Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Hopes to Ride Success to Another Win at Lafayette Saturday
2/10/2012 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2012
| Bucknell (3-21, 1-8 PL) vs. Lafayette (8-16, 2-7 PL) Women's Basketball |
| WHERE: Easton, Pa., Kirby Sports Center |
| WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 11, 3 p.m. |
| RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM and SportsJuice.com |
STREAMING VIDEO: Bison Vision/Patriot League All-Access  |
LIVE STATISTICS: BucknellBison.com  |
COMPLETE GAME NOTES  |
ABOUT THE GAME
Bucknell left little doubt what it was capable of when it snapped a 13-game losing streak with a 22-point win on Wednesday. The Bison will try to keep that momentum going their way on Saturday with the quick trip to Lafayette for a 3 p.m. contest. When the two teams met in January, the Leopards came away with the victory at Sojka Pavilion. It was just a four-point spread, however, promising another good contest at Easton this weekend.
Live game action can be found at BucknellBison.com with stats on GameTracker and video on Bison Vision. Kevin Foedinger will also call all the action on WVBU 90.5 FM and at SportsJuice.com.
WITH A VICTORY OVER LAFAYETTE, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• Win back-to-back games for the first time since February-March 2011.
• Win its second consecutive game at the Kirby Sports Center.
• Win its first road game of the season.
• Avoid its first set of back-to-back losses against the Leopards since 2005.
• Tie the Leopards in the Patriot League standings at 2-8.
QUICK FACTS
• Bucknell leads the Patriot League in rebounding defense (33.3).
• The Bison have shot .400 or better in three of the last four games - .405 at American, .469 at Army and .420 vs. Colgate - bringing their season average up to .376.
• Bucknell has lost seven games by four or fewer points, and three by a single point, this year.
• Bucknell needs nine more blocked shots to tie for 10th in single-season program history. The Bison currently have 88 as a team.
• Shelby Romine became the first current Bison to 500 career points when the Bison played Yale on Jan. 3. She is currently at 591. Rachel Voss became the second to 500 at Army and is currently at 519 points.
• Of Lindsay Horbatuck's 424 career rebounds, 43.4 percent (184) are off the offensive glass.
• Bill Broderick debuted as Bucknell's head coach Jan. 14 vs. Lafayette.
• Rachel Voss was named the Susquehanna Valley Limousine Bison Athlete of the Week on Jan. 9. Lindsay Horbatuck also claimed the award on Dec. 13. It is the first time two women's basketball players have been named a Bison Athlete of the Week in the same season since 2007-08.
• 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.
LAST MEETING WITH LAFAYETTE - JAN. 14, 2012
• Lafayette 49, Bucknell 45 (Sojka Pavilion)
• Despite a second consecutive double-figure scoring game from Lindsay Horbatuck and a career-high 10 rebounds from Rachel Voss, Bucknell fell just short of its first Patriot League victory with a 49-45 decision to Lafayette. Both teams shot under 30 percent from the field. The game marked the first for Bill Broderick as Bucknell's interim head coach.
• Horbatuck sank each of her first five shots on the night. She and Micki Impellizeri accounted for 14 of Bucknell's first 16 points. Alyssa Dunn was the only other Bison to score until :48 were left in the half. By halftime, Horbatuck, Impellizeri and Dunn had shot a combined 10-for-14 from the field while the rest of the team was 1-for-16.
• Bucknell went more than 10 minutes in the second half without a field goal. The Bison were 0-for-13 from the field during that stretch, while the Leopards were 2-for-8. The main difference came from free throw line where Bucknell was 4-for-5, compared to 9-for-15 for Lafayette.
• The Leopards' Danielle Fiacco, who tallied five blocked shots to become Lafayette's single-season record holder in the category, finished the night with a double-double at 15 points and 13 boards. Emily Homan added a double-double of her own for Lafayette with 13 points and 14 rebounds.
HISTORY VS. LAFAYETTE
• Lafayette has a 36-32 edge in the all-time series with Bucknell, but the Bison have kept things close over the years. In 68 games against the Bison, the Leopards are just +0.63 in scoring margin.
• The series is a bit more lopsided when it's broken down in to home and away games. Bucknell is 21-12 against Lafayette in Lewisburg but 11-21 when the game is played in Easton. Scoring margins follow suit with Bucknell at +4.2 at home and -4.8 on the road.
• Although Bucknell is 11-21 all-time when playing Lafayette on the road, it does have a winning record in its last 17 games at Easton. After opening the series 0-15 with a -15.0 scoring margin, the Bison are 11-6 with a +4.2 scoring margin since then.
• The Bison have scored 60 points just once in the last 10 meetings. That came in a 68-45 win on Feb. 20, 2008. The 23-point margin of victory was the largest since 2001.
• Lafayette has failed to reach 50 points in any of its last three games against Bucknell.
• Molly Creamer holds two of Bucknell's series highs since the 2000-01 season. She tallied a Patriot League- and Bucknell-record 44 points on Feb. 21, 2003 in addition to 13 assists on Jan. 26, 2003. In her final two years with Bucknell, which included that 44-point performance, Creamer averaged 30.0 points per game against Lafayette.
• Recent Results:
Jan. 20, 2010: Bucknell, 55-42
Feb. 17, 2010: Lafayette, 60-54
Jan. 19, 2011: Bucknell, 57-49
Feb. 16, 2011: Bucknell, 46-34
Jan. 14, 2012: Lafayette, 49-45
ABOUT THE LEOPARDS
Since Bucknell and Lafayette met in January, the Leopards have dropped five of their last six games. The lone win during that stretch came 66-58 to Colgate on Jan. 25. During that six-game stretch, Lafayette has been outscored by 12.7 points per game, and at 2-6 in the Patriot League the Leopards are tied with the Raiders for sixth.
Lafayette leads the Patriot League in rebounding (41.8), defensive rebounding (28.0) and blocked shots (5.8) this winter. Danielle Fiacco and Emily Homan are also first and second, respectively, in the league rankings in blocks. The freshman Homan, who totaled eight offensive boards against the Bison in January, leads the league in offensive rebounds (3.9) as well, just 0.1 per game behind Bucknell's Lindsay Horbatuck.
BIG ON THE BOARDS
Bucknell showed off its hustle play on Wednesday when it outrebounded Colgate 58-33. The Bison's 58 boards was a season high and set a Sojka Pavilion record. Their 23 offensive rebounds and 35 defensive rebounds were also the most in a single game this winter.
The last time Bucknell grabbed 58 rebounds was on Jan. 18, 2002 at American. The last time the Bison finished with at least 50 rebounds was earlier this year when they totaled 51 against Morgan State.
THAT GLASS IS SQUEAKY CLEAN
Bucknell tied a school record on Feb. 4 vs. Army, holding its opponent to just 18 total rebounds. The mark equaled the 18 allowed to Holy Cross on March 6, 2002 when the Bison defeated the Crusaders for their first-ever Patriot League Championship. Last Saturday, Bucknell limited Army to four offensive rebounds and 14 defensive boards.
MORE NOTES ON REBOUNDING
• Bucknell has set both the Sojka Pavilion high and low records in rebounds this season. After being held to just 25 boards against Army on Jan. 7, the Bison “rebounded” (excuse the pun) for 58 boards against Colgate on Wednesday.
• Before taking on Colgate on Wednesday, Bucknell had a 1.0 rebounding margin in Patriot League play. After Wednesday when they outrebounded the Raiders by 25, the Bison improved that margin to +1.9.
• In two games with Colgate this year, Lindsay Horbatuck averaged 14.0 rebounds. The junior has 7.3 boards per game in her career vs. the Raiders. As a team, Bucknell posted a +16.5 rebounding margin against Colgate this year.
• Bucknell has outrebounded its last two opponents by a combined 93-51 (+21.0). Lindsay Horbatuck is averaging 11.5 boards in those two outings.
• Bucknell out-rebounded Army by a season-best 17 on Feb. 4, 35-18. It was the fourth time this winter the Bison had a positive double-figure rebounding margin. The list also includes Saint Peter's (+14), Morgan State (+15) and Niagara (+12).
• When it comes to Patriot League play, Lindsay Horbatuck has more defensive rebounds (49) than any other Bison has total rebounds. She also has more offensive rebounds (34) than all but two other Bison. Rachel Voss has 45 boards in league play, while Felicia Mgbada has 36.
• Lindsay Horbatuck has led Bucknell in rebounding in each of the last six games and in seven of the last eight. She has recorded the team's high in boards 16 times this season.
DISHING IT OUT
• To go along with its rebounding season high, Bucknell also dished out a season-best 22 assists vs. Colgate on Wednesday. The Bison's two highest assists totals this winter have both come against the Raiders, including the night with 16 helpers in January in Hamilton, N.Y.
• Christina Chukwuedo averaged a team-best 3.5 assists in the 2012 Colgate series. The senior tied Lindsay Horbatuck for the team high with five assists on Wednesday. Shelby Romine and Alyssa Dunn each had four against the Raiders in January.
• The last time Bucknell recorded at least 20 assists was 24 on Feb. 12, 2011 against Holy Cross. The Bison defeated the Crusaders 68-52.
• In the last three games, Christina Chukwuedo has recorded 11 assists and just four turnovers. With the improvement, she now ranks third in Patriot League play with a 1.4 assist/turnover ratio.
• Eleven of Micki Impellizeri's 13 assists this season have come during Patriot League play. She is averaging 1.6 in conference action.
SCORING BREAKTHROUGH
Bucknell set season highs in field goals made (29), field goals attempted (69), first-half points scored (41) and total points (67) against Colgate on Wednesday. The Bison's 67 total points scored eclipsed their previous high of 66, which also came against the Raiders in January.
FUN WITH RANDOM STATS
• Bucknell's starters tied Colgate, 45-45, in the game. The Bison starters also outrebounded all Raiders, 38-33.
• Despite committing more turnovers than Colgate, Bucknell outscored the Raiders 20-1 on points off turnovers. The Raiders committed 15 miscues, compared to 19 for the Bison.
• Lindsay Horbatuck had more offensive rebounds (9) than any one individual Colgate player had total rebounds (Jhazmine Lynch, 8). As a team, the Raiders had 12 offensive boards.
• With 13:18 in the second half, Bucknell led by 27 points. It was the Bison's largest lead of the season.
• Bucknell is 1-for-17 (.059) in 3-point field goals in wins this year - 0-5 vs. Saint Peter's, 1-6 vs. Fordham and 0-6 vs. Colgate.
SOMETHING IN COMMON
Bucknell's three wins this season have several things in common. In each of their victories, the Bison were ...
• Leading at halftime and still outscored their opponent in the second half.
• Held their opponent to less than 40 percent shooting.
• Held their opponent to fewer than 60 points.
• Scored more bench points and more second-chance points than their opponent.
• Recorded at least twice as many assists as their opponent.
• Get at least 10 rebounds from Lindsay Horbatuck. Horbatuck had 11 boards vs. Saint Peter's, 14 vs. Fordham and 16 vs. Colgate. She is averaging 10.0 points and 13.7 rebounds in wins.
HOPING FOR A PLEASANT TRIP
Bucknell is still looking for its first road win and is 0-12 away from Sojka Pavilion this winter. Both the 1994-95 and 2010-11 teams opened with similar road records, and both snapped their streaks against Lafayette. The 1994-95 squad defeated the Leopards 80-66 on Jan. 25, their eighth road game of the season. The 2010-11 team was a 57-49 winner on Jan. 19, their ninth game away from home. Only the 1974-75 (0-4) and 1990-91 (0-12) teams failed to earn a victory on the road.
SHOT BLOCKERS
Bucknell and Lafayette averaged 12.0 blocks per game in their two meetings last year, and that trend continued on Jan. 14. The teams combined for 14 blocks - six for Bucknell and eight for Lafayette - in the most recent showdown. The Bison's leader in the category, Felicia Mgbada, was held without a block, but Alyssa Dunn picked up the slack with a career-high three blocked shots. Dunn now has eight blocks this season and 16 in her career.
LOW SHOTS
Although they couldn't quite collect the win, the Bison held the Lafayette to a handful of opponent season lows. The Leopards were 0-for-4 from 3-point range, marking the fewest 3-pointers made and attempted by a Bucknell foe this winter. The 14 made field goals was also a low, while the 49 attempts from the floor was one shy of the low mark at the time.
PRIZES, DINNER AND MORE!
Bucknell's next home game, a Feb. 18 contest with Holy Cross, will feature plenty of activity. Christina Chukwuedo will be recognized prior to tipoff as part of Senior Night. The game has also been declared the NCAA Pack the House Night, with various prizes for those in attendance who demonstrate the greatest spirit and enthusiasm during the game.
• One student group, club or organization will win $500 just by attending the game and showing their Bucknell spirit.
• One Bucknell Department will win a catered lunch for up to 20 people provided by campus dining.
• Six fans will also have the chance to win a $25 gift certificate to a variety of local restaurants.
PUTTING THE BALL IN THE NET
Lindsay Horbatuck has always been efficient offensively, and she is now being recognized for it. Heading into Saturday's game at Lafayette, the junior forward leads the Patriot League in both field goal (.527; 29-55) and free throw (.889; 24-27) percentage. Horbatuck is now shooting .491 from the field for her career, giving her the highest mark on the team.
UP NEXT
After Wednesday's game at Lafayette, Bucknell will have two more road tests during the regular season. The next one will be no easy task as the Bison travel to Bethlehem, Pa., to face Lehigh at 7 p.m. on Feb. 15. Bucknell will then return to Sojka Pavilion for an action-packed showdown with Holy Cross on Feb. 18, which includes Senior Day and the NCAA Pack the House contest with prizes for the most-spirited fans.
