Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Returns to Road Looking for Revenge at Canisius
11/16/2012 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 16, 2012
| Bucknell (0-2) at Canisius (1-1) Women's Basketball |
| WHERE: Buffalo, N.Y., Koessler Athletic Center |
| WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 17, 1:30 p.m. |
| RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM and SportsJuice.com |
| STREAMING VIDEO: None |
| LIVE STATISTICS: GoGriffs.com |
COMPLETE GAME NOTES  |
ABOUT THE GAME
Bucknell women's basketball returns to the road for the second time in three games as it makes the trip to Buffalo, N.Y., for a 1:30 p.m. tipoff against Canisius on Saturday. Both teams are looking to bounce back from recent losses as the Bison dropped an eight-point decision to Saint Francis on Wednesday and the Golden Griffins fell most recently by 11 at Detroit. Saturday's game will be the first in a sold-out doubleheader in which the Canisius men will also host St. Bonaventure at 4 p.m.
Live audio coverage can be heard at WVBU 90.5 FM and online at SportsJuice.com with Danny Will calling the play-by-play. Live stats can also be found at GoGriffs.com.
WITH A VICTORY OVER CANISIUS, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• Win its first game of the season and give Aaron Roussell his first win as Bucknell's head coach.
• Win its first road game since defeating Lehigh 62-56 in Bethlehem, Pa., on Feb. 15, 2012.
• End a six-game losing streak dating back to the end of last season.
• Win its first non-conference game since defeating Fordham 49-39 at Sojka Pavilion on Dec. 6, 2011.
QUICK FACTS
• Bucknell tied with Colgate for seventh in the 2012-13 Patriot League Preseason Poll. Defending champions Navy were voted to the first-place spot.
• Aaron Roussell was hired as Bucknell's ninth head coach in April 2012. Roussell spent eight years at the University of Chicago where he amassed a 161-50 record and led the Maroons to three Sweet Sixteens and one Elite Eight.
• Lindsay Horbatuck and Shelby Romine were chosen as Bucknell's co-captains ahead of the 2012-13 campaign. It is their second consecutive season in the leadership position.
• Lindsay Horbatuck grabbed 251 rebounds last winter, placing her 10th at Bucknell in single-season boards. Her 9.4 rebounding average during conference play ranked her first in the Patriot League.
• The Bison return four starters and 10 letterwinners from a year ago. Bucknell's only loss from the starting five was guard Christina Chukwuedo, who led the Patriot League in assist/turnover ratio last season.
• Shelby Romine is currently ranked eighth all-time at Bucknell in career 3-point field goals (85). The junior also has 712 career points, leading all current Bison.
• Although still very early in the season, Bucknell leads the Patriot League in defensive rebounds (34.0). The Bison grabbed 32 at Xavier last Saturday and 36 against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Wednesday. Audrey Dotson had 10 defensive boards against the Musketeers, while Lindsay Horbatuck had 11 against the Red Flash.
• Felicia Mgbada finished her junior year ranked seventh at Bucknell in single-season blocked shots (39). She is now tied for ninth in career blocks (72).
LAST MEETING WITH CANISIUS - NOV. 30, 2011
• Canisius 55, Bucknell 47 (Sojka Pavilion)
• Bucknell got Canisius' lead down to three on more than one occasion but never led in the contest as the Bison fell by eight on their home court. Spurring Bucknell's runs was Alyssa Dunn, who finished with a then-season-best 13 points and three steals. Micki Impellizeri finished with a career-high five steals.
• Bucknell's 16 steals was its most in a single game since recording 20 against Colgate on Feb. 21, 2009. The Bison defeated the Raiders 53-35 at Sojka Pavilion in that game and limited them to nine first-half points.
• Canisius held a 10-point lead at halftime. Coming out of the break, layups were the name of the game for the Bison as they tried to make their comeback. Bucknell did not hit a jumper until 8:15 when Katherine Harris drained a 3-pointer. That brought Bucknell within three points again at 39-36, but it was in the middle of a run in which Canisius claimed 11 of 15 points. By the end of the Griffs' streak, they had increased their lead to double digits again at 47-37.
• The Bison shot 25.0 percent (7-for-28) in the first half before improving to 35.1 percent (20-for-57) for the game.
• Bucknell's 47 points was its fewest scored in the series with Canisius. The Bison's previous low had come in a 74-70 loss on Feb. 11, 1991.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN GRIFFINS
Canisius enters the weekend with a 1-1 record having opened its season with a 73-57 win over crosstown rival Buffalo. The Golden Griffins most recently lost to Detroit on the road by a score of 65-54. Ashley Wilkes claimed her team's first double-double of the year, posting 12 points and 13 rebounds against the Bulls, but Jamie Ruttle set the season's high scoring mark with 18 points at Detroit.
Ruttle was named to the Preseason All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference First Team earlier this winter, while Canisius was selected fourth in the MAAC's preseason poll after finishing the 2011-12 campaign at 12-18 overall and 6-12 in the MAAC. Ruttle averaged 11.7 points and 5.3 rebounds a year ago as a sophomore, earning Third Team All-Conference honors.
HISTORY VS. CANISIUS
• The series with Canisius is tied at 3-3 overall and 1-1 when playing in Buffalo. The last time the Bison took on the Golden Griffins in Buffalo was Dec. 11, 2001 when Canisius claimed a high-scoring victory, 100-89. The only other trip to Canisius came in the teams' first-ever meeting on Dec. 5, 1987. Bucknell won that game, 76-62.
• With the exception of last season's meeting, games between Bucknell and Canisius have had more than enough scoring. In all six of the series' games, the Bison are averaging 82.8 points compared to 79.0 for the Griffs. Three games have seen one of the teams hit at least 100 points.
• Bucknell has scored 100 points in program history and two of those have come at Canisius' expense. The Bison won 115-92 on Jan. 6, 1996, setting school records in most points in a single game, most points in a half (59 in the second) and most combined points. Bucknell also won 100-91 on Nov. 27, 2002, which was the last time the Bison hit the century mark.
• When Bucknell defeated Canisius 100-91 on Nov. 27, 2002, it gave the Bison their first win of the season. It also marked the last time that three players scored at least 20 points in the same game. Molly Creamer finished with 31 points thanks in part to a 13-for-13 showing at the free throw line, Kate Franks added 28 points and Desire Almind totaled 22 points. Almind also had a double-double with 10 rebounds.
• Bucknell is averagin 97.0 points in wins over Canisius and 68.7 points in losses.
• Neither team has ever won back-to-back games in the series.
• Recent Results:
Feb. 11, 1991 Canisius, 74-70
Jan. 6, 1996 Bucknell, 115-92
Dec. 11, 2011 Canisius, 100-89
Nov. 27, 2002 Bucknell, 100-91
Nov. 30, 2011 Canisius, 55-47
CENTURY MARK
Bucknell has scored 100 points in a game four times in program history and none of those games went into overtime. The two most recent games came against Canisius, Saturday's opponent, but the first was on Feb. 11, 1989 as the Bison defeated Drexel 100-96. The second 100-point game in program history came on Jan. 24, 1990 in a 110-80 Bucknell victory at Rider. The 1988-89 team that recorded the first-ever 100-point game averaged 75.1 points during the season. That average ranks third in program history. The 1989-90 squad's 69.7 average ranks seventh.
REPEAT PERFORMANCE
Lindsay Horbatuck's 15 rebounds against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Wednesday should not have come as much a surprise to the Red Flash. The Bison senior is averaging 13.0 boards in two games with Saint Francis having also grabbed 11 in the meeting in Loretto, Pa., last November. Horbatuck also has a 12.0 points per game mark when facing the Red Flash.
BACK-TO-BACK IN BOARDS
With 11 boards at Xavier on Nov. 10 and 15 more against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 14, Lindsay Horbatuck has reached double-figure rebounding totals in each of the season's first two contests. It is the fourth time the senior has hit double digits in consecutive games and the first time since finishing with 10 or more rebounds in four consecutive games during the end of Patriot League play last season.
CONTINUING TO PUT UP TOP MARKS
Shelby Romine and Alyssa Dunn have led Bucknell in scoring and assists, respectively, while Lindsay Horbatuck has been among the team's top rebounders in each of the season's first two games. Romine led the Bison in scoring six times in 2011-12, more than any other player, and Dunn had game highs in assists twice last season.
Horbatuck's reputation as one of the league's top players on the boards came thanks to posting the team's highest rebounding totals in 22 games a year ago. She led Bucknell in that category in each of last year's final 12 games and in 13 of the last 15 overall. During that 15-game stretch, Horbatuck has posted a 10.7 rebounds per game average.
STOPS DOWN THE STRETCH
Bucknell has played some solid defense down the stretch in each of its last two games. Xavier went the final 6:35 without a field goal and Saint Francis (Pa.) went without a bucket from the floor in the last 3:12 of the game on Wednesday night. During their drought, the Musketeers were 0-for-7 from the field but 9-for-12 from the free throw line. The Red Flash were 0-for-2 from the field and 6-for-13 from the line.
Despite the defensive effort, Bucknell struggled to make up ground during those stretches, however. In that same 6:35 at Xavier, the Bison were 3-for-11 from the field and 3-for-5 from the free throw line. They also shot 1-for-5 from the field and 2-for-4 at the line in the game's final 3:12 against the Red Flash.
SLOW TO START
Heading into the third game of the season, Bucknell is looking to avoid its first 0-3 start since the 2009-10 season when the fell to Miami (Ohio) (75-54), Iona (62-55) and Penn State (77-62). The Bison also started the 2007-08 season at 0-3. That squad eventually went on to win the Patriot League title and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history.
HORBATUCK AT THE LINE
Since going 0-for-1 from the free throw line at Mount St. Mary's on Dec. 31, 2011, Lindsay Horbatuck has reversed her fortunes and has been making a difference at the charity stripe. Horbatuck shot 5-for-7 (.714) from the free throw line against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Wednesday night, bringing her average to .875 (42-49) in the 18 games since playing The Mount.
As a junior last winter, Horbatuck posted the best free throw shooting percentage of her career, closing things out at .772 (61-79). Early in the 2012-13 campaign, she stands at .667 (6-9).
ROAD WOES
Bucknell struggled on the road last season, registering a 2-14 record away from Sojka Pavilion. Those two wins came in mid-February in back-to-back outings at Lafayette and Lehigh. In their 16 road contests last year, the Bison averaged 51.7 points and 33.8 rebounds. Their scoring margin came in at -11.6, but their rebounding margin was a more positive +1.4. Bucknell shot .385 (311-807) from the field, while opponents were .434. Three-point field goal shooting followed a similar trend with Bucknell at .293 (39-133) and opponents coming in at .366. Individually, Shelby Romine led the team with 11.7 points per game and Lindsay Horbatuck posted an 8.3 rebounding average.
COACHING DEBUTS
Aaron Roussell became Bucknell's ninth head coach when he was hired in April 2012. He inherits a team that is coming off a season in which it went 5-25 overall and 3-11 in the Patriot League and returns all but two of its letterwinners.
Of the eight previous Bucknell head coaches, only one - Rebecca Carr - registered a winning season in her debut campaign. The second coach in program history, Carr went 6-4 in 1976-77 before ultimately finishing her four-year tenure with the Bison with a 31-30 record. Two coaches - Cindy Connelley (1983-84) and Juliene Simpson (1991-97) - improved Bucknell's wins totals in their first seasons. Connelley's nine wins was a one-game improvement, while Simpson had a five-win improvement with her debut record of 7-20.
MORE FRESH FACES
Joining head coach Aaron Roussell in their first season with the Bison are assistant coaches Christian Stefanopoulos and Mike Lane, manager of basketball operations Brittany Pinkney and three freshmen, Tyler Craig, Sheaira Jones and Claire Maree O'Bryan. Stefanopoulos comes to Bucknell after her most recent turn as an assistant at Morehead State University. Lane, who previously served on Roussell's staff at the University of Chicago, was most recently the head coach at Division III Dominican University.
On the player side, Craig and Jones come to Bucknell after successful high school careers in Ohio, while O'Bryan brings experience both from The Hill School (Pa.) and several runs with under-18 and club teams in her native Australia.
REBOUNDING BREAKTHROUGH
Audrey Dotson led all players in rebounds at Xavier with 12 boards. The sophomore, who had entered the game with a career-best eight rebounds, needed six games to reach 12 boards last season. Dotson averaged 2.1 rebounds during her rookie campaign.
REBOUNDING DUOS IN DOUBLES
Audrey Dotson and Lindsay Horbatuck combined for quite the rebounding effort at Xavier on Nov. 10, totaling 12 and 11 boards, respectively. The last time Bucknell had two players with double-digit rebounding totals was Nov. 22, 2011 when Amy Zehner had 13 and Felicia Mgbada added 11 against Morgan State. Horbatuck (11) and Zehner (10) also hit double figures in the 2011-12 season opener against Saint Peter's on Nov. 11.
LOOKING AHEAD
Bucknell will play a second straight opponent from the Buffalo area, but this time the game will take place at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison welcome Niagara to Lewisburg on Wednesday, Nov. 21. Tipoff against the Purple Eagles, which won by a slim six points last November, is set for 7 p.m.
