Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Faces Youngstown State in Another Road Test Saturday
12/26/2012 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 26, 2012
| Bucknell (7-4) at Youngstown State (8-4) Women's Basketball |
| WHERE: Youngstown, Ohio, Beeghley Center |
| WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 29, 4:30 p.m. |
| RADIO: SportsJuice.com |
STREAMING VIDEO: YSUsports.com  |
| LIVE STATISTICS: YSUsports.com |
COMPLETE GAME NOTES  |
ABOUT THE GAME
The Bison are looking for a third straight win when they travel to Ohio to take on Youngstown State at approximately 4:30 p.m. following the YSU men's game on Saturday, Dec. 29. The Penguins are playing for a winning streak of their own having defeated Akron by nine in their last outing. If recent history is any indication, Saturday's road bout should be a tight one as Bucknell and Youngstown State battled to a one-point decision last November.
Fans can catch all the action, blow-by-blow, only on SportsJuice.com this Saturday with Danny Will calling the game. Live stats and video will also be available at YSUsports.com.
WITH A VICTORY YOUNGSTOWN STATE, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• Earn its eighth win in 12 games or less for the first time since 2000-01.
• End a five-game losing streak to the Penguins.
• Guarantee a winning non-conference record for the first time since 2008-09 when the Bison went 8-5 before the start of Patriot League action.
• Win three consecutive games for the second time this season and the first time since winning five straight from Nov. 17 to Dec. 1.
QUICK FACTS
• Bucknell has allowed 8.3 offensive rebounds per game in the last three contests.
• Shelby Romine scored her 800th career point Dec. 19 at Towson (currently: 841). Alyssa Dunn is on the cusp of her own milestone with 498 career points, while Rachel Voss is at 598.
• After posting 27 points and 17 rebounds vs. Longwood, Audrey Dotson became Bucknell's first Patriot League Player of the Week and the team's second Bison Athlete of the Week this season on Dec. 17.
• 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.
• Bucknell has seven wins this season (7-4). 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 now ranks eighth in career blocks (81).
• Through the games of Dec. 19, Bucknell led the Patriot League in defensive rebounds (32.8) and overall boards (45.2). Lindsay Horbatuck sat atop the individual list with 10.0 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.
• 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.
LAST MEETING WITH YOUNGSTOWN STATE - NOV. 16, 2011
• Youngstown State 57, Bucknell 56 (Sojka Pavilion)
• Amy Zehner had the performance of the night with 25 points and Bucknell led by as many as 17 in the second half, but Youngstown State ended the game on a 14-2 run and ended up nipping the Bison 57-56 at Sojka Pavilion. Zehner added five rebounds, six blocks, four assists and three steals to her impressive stat line in the loss.
• Felicia Mgbada hit a three with 5:41 left in the game for a 54-44 lead. The Penguins then kicked off its 14-2 run. A good portion of the damage was done from the free throw line. Brandi Brown and Kenya Middlebrooks both completed three-point plays within five seconds of each other after they were fouled on layups. Youngstown State shot 13-for-15 (.867), and 10-for-11 in the second half, from the free throw line. • The Penguins got an offensive board off a missed free throw and another chance at
regaining a lead when the Bison fouled Middlebrooks at the nine-second mark. Middlebrooks sank both free throws to take the ultimate 57-56 lead. It was Youngstown State's first advantage since leading 13-11 with 11:11 to play in the first half.
• The Penguins also outscored the Bison 38-26 in the second, erasing Bucknell's 30-19 halftime lead. The Bison shot a solid 48.1 percent (13-27) from the field in the first half, and that average only got better as the game wore on. They closed out the night with a 51.0 percentage (25-49). Youngstown State was 31.3 percent (20-64) from the field.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS
Youngstown State got off to one its best starts in program history when it opened at 4-0 for the first time since 1996-97. The Penguins are now 8-3 on the year, including 4-0 on their home court. After the hot start, they have alternated wins and losses, falling to Cincinnati (57-46) and West Virginia (90-57) while beating Wilmington (Ohio) (83-52) and Akron (80-71) in their last four outings. Brandi Brown is averaging a double-double this season at 19.7 points and 11.8 rebounds. The senior is the only Penguin registering better than 5.0 rebounds per game this winter.
Brown claimed her second career Second Team All-Horizon League honor last winter as Youngstown State went 10-20 overall and 4-14 in conference play. The Penguins lost in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament, 59-56 to Cleveland State. Six letterwinners and three starters return from that squad in 2012-13.
HISTORY VS. YOUNGSTOWN STATE
• Bucknell won the first-ever meeting with Youngstown State, taking the 72-62 decision on Jan. 16, 1989. The Penguins have had the Bison's number since then, however, winning each of the last five encounters. Youngstown State is also 3-0 when playing Bucknell in Ohio.
• All but one meeting between Bucknell and Youngstown State have been decided by double figures. Bucknell's lone series win came by 10 points (72-62), while the Penguins have won by as many as 26 (71-45) in 1992. The closest contest, and the only to be decided by a single-digit point differential, came just last November as Youngstown State won 57-56 at Sojka Pavilion.
• In all six games of the series, Youngstown State is averaging 71.8 points against Bucknell while the Bison are averaging just 59.3. The scoring margin gets even wider in games at Youngstown State where the Penguins take a 78.0 to 56.7 edge.
• Bucknell has scored more than 60 points just twice against Youngstown State and both of those instances came in the first two games of the series. The Bison won the first in 1989 by a score of 72-62 but lost the second in 1990 by a score of 92-68. The Penguins have scored at least 60 in all but one game, their 57-56 win last November.
• 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.
• Recent Results:
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
Nov. 16, 2011 Youngstown State, 57-56
LAST TIME OUT
• Dec. 22, 2012: Bucknell 69, Saint Peter's 62 (OT) (Yanitelli Center)
• Three Bison finished with double-doubles, including Shelby Romine with a career-best 29 points and 12 rebounds, as Bucknell collected its seventh win of the season in the overtime decision at Saint Peter's. Bucknell is now two games over its wins total from last season.
• Audrey Dotson finished the overtime bout with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Lindsay Horbatuck had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Dotson is now averaging 15.0 boards over her last three games.
• Bucknell had a 33-22 lead over Saint Peter's at halftime. That reversed by the end of regulation as the teams went into OT with the score knotted up at 55-55. Romine then scored 10 of Bucknell's 14 points in the extra period, and the Bison held the Peacocks to seven points on 2-for-8 shooting. Bucknell shot 3-for-5 from the field and 8-for-9 from the free throw line in overtime.
• Saint Peter's near-comeback was sparked by improved second-half shooting. After going just .333 (9-27) from the field in the first half, the Peacocks improved to .500 (13-26) in the second.
A TRIO OF DOUBLE-DOUBLES
After the first half at Saint Peter's, Shelby Romine had recorded her first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds (she finished with 29 points and 11 boards). By the end of the second half, Audrey Dotson had 11 points and 11 rebounds (and was at 13 points and 13 rebounds at the end of the game). A third Bison joined the double-double ranks at the end of the overtime period when Lindsay Horbatuck finished the game at 11 points and 11 rebounds.
It has been at least since the 1999-2000 season the last time Bucknell had three players with double-doubles in the same game. The Bison did have a close call on Jan. 6, 2001 when Vicki Quimby (33 pts.-13 reb.), Desire Almind (10 pts.-10 reb.) and Molly Creamer (12 pts.-9 asst.) led Bucknell in a 74-57 victory over Cornell.
EYEING EIGHT
A win at Youngstown State on Saturday would give Bucknell its eighth win in its 12th game. That would be the team's quickest run to eight victories since 2000-01 when it started the year 8-3 and claimed its eighth win on Jan. 3, 2001 with an 82-74 decision over Cleveland State.
SEEING 20-20-20...
• Bucknell has had one player score at least 20 points in seven games this season.
• After recording her career-best 29 points last Saturday at Saint Peter's, Shelby Romine has four 20-point games on the year. She has 13 in her career.
• Audrey Dotson and Alyssa Dunn are responsible for Bucknell's other three 20-point performances in 2012-13.
• The last time the Bison had more 20-point performances in a single season was 2009-10. Current forward Rachel Voss and former teammates Cosima Higham, Trisha Krewson, Joyce Novacek and Morgan Wrightson accounted for nine such outings.
• The single-season record for 20-point performances is 37 set during the 2002-03 campaign. Molly Creamer, who still holds the program standard for scoring at 2,462 points, scored at least 20 points on 23 occasions that year. That was also the season she set the Bucknell and Patriot League single-game scoring record at 44 vs. Lafayette on Feb. 21, 2003.
OVERTIME HISTORY
• Bucknell played its second overtime game of the year at Saint Peter's on Dec. 22 and pulled out a 69-62 win. The Bison are now 1-1 in overtime contests this winter, including a 58-53 loss to Penn at Dec. 3.
• Bucknell is 20-17 (.541) all-time in overtime games.
• The most overtime games played in one season is four. The 1988-89 squad went 2-2, while the 2007-08 team finished 3-1 in extra periods.
• The first overtime game in program history came on Dec. 1, 1979 against Lock Haven at the Mountain Cat Classic. It was Bucknell's second game of the day at the tournament, and they lost 72-71 to the Eagles.
• Bucknell's first-ever overtime victory came on Dec. 7, 1985 against Cornell. The final score read 76-69.
• The first double-overtime game in program history came on Feb. 9, 1989 against Hofstra (L, 95-91, 2OT). The Bison have also played in one triple-overtime game, which ended in a 93-92 win against Maryland-Eastern Shore.
HANGING ON
Bucknell took an 11-point lead into halftime at Saint Peter's last Saturday but struggled to hang on for the win. Unfortunately that has been a common trend this winter. The Bison have led after the first half in eight of their 11 games so far. They have been outscored in the second half eight times as well. Just once this winter Bucknell has come back from a first-half deficit. It trailed by one at the break at Morgan State on Nov. 25 before taking the 72-64 victory in the end.
INSIDE AND OUTSIDE
Shelby Romine and Audrey Dotson have been head-and-shoulders above the rest in the last three games. Romine averaged 19.0 points and 9.0 rebounds against Longwood, Towson and Saint Peter's. The junior also shot .432 (19-44) from the field and .917 (11-12) from the free throw line during that stretch. Not to be outdone, Dotson averaged a double-double with 15.3 points and 15.0 boards in the last three games. Her shooting numbers were also on the impressive side at .424 (14-33) from the field and .900 (18-20) from the free throw line.
POST SANTA
When they take on Youngstown State on Saturday, the Orange & Blue will be looking for a win in the first game played post-Christmas since defeating Lycoming on Dec. 30 during the 2009-08 campaign. Bucknell is 12-23 since 1977-78 in the first contest following the holiday. Prior to the 1977-78 season, all games were played in January or later.
BISON IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
As of Dec. 16, Bucknell maintained its position in the national statistical rankings. The Bison were 14th nationally in field goal percentage defense (.318) and 30th in rebounding margin (+8.8).
BOARD GAMES
Bucknell has allowed 25 combined offensive rebounds to its last three opponents - Longwood (7), Towson (9) and Saint Peter's (9). The Lancers and the Tigers also managed to grab just 30 total rebounds each, the fewest by a Bucknell opponent this season. One of the biggest contributors to limiting opponents' effectiveness on the glass has been Audrey Dotson, who is averaging 15.0 rebounds in those three games. Of the sophomore's 17 total rebounds against Longwood, 10 of them came on the defensive end, surpassing the total of any single Lancer. Dotson also had had 12 rebounds in the first half against Towson, which had just 11 as a team.
GETTING 800
Shelby Romine scored her 800th career point on Dec. 19 at Towson. It took the junior just nine contests to get from 700 to 800. During her career, Romine, who now has 841 points, is averaging 8.5 games to score 100 points.
RALLYING 'ROUND ROUSSELL
• Aaron Roussell became Bucknell's ninth head coach when he was hired in April 2012. On Dec. 19, he also became the third coach in program history to improve Bucknell's wins total in their first season. Cindy Connelley (1983-84) enjoyed a one-game improvement with a 9-17 record, and Juliene Simpson (1991-97) had a five-win improvement with her debut record of 7-20. Roussell inherited a team that went 5-25 a year ago and has since led the Bison to a 7-4 mark so far this winter.
• Of the eight coaches to lead Bucknell prior to Roussell, 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.
• With seven wins so far, Roussell has the third-most victories by a Bison head coach in their debut season. Kathy Fedorjaka leads the group (12-14 in 1997-98), followed by Cindy Connelley (9-17 in 1983-94), Terrie Grieb (7-12 in 1980-81) and Juliene Simpson (7-20 in 1991-92).
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
The Bison will return to Sojka Pavilion for the first time after a three-game road swing when they take on Cornell at 7 p.m. on Jan. 2. The Big Red took the non-conference decision last December, 65-45, but Bucknell leads the all-time series 16-5.
