Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Returns to Sojka Pavilion for Holy Cross on Saturday
2/11/2011 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 11, 2011
WHAT: Bucknell Bison (6-15, 3-6 PL) vs. Holy Cross (9-15, 5-4 PL)
WHERE: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 12, 7 p.m.
RADIO: WVBU 90.5/SportsJuice.com
VIDEO: Bison Vision 
LIVE STATS: GameTracker 
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
ABOUT THE GAME
Bucknell has just one more homestand left on the regular-season schedule and it kicks off with a 7 p.m. game against Holy Cross on Saturday. Sojka Pavilion has plenty on the agenda that night as the Bison will be celebrating National Girls & Women in Sports Day. Bucknell's varsity women's athletics teams will be recognized at halftime and an autograph session will follow the game. Kids will also received a free t-shirt and poster.
WITH A VICTORY OVER HOLY CROSS, BUCKNELL WOULD...
► Defeat the Crusaders for the first time since winning a 58-44 decision on Feb. 14, 2009.
► Snap a three-game losing streak to the Crusaders.
► Snap its current three-game losing streak that includes losses to Navy (66-45) and American (66-38).
► Even its Sojka Pavilion record at 5-5 this season.
► Remain in sixth place in the Patriot League standings.
► Equal the same number of total victories it had last season. The Bison closed 2009-10 out with a 7-21 overall record.
LAST MEETING - JAN. 15, 2011
► Holy Cross 57, Bucknell 47 (Hart Center)
► Bucknell went on a 10-0 run late in the second half, but early struggles were too hard to overcome. The Bison got the score down to 54-47 with less than a minute remaining, but the Crusaders responded with some of its tightest defense of the day. Paired with 5 of 6 free throw shooting in the final 47 seconds, Holy Cross avoided a late scare and took the 10-point win.
► The ability to finish shots proved to be the key difference-maker in the first half and ultimately the game. Holy Cross shot 48.0 percent (12-for-25) in the opening frame, including 6 of 10 from behind the 3-point arc. Bucknell managed just 28.6 percent (10-for-35) from the field to put it down 31-23 at halftime. At the break, the Bison led in points in the paint, 16-10, and in second-chance points, 12-0.
► Holy Cross saw its long-distance success slow down in the second half, but the squad just started looking inside to continue to put points on the board. By the under-12 minute timeout, the Crusaders had eight points off layups. That gave them a 45-30 lead. The Crusaders ultimately finished the day shooting 42.6 percent from the field after an 8-for-22 (34.6%) second half.
► Bucknell outrebounded Holy Cross, 42-29. The +13 margin was the second-highest of the season for the Bison.
QUICK FACTS
Bucknell's two lowest turnover totals (15 and 13) this season have both come against Navy ... Bucknell has scored fewer than 20 points in the first half in three of the last four games ... Joyce Novacek played in her 100th consecutive game vs. Army on Jan. 29 ... 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 ... 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. 24 ... 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 ... Bucknell was picked eighth in the 2010-11 Patriot League Preseason Poll.
HISTORY VS. HOLY CROSS
► Bucknell is 12-27 all-time against Holy Cross. A majority of those wins have come on the Orange and Blue's home court. The Bison are 7-13 all-time at Davis Gym and Sojka Pavilion.
► Bucknell has scored 60 or fewer points against Holy Cross in seven of their last eight meetings. The exception during that stretch was a 73-67 Crusaders win on Feb. 16, 2008 at the Hart Center.
► The Bison's largest margin of victory in series history is 26 points. Bucknell defeated Holy Cross 63-37 on Feb. 9, 2007. The Bison will be hoping for a repeat of history as that game was also at Sojka Pavilion.
► In contests against Holy Cross, Bucknell has been outscored by an average of 5.5 points in Lewisburg. The Bison have been outscored by 12.4 points per game in Worcester, Mass.
► 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. Bucknell continued the trend on Jan. 15, 2010 when it outrebounded Holy Cross 42-29. Since 2000-01, Bucknell has outrebounded Holy Cross just 11 times in 26 opportunities.
► Recent Results:
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
Jan. 15, 2011: Holy Cross, 57-47
ABOUT THE CRUSADERS
Holy Cross has had its share of decisive wins and losses since it last played Bucknell on Jan. 15. Five of their six games have been decided by double digits, including a 31-point loss at American (84-53) on Jan. 22 and a 37-point victory over Lafayette on Feb. 5. The Crusaders' closest game was their last, a 57-50 win at Army on Wednesday.
Whitney Fremeau continues to lead the team in scoring, and her 16.6 points per game in Patriot League action ranks number one. Fremeau is also first in Patriot League play in 3-point field goal percentage (.485), while freshman Alex Smith is second in the category (.451). As a team, Holy Cross has shot .388 (57-147) from behind the arc in its first nine league contests.
ODDS & ENDS
► Bucknell's 28-point loss to American on Feb. 9 was its worst in series history. The Bison's largest margin of defeat previously had been 19 points in a 72-53 loss on Jan. 14, 1984.
► 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 four opponents with a winning record this season. American was 10-4 overall when it entered the game with the Bison on Jan. 12 and went into the Feb. 9 game with a 15-7 record. Penn State was 10-3 prior to its game with Bucknell on Dec. 28. Bucknell's third .500+ opponent was Lehigh (11-9) on Jan. 26. A fourth foe was added to the list when the Bison took on Navy (13-8) on Feb. 5.
► Five of Bucknell's six 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), Lafayette by eight (57-49) and Army by one (49-48). Bucknell earned its first double-digit victory at Colgate on Jan. 22, winning 76-66 in overtime.
MOVING UP THE RANKS
Shelby Romine continues to make inroads in the Bucknell record book. With 301 points this winter, she ranks seventh on the Orange and Blue's freshman scoring list. Just ahead of her is Vicki Quimby in sixth with 388 points during her rookie campaign. Lindsey Hollobaugh holds the top mark with 483 points in 2003-04.
After going 1-for-4 from behind the arc at American on Wednesday night, Romine moved into a three-way tie for 10th on the program's single-season list for 3-point field goals made. Over the course of the season, Romine is 38 of 93 from long range, giving her a .409 shooting percentage. If the season ended today, that average would rank fourth among single-season marks.
LIMITED AT THE LINE
Bucknell limited American to a mere five foul shot attempts on Wednesday night, and the Eagles cashed in on four of them. Both totals were season lows for a Bucknell opponent in 2010-11. American has gotten used to many more trips to the line than what they got against the Orange and Blue. Entering Wednesday's game, the Eagles were shooting a Patriot League-best .707 in league play and were averaging better than 12 made shots on 17 attempts per contest.
CHUKWUEDO AT THE LINE
Christina Chukwuedo has been making her own push at the free throw line. The junior opened the season just 4-for-12 (.333) from the stripe in her first 10 games. In the last 11 contests, she has improved to 14-for-18 (.778). That progress brings her season average to .600 (18-for-30).
FEWER THAN 40
With 38 points at American on Feb. 9, Bucknell set a scoring low for the season. The previous low for 2010-11 had been 42 points in the team's loss to Fordham (64-42) back on Nov. 17. Since the program began in 1973-74, Bucknell is 2-21 all-time in games in which it scores fewer than 40 points.
► The last time the Bison failed to clear 40 points came in the 2009-10 regular-season finale. Bucknell lost 49-37 to Army at Sojka Pavilion on Feb. 28, 2010.
► Bucknell has twice scored fewer than 40 points but come away with a win. Those games were against Messiah (33-26) in 1973-74 and vs. Lehigh (39-38) on Jan. 26, 1980.
►The last time Bucknell had more than one game in a single season in which they failed to reach 40 points came in 1984-85: at Rider on Jan. 7, 1985 (L, 55-37) and vs. Delaware on Jan. 16, 1985 (L, 62-38).
► Twice in program history Bucknell has recorded back-to-back games with fewer than 40 points. The first was in four straight contests during the 1973-74 campaign. The second was Jan. 30, 1982 at Delaware (L, 73-39) and Feb. 4, 1982 at Elizabethtown (L, 72-35). ► Bucknell has scored fewer than 40 points twice against Holy Cross - a 68-39 loss on Jan. 15, 1992 and a 62-39 loss in the Patriot League Tournament on March 5, 1995.
FEWER THAN 50
Bucknell has failed to score 50 points in each of its last four games, falling 64-48 to Lehigh and winning 49-48 against Army last week. The streak reached three at Navy on Feb. 5 with a 66-45 loss and continued with a 66-38 loss at American a few days later. Since the 1975-76 season, Bucknell has recorded back-to-back games of fewer than 50 points 13 times and three straight games of fewer than 50 three times. This is the first time in program history that the Bison have gone four consecutive games without breaking the 50-point marker.
► Last time with back-to-back games of fewer than 50 points:
Feb. 24, 2010 vs. Lehigh (L, 56-41) and
Feb. 28, 2010 vs. Army (L, 49-37)
► Last time with back-to-back games of fewer than 50 points and with one win:
Nov. 22, 2008 at Fordham (W, 47-46) and
Nov. 25, 2008 vs. Drexel (L, 44-35)
► Last time with three consecutive games of fewer than 50 points:
Jan. 5, 1985 vs. Towson State (L, 50-41),
Jan. 7, 1985 at Rider (L, 55-37) and
Jan. 9, 1985 at Hofstra (L, 69-43)
RUNS TOUGH TO OVERCOME
Bucknell suffered from one of its worst scoring droughts of the season when it went 12 minutes without a field goal in the first half at Navy on Feb. 5. During that time, the Midshipmen went on a 27-0 run. Although Bucknell shot better than 55 percent from the field in the second half, Navy ultimately won the contest 66-45. Not to be left out, Holy Cross put up similar numbers against Lafayette on the same day. Leading 36-26, Holy Cross went off for a 23-0 run to go up 59-26 with 14:41 left in the game. The Crusaders won the game 83-46.
NOVACEK NAMED CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT FOR THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR
For the third consecutive year, Joyce Novacek was named to the Capital One Academic All-District 2 First Team on Feb. 3. Novacek becomes the only Bison other than Bucknell Hall of Famer Jennifer Walz to be recognized for her academic success during all three years in which she was eligible for the award. Walz was named First Team Academic All-America from 1986-87 to 1988-89. After more than three years at Bucknell, Novacek has maintained a cumulative grade-point average of 3.92 while majoring in management and English. She has even recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA on four separate occasions.
The senior forward is now eligible for Academic All-America status, which will be voted on later this month. In order to be considered for Academic All-America honors, a candidate must be at least a sophomore with a minimum 3.30 cumulative GPA and be a starter or significant reserve on his/her team.
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 167 rebounds (8.0/game) this season, Novacek leads all current Bison with 677 career rebounds. The senior will break into the program's all-time top-10 list in boards this year, needing just one more to do so.
CHUKWUEDO ON THE CHARGE
Christina Chukwuedo saw limited playing time in December while dealing with an arm injury, but the junior has been making the most of her return. In the 11 games since coming back at full force and rejoining the starting lineup, Chukwuedo is averaging 5.2 points and 2.5 assists, up from her season average of 4.0 points. They're even higher than her career averages of 1.6 points and 1.6 assists prior to the season.
Also in those 11 games, Chukwuedo has set or equaled career highs in points (9 vs. American), assists (6 vs. Yale, Navy), rebounds (7 vs. Cornell, Holy Cross), steals (2 at Yale) and blocked shots (2 at Lafayette).
FEDORJAKA 500
Head coach Kathy Fedorjaka recently recorded her 200th win at Bucknell, but already she is has passed yet another milestone. When Bucknell and Navy faced off on Feb. 5, it was Fedorjaka's 500th career game at the helm of a program. In 18 years as a head coach, she has amassed a 269-231 (.538) record while at Connecticut College (16-8, one season), Bloomsburg (51-30, three season) and Bucknell (202-194, 14th season). Fedorjaka's 202 victories rank first in Bucknell history.
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 17 blocks, including a season-best three against Buffalo, Youngstown State and Lafayette. Higham now has 92 rejections in her career, ranking sixth all-time at Bucknell and just 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 95 career rejections.
BENCH BATTLERS
Bucknell got some big-time production from its bench players against Lehigh on Jan. 26. 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 nine 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 Jan. 26, 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 4-6 in games in which they shoot better than 40 percent with the wins coming against Niagara (.453), Lafayette (.465), Colgate (.420) and Army (.413).
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 (14.3) and assists (71). 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.
MORE HONORS FOR ROMINE
Shelby Romine claimed a second honor on Jan. 24 after her record-breaking performance at Colgate. 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 since Lauren Schober on Feb. 1, 2009.
TRIPS TO THE LINE
Shelby Romine, who broke the school record with 19 made free throws, was not the only Bison to get in on the 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.
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.
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 202-194 record at Bucknell, good for a .510 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.
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.
CRUISING PAST THE MILESTONES
Several Bison have recorded some career milestones this season. Cosima Higham reached 600 career points at Lafayette on Jan. 19, Lindsay Horbatuck totaled 200 career rebounds at Colgate on Jan. 22 and 200 points with her performance at American on Feb. 9. Joyce Novacek also got to 800 points at Navy on Feb. 5. Novacek's and Higham's point totals are the highest among current players, while Horbatuck is the first non-senior to reach both 200 points and 200 rebounds in her career.
100 GAMES AND COUNTING
Joyce Novacek played in her 100th career game when she went up against Navy on Jan. 8 (she's now at 108). Novacek's classmate, Taylor Phillips, is also looking to join the club, having played in 98 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.
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 29 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 1.3.
STREAKING
Although Joyce Novacek's 88-game scoring streak came to an end vs. Army, she still has plenty of others in the works. The senior forward has ...
► played in 102 consecutive games (last non-appearance: at Marist, 12/1/07).
► made 79 consecutive starts (last non-start: vs. Drexel, 11/25/08).
► grabbed at least one rebound in 22 straight games (last rebound-less night: vs. Army, 2/27/10).
Over the course of her career, Novacek has played in 108 of a possible 109 games and has been a part of the Bison's starting lineup 87 times, more than any other current Bison. She has been held without a rebound just six times in her nearly four years.
PUTTING POINTS ON THE BOARD
With the season being 21 games old, Shelby Romine has 13 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 28 at Colgate on Jan. 22, while her lowest mark is four points vs. Lehigh.
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.
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 continues its three-game homestand with Lafayette on Wednesday, Feb. 16. Tipoff at Sojka Pavilion is set for 7 p.m. The game has been designated a NCAA Pack the House and WBCA Pink Zone contest.
When Bucknell and Lafayette met last month, the Bison pulled out a 57-49 win in Easton. The victory was the first road win in nearly a year for the Orange and Blue. It also gave Kathy Fedorjaka her 200th win as the head coach at Bucknell.
