Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Women's Hoops Leads Off Saturday Doubleheader vs. Longwood
12/14/2012 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 14, 2012
| Bucknell Bison (5-3) vs. Longwood Lancers (2-6) Women's Basketball |
| WHERE: Lewisburg, Pa., Sojka Pavilion |
| WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 15, 4 p.m. |
| RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM and SportsJuice.com |
STREAMING VIDEO: Bison Vision  |
LIVE STATISTICS: GameTracker  |
COMPLETE GAME NOTES  |
ABOUT THE GAME
After a lengthy break from competition due to exams, Bucknell women's basketball will be back in action on Saturday to take on Longwood at 4 p.m. at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison have won five of their last six games. Saturday's women's contest is the first in a doubleheader that also includes a 7 p.m. matchup between Bucknell men's basketball and La Salle. A coupon for a free popcorn at the concession stand will be available to those who donate a gently used coat at the games.
Saturday's women's game can be heard live at WVBU 90.5 FM and online at SportsJuice.com with Danny Will calling all the action. Live stats and video for both games are also available at BucknellBison.com.
WITH A VICTORY LONGWOOD, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• Win its sixth game in seven tries.
• Claim its sixth win of the season, surpassing its total from last year.
• Win its fourth consecutive home game and improve to 4-1 in Lewisburg for the season.
QUICK FACTS
• During its recent five-game winning streak, Bucknell averaged 68.2 points and outscored its opponents by 8.8 points/game. The Bison also had a +11.4 rebounding margin and a .443 (113-255) field goal percentage.
• With 10 rebounds vs. Mount St. Mary's on Nov. 28, Sheaira Jones became the first Bison other than Lindsay Horbatuck and Audrey Dotson to lead Bucknell in rebounding since Jan. 14, 2012.
• Twenty-six of Bucknell's 32 blocked shots this season have come in the last four games. Audrey Dotson has 43.8 percent of the team's 32 total blocks, tallying 14 rejections on the year.
• Bucknell has five wins this season (5-3). The Bison totaled five all of last year (5-25).
• Felicia Mgbada finished her junior year ranked seventh at Bucknell in single-season blocked shots (39). She is now ninth in career blocks (79).
• Alyssa Dunn was named the Bison Athlete of the Week on Nov. 26 after averaging 19.0 points and 4.5 assists vs. Niagara and Morgan State.
• Bucknell leads the Patriot League in defensive rebounds (33.1) and ranks second in overall boards (44.4). Lindsay Horbatuck sits atop the individual list with 10.9 rebounds per game.
• Aaron Roussell collected his first win as Bucknell head coach on Nov. 17 at Canisius. The Bison defeated the Golden Griffins 59-50 in Buffalo.
• 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.
• Bucknell tied with Colgate for seventh in the 2012-13 Patriot League Preseason Poll. Defending champions Navy were voted to the first-place spot.
• 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.
ABOUT THE LANCERS
Longwood won its last outing, a 70-62 outing against Gardner-Webb on Dec. 9, bringing its 2012-13 record to 2-6. The victory snapped a five-game losing skid that started with a 53-point loss at North Carolina State (102-49) in mid-November. Both of Longwood's wins this year have come by single digits as it also defeated Air Force 68-63. The Lancers have spent a lot of time on the road this winter as their game with the Bison on Saturday will be the fifth in an eight-game stretch without playing on their home court.
Longwood, which is in its first season as a member of the Big South Conference, was selected 11th in the league's preseason poll. The Lancers return four starters from a team that went 7-22 last year. Two of those are Chelsea Coward and Crystal Smith, who were named to the Division I All-Independent Women's Basketball Team a year ago. Coward continues her hot play this winter as she currently leads the Lancers in scoring (15.9), rebounding (9.8), blocked shots (2.3) and steals (1.5).
HISTORY VS. LONGWOOD & BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE
• Saturday's meeting with Longwood will be the first in series history.
• Of the 12 schools currently in the Big South Conference, Bucknell has faced just two of them previously. The Bison defeated High Point 71-60 in 2005 and Winthrop 69-61 in 2004.
LAST TIME OUT
• Dec. 3 2012: Penn 58, Bucknell 53 (OT) (The Palestra)
• Bucknell saw its five-game winning streak come to an end with the overtime loss in Philadelphia. It was the first time the Bison had forced an overtime period since Jan. 22, 2011.
• At five points, the 68-63 decision was the smallest margin of defeat for Bucknell this season. The Bison have not lost by more than nine points this year.
• It was the first time this season that Bucknell held its opponent to fewer than 60 points but did not come away with the win. The Bison defeated Canisius (59-50) and Mount St. Mary's (55-43) to under 60 points in victories earlier this season.
• Audrey Dotson registered 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots against the Quakers. In December, which includes Bucknell's 78-71 victory over Buffalo on Dec. 1, the sophomore is averaging 12.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.5 blocks.
• Shelby Romine led Bucknell with 11 points. She also had a team-high-tying four assists in 42 minutes of play.
• Katherine Harris and Tyler Craig both made key contributions off the bench. Harris tallied a career-high points off 3-for-4 shooting from the field. That also included a 2-for-3 performance from behind the 3-point line. Craig's six points was a career high as well. All six points came from the free throw line where the freshman was 6-for-6. The duo accounted for 14 of Bucknell's 17 bench points against Penn.
COATS FOR POPCORN
The Bucknell Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will be collecting gently used coats prior to Saturday's doubleheader. Fans who make a donation will receive a coupon for a free popcorn at the concession stand.
COACHING DEBUTS
Aaron Roussell became Bucknell's ninth head coach when he was hired in April 2012. 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.
Roussell 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. Bucknell is already 5-3 in 2012-13.
BISON IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
As of Dec. 9, Bucknell could be found in a pair of national statistical rankings. Lindsay Horbatuck was 24th in rebounds (10.9), while the team was ninth nationally in field goal percentage defense (.313).
KEEPING IT DOWN
Despite the overtime loss to Penn on Dec. 3, Bucknell held an opponent to less than .300 shooting for the third time in four games. The Quakers were just .288 (19-66) from the field. Bucknell also limited Morgan State to .278 (29-72) from the field, while Mount St. Mary's was .246 (15-61). The only interruption in the Bison's defensive streak was Buffalo, which finished the game at .324 (23-71) from the field after being held to .257 (9-35) in the first half on Dec. 1.
UPPING THE NUMBERS
Entering Saturday's game vs. Longwood, Bucknell is averaging 63.8 points. That is the highest scoring average after the season's first eight games since the 2003-04 Bison also opened at 63.8. That team, which began the campaign with a 4-4 record, ultimately finished at 15-14. Desire Almind led the Bison in scoring for the year with 17.3 points per game. Lindsey Hollowbaugh added 16.7 points per game that winter.
MORE TIME BUT NOT MORE POINTS
Just because they played an extra period doesn't mean Bucknell and Penn put up extra points. The Bison and Quakers combined for just 111 points (58-53) on Dec. 3, making it the second-lowest scoring overtime game in Bucknell history. The only overtime contest to see fewer points was a 50-47 (97 combined points) Bison win over Army in the Patriot League Tournament on March 8, 2008. That Bucknell team went on to win the tournament and earn the automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history.
UPS AND DOWNS
The Bison have seen both extremes in scoring in their most recent games. Bucknell scored 78 points against Buffalo on Dec. 1, the most of the season. It then put up just 53 on Dec. 3 at Penn, the fewest points this winter.
HOT STARTS
Bucknell has had little trouble getting off to hot starts in its games this winter. The Bison are outscoring opponents 230-190 in the first half. Things change after halftime, however, as Bucknell's foes take the 298-280 scoring edge in the second half and overtime.
BOARD WORK
Bucknell is currently averaging 44.4 rebounds per game. Although the year is still young, if the season were to end today, that mark would rank seventh in the program record book. No team has cracked Bucknell's top 10 in rebounding average since the 1989-90 squad finished at 42.2 boards per game.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Bucknell dished out a season-best 19 assists as a team on Dec. 1 vs. Buffalo. Leading the way individually were Alyssa Dunn and Audrey Dotson with seven apiece. That makes a near career high for both players and the most by a single player this winter.
ADDING TO THE TOTAL
By scoring 20 on Dec. 1 vs. Buffalo, Shelby Romine now has 11 career games at 20 or more points. It was also the junior's second game this season with at least 20 points as she also scored 21 in the season opener at Xavier.
RENAISSANCE BISON
When Bucknell hosted Mount St. Mary's on Nov. 28, Audrey Dotson set a then-career high in blocked shots with three. The sophomore topped that on Dec. 1 against Buffalo, rejecting five. She now has 14 blocked shots in the last five games (2.8/gm). That was not the only highlight of Dotson's outing vs. the Bulls, however. Against Buffalo, Dotson …
• Scored a career-best 15 points. The forward was 6-for-9 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free throw line. Dotson's previous career best was 10 points, set against Buffalo last season.
• Dished out seven assists. That total was also a career best, topping her previous personal record of two.
• Totaled six rebounds, good for second on the team, and one steal in 34 minutes of play.
• Took the team lead in blocked shots for the season. She has since improved her total to 14.
ALL-AROUND CONTRIBUTIONS
Five Bison finished in double-digit scoring in the team's seven-point vs. Buffalo on Dec. 1. Shelby Romine led the group with 20 points, Audrey Dotson added a career-best 15 points, Lindsay Horbatuck scored 14, and Alyssa Dunn and Sheaira Jones each had 10. That marked the first time since Jan. 11, 2012 vs. Colgate that five Bison scored 10+ points in a single game.
THE OFFENSE RUNS THROUGH THEM
Alyssa Dunn or Shelby Romine have at least shared the team lead Bucknell in scoring and assists in all eight games this season. The duo has combined for 57 of the team's 107 assists this season, meaning that 53.3 percent of Bucknell's total has come from their hands. Dunn and Romine also account for 41.2 percent of the Bison's scoring, or 210 of them team's 510 points.
DEALING OUT REJECTION
Bucknell's blocking game has really come alive in recent outings. The Bison have recorded 28 of their 32 blocked shots in the last five games. During that stretch, Audrey Dotson has all 14 of her season blocks, while Felicia Mgbada has seven of her eight. The duo leads the team in blocks this winter.
MGBADA ACCURATE FROM THE FIELD
Felicia Mgbada hasn't put up the biggest scoring numbers for Bucknell this winter, but she has been one of the most efficient. The senior leads the Bison in field goal percentage at .613 (19-31). In the last six games alone, she is .696 (16-23) from the field.
FRESHMEN FINDING THEIR STRIDE
After scoring 10 points at Xavier in her collegiate debut, Sheaira Jones was relatively quiet on the stat sheets. That changed vs. Mount St. Mary's when she grabbed a career-best 10 rebounds. Against Buffalo, the freshman guard again totaled 10 rebounds and added a career-best three steals. Tyler Craig, who hit a 3-pointer on her first career shot attempt vs. The Mount on Nov. 28, shot 2-for-3 with career bests in points (5), assists (2) and steals (1) vs. Buffalo.
DOTSON STEPPING UP
Audrey Dotson has been making the most of her extra time on the court this season. The sophomore has already surpassed both her scoring and rebounding totals from a year ago. Dotson has 69 points (8.6/gm) this winter, tying her for third on the team in scoring, while her 64 rebounds (8.0) ranks second. She also has single-game career highs in points (15 vs. Buffalo), rebounds (12 at Xavier), blocked shots (5 vs. Buffalo), assists (7 vs. Buffalo), free throws (6-6 vs. Saint Francis (Pa.)) and 3-point field goals (1 vs. Niagara) while starting all eight games this winter.
BISON ONLINE
Now there are more ways than ever to follow the Bison. Head coach Aaron Roussell (@CoachRous) and assistant coach Christian Stefanopoulos (@CStef23) are both on Twitter. Bucknell Women's Basketball is also on Facebook.
For up-to-date information, videos and more for all of Bucknell's teams, don't forget @BisonSports on Twitter, facebook.com/BuckyBison and youtube.com/BucknellAthletics.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday's meeting with Longwood is the last at home for the 2012 calendar year. The Bison will play the next three contests on the road, starting with Towson at 5 p.m. on Dec. 19.
Bucknell will then take on St. Peter's in Jersey City, N.J., on Dec. 22 and Youngstown State in Youngstown, Ohio on Dec. 29. The Bison's next game at Sojka Pavilion is slated for Jan. 2 when they host Cornell at 7 p.m.
