. At the time of her graduation, she also held the program record with 892 career rebounds. She currently ranks third on the list.
• Ellison's 15 rebounds on Jan. 18, 1990 is the most by a Bison against Youngstown State. Eleven of those boards came on the offensive glass. Bucknell Hall of Famer Jennifer Walz also set a series high with 31 points against the Penguins on Jan. 16, 1989, the first game in series history.
• Series Results (home games in italics):
Jan. 16, 1989: Bucknell, 72-62
Jan. 18, 1990: Youngstown State, 92-68
Dec. 11, 1990: Youngstown State, 78-58
Jan. 4, 1992: Youngstown State, 71-45
Nov. 24, 2010: Youngstown State, 71-57
ABOUT THE PENGUINS
Youngstown State opened its 2011-12 season with a 1-1 record, falling to West Virginia (69-37) and beating IPFW (91-81). Brandi Brown led the Penguins in scoring and rebounding in both games. In the most recent contest against the Mastadons, Brown tallied 22 points as the Penguins shot .518 (29-for-56) from the field as a team.
The Penguins finished last season 6-24, which although it was the team's 11th consecutive losing season, was an improvement over its 0-30 record in 2009-10. Youngstown State's last winning season came in 1999-2000 when it finished 22-9. Looking forward to the current campaign, the Penguins were selected 10th out of 10 teams in the Horizon League Preseason Poll. Brown, who led the league in scoring (19.9 ppg) last winter and averaged a double-double as a freshman, was voted the Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year.
INDIVIDUAL SCORING BREAKTHROUGHS
Felicia Mgbada and Christina Chukwuedo experienced some scoring breakthroughs in the first two games of the season. Mgbada, who scored 11 points in both games, now has back-to-back double-figure point totals for the first time in her career. That streak extends to three games if you include her 19-point performance in the season-ending loss to Navy in last year's Patriot League Tournament semifinals. The junior entered the 2011-12 campaign with six career double-digit scoring games, all of which came last winter.
Chukwuedo just broke into double figures for the first time in her career. Before taking on Rider on Sunday evening, the senior's personal best was nine points against American on Jan. 12, 2011. The guard dropped 16 points on the Broncs last weekend with career highs in field goals made (7) and attempted (11).
NOT MUCH BUSINESS DOWNTOWN
Through two games this season, Bucknell has yet to make a three-point field goal. The Bison shot 0-for-5 from behind the arc against Saint Peter's and 0-for-8 at Rider. The last time Bucknell went back-to-back games without a three-pointer was Jan. 24 and Jan. 26, 2000. Bucknell shot 0-for-4 at Stony Brook and lost 65-44 in the first case. It then went 0-for-7 in a 59-57 win against Colgate.
A HALF TO REMEMBER
Bucknell got off to a good start at Rider on Sunday, shooting .586 (17-for-29) in the first half and taking a 36-32 lead into the break. The percentage for the half is the team's best since it shot .611 (11-for-18) in the second half at Army on Feb. 26, 2011. That average was a major turnaround from the first half when Bucknell went 4-for-25, or .160, against the Black Knights. Bucknell went on to win 44-40 at West Point.
The Bison posted a .600+ shooting average three times last season: .654 vs. Lehigh, Jan. 26; .607 vs. Holy Cross, Feb. 12; .611 at Army, Feb. 26.
A HALF TO FORGET
Bucknell suffered perhaps its worst stretch in program history on Sunday night when it shot just 1-for-21 (.048) from the field and totaled seven points in the second half against Rider. The next fewest field goals recorded in a half by a Bison squad was a 3-for-26 performance in the first half against Army on Jan. 20, 1993 and a 3-for-14 in the second at Fordham on Nov. 17, 2010. Despite the .115 shooting against the Black Knights in 1993, which is the lowest since at least the 1988-89 season, Bucknell still managed 16 points in that half. The lowest single-half scoring total (since at least 1983-84) was nine points at UMBC on Nov. 23, 1997.
GETTING STRAIGHT TO WORK
Freshman Amy Zehner did not waste much time to show Bucknell fans what she was capable of. The guard recorded a double-double in her collegiate debut, claiming 10 points and 10 rebounds to help the Bison past Saint Peter's 46-35. Zehner becomes the first Bison to record a double-double in her rookie season since Joyce Novacek did it twice at the end of 2007-08. She is also the first Bison freshman to post a double-double in the first game of the season since Shannon McGowan tallied 11 points and 11 rebounds at Monmouth on Dec. 1, 1993.
FEWER THAN 40 FOR FOES
By defeating Saint Peter's 46-35 on Nov. 11, Bucknell held three of four, and four of its last six, opponents to 40 points or less. The Bison limited Army to 40 points twice at the end of last season, winning 44-40 and 54-40. The 35 points is the fewest allowed to a Bison opponent since beating Lafayette 46-34 on Feb. 16, 2011 and the third-lowest total during head coach Kathy Fedorjaka's tenure.
NOT GIVING THEM A LOOK
Bucknell did not give its opponents the offensive looks they wanted last winter. At the close of the season, Bison foes had averaged just 60.4 points, which ranks ninth in program history for scoring defense. A new top-10 mark has been added to the list each of the last six seasons with the 2006-07 squad setting the record at 56.1 points per game.
SUCCESS WITH DOUBLE FIGURES
Bucknell has seen a fair amount of success when two or more players score in double figures as was the case in the Bison's 46-35 win over Saint Peter's on Nov. 11. Felicia Mgbada led the way with 11 points, and Amy Zehner added 10 against the Peahens. Unfortunately, Bucknell then fell 63-43 at Rider despite double-digit scoring from Christina Chukwuedo (16) and Mgbada (11). During the 2010-11 season, the Bison were 8-8 in games when at least two players hit double figures. In non-conference games, however, that record dropped to just 2-6.
STILL POWERFUL IN THE PAINT
The Bison might have been concerned about their paint play with the recent graduation of forwards Joyce Novacek and Cosima Higham. The departed duo accounted for 23.4 percent of the team's points and 36.9 percent of its rebounds last season. That worry seems to be unfounded after the first game of the 2011-12 season as 28 of the Bucknell's 46 points came in the paint. The Bison also out-rebounded Saint Peter's 43-29.
HORBATUCK HOUNDING THE BOARDS
Lindsay Horbatuck claimed her sixth career double-digit rebounding game on Nov. 11 against Saint Peter's with a team-best 11 boards. That marks the ninth time in her career that the junior has led the Bison in rebounding, an area that she has dominated in recent years with former teammates Joyce Novacek and Cosima Higham. Before that game, the last time a Bison other than Horbatuck, Novacek or Higham led Bucknell in rebounding was Jan. 8, 2010 when Trisha Krewson grabbed seven boards against Navy.
STARTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT
With its 11-point win on Nov. 11, Bucknell is now 17-22 all-time in season openers. The Bison had been alternating wins and losses in their openers since 2005, but with a 53-48 win over Rider last season, have now won back-to-back debuts for the first time since the 1999-2000 through 2001-02 campaigns. Bucknell beat Delaware State 79-68, American 79-73 and Albany 64-45 during that stretch.
MIXING IT UP
Bucknell did its fair share of mixing and matching when it came to starting lineups in 2010-11. The Bison used nine different combinations, but none was as successful as the grouping of Christina Chukwuedo, Felicia Mgbada, Joyce Novacek, Shelby Romine and Rachel Voss. The quintet went 6-10 when starting the game together. No other lineup recorded more than one victory during the season. Just two games into the 2011-12 season, Bucknell has already used two brand-new starting lineups.
FIRST-TIME CAPTAINS
Bucknell named three captains prior to the start of the 2011-12 season. Senior Christina Chukwuedo, junior Lindsay Horbatuck and sophomore Shelby Romine were voted by their teammates to be the formal leaders of the squad. Romine is the first sophomore to be named a captain since K.C. Vlah in 1993-94. Not surprisingly, Vlah went on to serve in the leadership role as a junior and senior as well.
POSTSEASON HONORS
For the third consecutive campaign, Bucknell earned at least two selections to All-Patriot League teams. Cosima Higham was a second team honoree in 2010-11, while Shelby Romine was named to the All-Rookie Team. After claiming a league-leading six Patriot League Rookie of the Week awards, Romine became the 17th Bison to be voted one of the conference's top newcomers.
THE PERFECT HOSTS
Bucknell women's basketball reaped the benefits of a new Patriot League Tournament format that mirrors that of the men's postseason. Starting in 2010-11, the higher seed in each matchup earned the right to host. As the No. 4 seed last March, Bucknell hosted No. 5 Army, marking the first time a women's postseason game had been played in Lewisburg. The Bison moved the contest to historic Davis Gym, the team's home from 1974-75 to 2002-03, and defeated the Black Knights 54-40.
In addition to the victory, Bucknell set a pair of Patriot League Tournament records. Nine total blocked shots, as well as Cosima Higham's five blocks, were both program highs. The Bison's 47 rebounds also ranked second.
COACHING MILESTONE
Kathy Fedorjaka has long been at the top of the list for most wins in program history, but that has not kept the head coach from racking up milestones just the same. In 2010, she hit the century mark in Patriot League victories with a 60-47 win over Colgate and now has a league record of 108-80. Last season, Fedorjaka reached 200 wins for her Bucknell career when the Bison defeated Lafayette 57-49 on the road. Now in her 15th year, she has amassed an overall mark of 208-197.
UNDER THE RADAR
Felicia Mgbada did not often receive fanfare last year, but that doesn't mean the junior wasn't contributing. After recording her first career double-double and her first game with double-digit rebounds at Wofford, Mgbada nearly put together her first 20-point game when she tallied 19 against Navy in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals. Over the course of the season, the forward led all Bucknell sophomores in scoring, assists, blocked shots, steals and minutes played.
ROOKIES ON THE ROSTER
With six newcomers on the roster, Bucknell has one its biggest freshman classes in recent years. The last time the Bison featured more rookies was in 2004-05 when the roster included seven freshmen – Kesha Champion, Kristina Collymore, Hope Foster, Jessica Lang, Sarah Latham, Lady Lockhart and Ashton Sprouse. Champion, Collymore, Foster and Sprouse eventually led Bucknell to the second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history in 2007-08.
NEW TO THE SIDELINES
Along with its six freshmen, Bucknell has some fresh faces on the coaching staff as well. Katie Adams and Ashley Langford joined the team as assistants prior to the 2011-12 season. Langford made the move to Lewisburg after spending the last two years at Auburn as a graduate assistant. Before graduating from Tulane in 2009, the Harrisburg, Pa., native became the Green Wave's all-time leader in assists. A 2008 graduate of Rutgers University, Adams was most recently at the University of Wyoming where she was pursuing a second degree in mathematics education. Prior to graduation at Rutgers, Adams helped the Scarlet Knights to a trip to the Sweet Sixteen, two Elite Eight appearances and the 2007 national championship game.
NEW TO THE SCHEDULE
Bucknell has a long history with several of its opponents, including the Patriot League's Lehigh, whom the Bison have played 68 times in the program's 38-year history. Some of their 2011-12 foes are a little less familiar, however. Bucknell will have its first-ever meeting with Morgan State and NJIT during non-conference play. It also be renewed its series with Saint Peter's, which until Friday was last contested during the 1986-87 season, and Mount St. Mary's. The last time the Bison and The Mount squared off was in 1994-95.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Success in the classroom has long been the norm for Bucknell women's basketball, and last year was no different. For the second consecutive season, Bucknell led the way in the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll with 10 selections, while Joyce Novacek was named to the inaugural Academic All-Patriot League Team. The award was just one of many for the recent graduate, who also claimed her third Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team citation. Novacek joins Bucknell Hall of Fame member Jennifer Walz as the only Bison to be named All-District three times.
Bucknell was also ranked second nationally among Division I schools for its team grade-point average. The Bison were named a Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Team in July with a collective GPA of 3.632.
PATRIOT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
Bucknell is back in the top half of the Patriot League Preseason Poll in 2011-12. After finishing fourth in the regular season last year, the Bison remained in fourth in the vote of the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
Shelby Romine was also a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team. She was one of three sophomores voted to the team, along with the Preseason Player of the Year Jade Geif of Navy and Alex Smith of Holy Cross.
2011-12 PATRIOT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
Team (First-place votes) Points
1. American (11) 94
2. Lehigh (3) 83
3. Navy (2) 74
4. Bucknell 58
5. Holy Cross 52
6. Lafayette 38
7. Army 28
8. Colgate 23
PRESEASON ALL-PATRIOT LEAGUE TEAM^
Jade Geif, Navy* (Player of the Year)
Lisa Strack, American*
Shelby Romine, Bucknell*
Alex Smith, Holy Cross
Emily Gratch, Lehigh
Alexa Williams, Lehigh
^Six members due to a tie in voting
*Unanimous selections
UP NEXT
Three of Bucknell's next four games will be on the road. First up during that stretch is Buffalo at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19. The Bison have lost their last two against the Bulls, and the last time the Orange and Blue walked away with a victory in Buffalo, N.Y., was Dec. 28, 2005 by a score of 74-63.
