Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Opens 2012 at Sojka Pavilion with Yale
1/2/2012 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2012
WHAT: Bucknell Bison (2-12) vs. Yale Bulldogs (6-6)
WHERE: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
WHEN: Tuesday, Jan. 3, 7 p.m.
RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM and SportsJuice.com
STREAMING VIDEO: BucknellBison.com 
LIVE STATISTICS: BucknellBison.com 
Complete Game Notes 
ABOUT THE GAME
It's the first game of 2012 but the last of the non-conference schedule. Bucknell hosts Yale at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, trying to snap a four-game losing skid. The Bulldogs have won each of the last two meetings with the Bison, giving them the only winning streak in series history. The last time Yale came to Sojka Pavilion, they pulled out a four-point victory.
For fans who can't make it to the game, they have several options to keep up with all the action. Kevin Foedinger will have the play-by-play call on WVBU 90.5 FM and at SportsJuice.com. Live stats and video will also be available at BucknellBison.com.
WITH A VICTORY OVER YALE, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• Snap a four-game overall losing streak.
• Snap a two-game losing streak to the Bulldogs.
• Win its first game over the Bulldogs at home since Dec. 3, 1995 when it claimed a 49-40 decision at Davis Gym.
• End the non-conference slate with a 3-12 record overall and a 3-4 mark at Sojka Pavilion.
• Finish the winter with a 1-1 mark against Ivy League opponents after falling at Cornell earlier this season.
QUICK FACTS
• Shelby Romine is looking to be the first current Bison to 500 career points. She is currently at 497.
• If the season were to end today, Bucknell's 49.0 scoring average would be the second-lowest in program history (46.3 ppg in 1974-75).
• Bucknell has at least three blocked shots in all but three games this season.
• Bucknell hit a season-high four three-point field goals vs. Penn State on Dec. 21, and a different player made each shot.
• Bucknell never led against Penn State. It was the fourth game this season, and the second in a row, in which the Bison never had a lead.
• Lindsay Horbatuck was named the Susquehanna Valley Limousine Bison Athlete of the Week on Dec. 13 after recording her second double-double of the season in the win over Fordham.
• Bucknell's eight-game losing streak earlier this season is tied for the third longest in program history.
• With a 57-56 defeat to Youngstown State on Nov. 16, Bucknell suffered its first one-point loss since Jan. 3, 2007 (Iona, 45-44).
• 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.
• The Bison were fourth in the 2011-12 Preseason Patriot League Poll.
LAST MEETING WITH YALE - JAN. 2, 2011
• Yale 69, Bucknell 58 (John J. Lee Amphitheater)
• Led by Shelby Romine's 22 points, three Bison finished in double-digit scoring but Bucknell could not make it two wins in a row as it dropped a 69-58 decision to Yale at the John J. Lee Amphitheater. The Bison saw a second-half lead disappear following a 15-6 run to end the game for the Bulldogs.
• Felicia Mgbada set a career high with 14 points on the night. Twelve of those points came in the first half on 6 of 6 shooting from the field for the then-sophomore.
• Fast back-and-forth play made for a high-scoring and close first half. The opening 20 minutes saw 13 lead changes as both teams were able to score relatively easily. A layup from Mgbada and a jumper from Romine on the next possession with 4:44 remaining gave Bucknell the first back-to-back buckets by either team since Taylor Phillips and Mgbada went back-to-back nearly 12 minutes earlier. It also gave Bucknell the game's first lead of more than two points at 27-23.
• Yale was more successful in the paint in the second half. Where the Bulldogs were settling for long shots in the first, they started getting clearer looks inside. That kept them in the hunt but not in front of the Bison for most of play. Yale then went on a 9-3 run and Bucknell appeared a bit flustered as the Bulldogs claimed a 58-55 advantage with 6:05 left in the game.
• Fouls and turnovers wreaked havoc late on the Orange and Blue's hopes of a comeback. After committing eight turnovers in the first half, Bucknell finished the game with 21. Yale ultimately closed the door on the Bison with 15 of the game's final 21 points.
HISTORY VS. YALE
• Yale defeated Bucknell by 11 points, 69-58, in the last meeting. The point spread was the widest in the series since the Bulldogs defeated the Bison by 19, 62-43, in 1997. Three of six games in series history have been decided by nine or fewer points.
• If history repeats itself, a Bucknell win on Tuesday will come by a slim margin. In victories, the Bison's scoring margin stands at just 6.0 points per game. In losses, it drops to -13.0.
• Bucknell is averaging 54.8 points per game in the series with Yale. Three of those games came in 1997 or earlier however. In the three games since the history was rekindled for the 2008-09 season, the Bison's scoring average comes in at 60.3 points. Yale's average is also higher in recent meetings, however, going from 61.5 overall to 64.3 since 2008.
• Bucknell has out-rebounded Yale just once in series history. The Bison had a 33-24 advantage in the 2010 meeting. The Bulldogs reclaimed their dominance on the boards last season, winning the rebounding battle 37-25.
• Shelby Romine's 22 points against Yale last season tied series scoring high for both teams. It equaled the total put up by Bucknell's Morgan Wrightson just one year earlier.
• Recent Results:
Dec. 3, 1995: Bucknell, 49-40
Dec. 7, 1997: Yale, 62-43
Nov. 18, 2008: Bucknell, 73-70
Dec. 5, 2010: Yale, 54-50
Jan. 2, 2011: Yale, 68-59
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Yale comes to Lewisburg with a 6-6 record after squeezing past Army 63-62 on New Year's Day. Michelle Cashen finished with a double-double (11 pts.-10 reb.) and Megan Vasquez added 11 points to fend off the Black Knights' comeback attempt. The Bulldogs shot .328 from the field for the game, but just .250 in the second half. After holding a 10-point lead in the first half, they were outscored 37-29 in the second. It was Yale's second win over a Patriot League opponent this season having beaten Holy Cross 76-71 in its season opener.
Yale was selected third in the Ivy League Preseason Poll. Among those back from the team that made its first-ever WNIT appearance last winter (L, 85-61 to Boston College) is Vasquez, an All-Ivy League First Team selection and the team's current leading scorer (13.6).
MILESTONES ON THE HORIZON
Rachel Voss recorded her 100th career assist at Mount St. Mary's on Saturday, making her the third current Bison to hit the century mark. Christina Chukwuedo has 199 helpers in her career, while Shelby Romine sits at 146. Other milestones on the horizon for the trio are 500 points for Romine - she currently has 497 - and 300 points for Chukwuedo, who has 290.
STRUGGLES AWAY FROM SOJKA
A return to Sojka Pavilion and the approaching Patriot League season are two things Bucknell is looking forward to. With their 58-46 loss at Mount St. Mary's on Saturday, the Bison completed a second consecutive season without a non-conference road win. Bucknell's last victory on the road against a non-Patriot League opponent was on Jan. 6, 2010 at Cornell when it won 69-55 in Ithaca, N.Y. The Bison are now 1-20 in true non-conference road games over the last three seasons.
UP NEXT
Bucknell will open Patriot League play with Army on Saturday. Tipoff at Sojka Pavilion is set for 7 p.m. The Bison have won nine of the last 10 against the Black Knights, including each of the three meetings last winter. The last contest between the two ended in a 54-40 win for Bucknell and advanced the Orange and Blue to the Patriot League Tournament semifinals.
