Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Women's Hoops Eyes Repeat, Upset at No. 2 Lehigh in PL Tournament
2/29/2012 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 29, 2012
| Patriot League Tournament Quarterfinals No. 7 Bucknell (5-24) at No. 2 Lehigh (16-12) Women's Basketball |
| WHERE: Bethlehem Pa., Stabler Arena |
| WHEN: Thursday, March 1, 7 p.m. |
| RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM and SportsJuice.com |
STREAMING VIDEO: BucknellBison.com  |
| LIVE STATISTICS: lehighsports.com |
COMPLETE GAME NOTES  |
| In the Herd: PL Quarterfinal Preview |
| Patriot Leaue Tournament Central |
ABOUT THE GAME
Bucknell will welcome in the month of March with the Patriot League Tournament Quarterfinals at Bethlehem, Pa., on Thursday. The seventh-seeded Bison will hit the road looking for an upset over No. 2 Lehigh with tip-off set for 7 p.m. On Feb. 15, the last time Bucknell made the trip to Bethlehem, it walked away with a 62-56 victory, ending a 10-game losing streak to the Mountain Hawks.
Just as in the regular season, Kevin Foedinger will call all the action on WVBU 90.5 FM and at SportsJuice.com. Live video can be found on Bison Vision at BucknellBison.com as well as on Patriot League All-Access. Fans can also follow live stats at lehighsports.com.
WITH A VICTORY OVER LEHIGH, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• Advance to the Patriot League Tournament semifinals to face the winner of No. 3 Navy vs. No. 6 Colgate.
• Advance to the Patriot League Tournament Semifinals for a second consecutive year.
• Improve to 2-3 against the Mountain Hawks in the postseason.
• Win back-to-back games over the Mountain Hawks for the first time since 2007.
QUICK FACTS
• Bucknell is 0-4 when playing a postseason game at Stabler Arena, but only one of those losses is to Lehigh (2005).
• Bucknell led the Patriot League in rebounding defense (32.9), rebounding margin (+2.7) and free throw percentage (.750) during the regular season.
• With four blocked shots vs. Holy Cross on Feb. 18, Bucknell reached 100 rejections for the year. The Bison now rank 10th in the program's single-season history at 104.
• Shelby Romine was named Patriot League Anaconda Player of the Week on Feb. 13. She followed the award with her second consecutive 20-point game (23 at Lehigh) on Feb. 15.
• Bucknell has lost eight games by four or fewer points, and three by a single point, this year. Its first four wins were by double digits.
• Shelby Romine became the first current Bison to 500 career points when the Bison played Yale on Jan. 3. She then hit 600 at Lafayette on Feb. 11 and is currently at 663. Rachel Voss became the second to 500 at Army and is currently at 556 points.
• Of Horbatuck's 473 career rebounds, 42.7 percent (202) are off the offensive glass.
LAST MEETING WITH LEHIGH - FEB. 15, 2012
• Bucknell 62, Lehigh 56 (Stabler Arena)
• Spurred by 23 points from Shelby Romine and a second consecutive double-double from Lindsay Horbatuck, Bucknell defeated Lehigh 62-56 on the road and snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Mountain Hawks. Thanks to a strong start to the game for the Bison, the victory came despite going the final 6:12 without a field goal.
• Horbatuck finished the day with 13 points and 10 rebounds. The junior was 4-for-5 from the floor on the night, but equally important was her 5-for-6 performance from the free throw line. During its more than six minutes without a field goal, Bucknell relied on its free throw shooting down the final stretch. While the Bison showed some shakiness as a team from the line, Horbatuck hit the final two attempts to put her team up 62-56 with 10 seconds remaining.
• The Bison led by 12 points at halftime and 19 points early in the second half, but heading into the game's final two minutes Bucknell's advantage had shrunk to 58-52. Putting the Bison in the tight spot was Lehigh's defense that pressured Bucknell into several late turnovers. The Bison misplayed the ball six times in the final 5:40, and Lehigh's Emily Gratch earned four steals in a 1:16 span during that stretch.
• Scrappy play held Lehigh to .358 shooting (19-53) for the game. That same play gave Bucknell a 22-12 rebounding advantage at halftime. The Bison finished the night with a 44-27 advantage on the glass.
HISTORY VS. LEHIGH
• Lehigh is 39-31 all-time, including 21-13 at Stabler Arena, against Bucknell. The Bison are averaging 64.2 points in all 34 games in Bethlehem, but that drops to 52.2 points per game in the last five trips.
• Bucknell is 17-9 all-time when it holds Lehigh to fewer than 60 points. However, four of the last five games in which the Mountain Hawks scored fewer than 60 points went in Lehigh's favor. The one exception was Feb. 15, 2012 when the Bison earned the 62-56 victory.
• Bucknell went nearly four years between double-doubles against Lehigh. Hope Foster tallied 14 points and 13 rebounds on Feb. 27, 2008. Lindsay Horbatuck then broke the streak with a 13 point-10 rebound performance on Feb. 15, 2012.
• Recent Results:
March 6, 2010: Lehigh, 70-58 (PL Tournament, at Holy Cross)
Jan. 26, 2011: Lehigh, 64-48
Feb. 23, 2011: Lehigh, 72-39
Jan. 18, 2012: Lehigh, 53-38
Feb. 15, 2012: Bucknell, 62-56
HISTORY VS. LEHIGH IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT
• Lehigh leads Bucknell 3-1 in the Patriot League Tournament. All four of those meetings came in the quarterfinals.
• Lehigh has outscored Bucknell 59.8 to 57.3 in Patriot League Tournament games.
• The higher seed has won in three of four postseason meetings between Bucknell and Lehigh. The lone exception was in 1998 when the fifth-seeded Mountain Hawks upset the No. 4 Bison by four points.
• The first two Patriot League Tournament meetings were decided by four or fewer points, with both games going in Lehigh's favor. The teams' last two meetings were decided by 10 or more points.
• Bucknell has led Lehigh at halftime in two of their postseason games, including 32-30 in 2010. The Bison have outscored the Mountain Hawks in the second half on three postseason occasions.
• After scoring 19 points in the first half, Joyce Novacek tallied a career-high 24 against Lehigh on March 6, 2010. Then a junior, she shot 10-for-11 from the field. Her 24 points is tied for third-most by a Bison in a Patriot League Tournament game.
• Bucknell has had one player with 20-plus points in each of the last three tournament games against Lehigh - Novacek (24 points in 2010), Lindsey Hollobaugh (23 points in 2005), Kesha Champion (20 points in 2006).
• Tournament Results:
Feb. 27, 1998: No. 5 Lehigh 59, No. 4 Bucknell 55 (Quarterfinals, at Navy)
March 3, 2005: No. 2 Lehigh 54, No. 7 Bucknell 52 (Quarterfinals, at Lehigh)
March 2, 2006: No. 3 Bucknell 64, No. 6 Lehigh 54 (Quarterfinals, at Holy Cross)
March 6, 2010: No. 1 Lehigh 70, No. 8 Bucknell 58 (Quarterfinals, at Holy Cross)
BUCKNELL VS. LEHIGH IN 2012
Bucknell and Lehigh split decisions during the 2012 regular season, and each team won on the road. The Mountain Hawks claimed victory in January, 53-38, at Sojka Pavilion, while the Bison were 62-56 winners at Stabler Arena in February. In those two games, Shelby Romine led Bucknell in scoring (15.0) and 3-point field goal percentage (.417; 5-12); Lindsay Horbatuck led in rebounding (8.0), field goal percentage (.625; 5-8) and free throw percentage (.875; 7-8); and Christina Chukwuedo was tops in assists (5.5). As a team, the Bison were +7.0 in rebounding margin but -4.5 in scoring margin.
| Bucknell | Lehigh | |
| Scoring Avg. | 50.0 | 54.5 |
| FG% | .375 (39-104) | .377 (40-106) |
| 3FG% | .300 (6-20) | .333 (8-24) |
| FT% | .667 (16-24) | .377 (21-31) |
| Rebounding Avg. | 39.0 | 32.0 |
| Assists/Gm | 14.0 | 12.0 |
| Turnovers/Gm | 24.5 | 21.0 |
| Steals/Gm | 9.5 | 10.5 |
| Blocks/Gm |
2.0 |
6.5 |
PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT AT STABLER ARENA
Bucknell is 0-4 in Patriot League Tournament games played at Lehigh's Stabler Arena, although only one of those losses came against the Mountain Hawks. All four contests were in the quarterfinals.
• March 6, 1992: No. 2 Lafayette 64, No. 7 Bucknell 58
• Feb. 28, 1997: No. 5 Lafayette 60, No. 4 Bucknell 47
• March 3, 2005: No. 2 Lehigh 54, No. 7 Bucknell 52
• March 7, 2009: No. 6 Navy 53, No. 3 Bucknell 51
ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN HAWKS
When Lehigh lost to Bucknell on Feb. 15, it was the Mountain Hawks' third consecutive loss. Since then, they have won each of their last three, including 57-47 at Lafayette, 57-48 over Navy and 56-47 over Army, which clinched the No. 2 seed. Lehigh closed out the regular season at 16-12 overall and 9-5 in the Patriot League. It is the second straight year in which the Mountain Hawks claimed the No. 2 seed, and the fourth consecutive season at No. 2 or higher, in the conference tournament.
Alexa Williams was named First Team All-Patriot League on Tuesday. The senior forward averaged 14.3 points and 8.4 rebounds during league action. She is joined by Emily Gratch (12.6 ppg) and Kelly Peterson (11.4) among the team's high scorers against Patriot League foes. Gratch is also second in the Patriot League in field goal percentage (.528) and fourth in steals (2.0).
VOSS VOTED ACADEMIC ALL-LEAGUE
Rachel Voss was named to the Academic All-Patriot League Team on Tuesday. The junior forward has a 3.80 cumulative grade-point average while majoring in business administration and Spanish. Off the court, Voss has been named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and Bucknell Dean's List multiple times. A member of Mortar Board Gamma Beta Chapter, she also serves as a teaching assistant for Management 101 classes at Bucknell.
On the court, Voss averaged 9.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in Patriot League play. She scored her 500th career point earlier this season when the Bison took on Army at West Point. Voss has led Bucknell in scoring a team-best seven times this season and reached double-figure points a career-high 11 times.
THAT WAS VERY OFFENSIVE
Bucknell returned to the plus side of the rebounding margin for the first time in three games when it took a 35-32 edge over Navy on Saturday. The Bison had 18 offensive boards and 17 defensive in the matchup. The last time Bucknell claimed a majority of its rebounds on the offensive glass was at Holy Cross on Feb. 13, 2010. The Bison finished with 27 on the offensive boards compared to 19 on the defensive. Bucknell outrebounded the Crusaders 46-25 in that contest but lost by a score of 65-60.
SHUTTING IT DOWN WITH DEFENSE
• If the season were to end today, Bucknell's 59.0 scoring defense mark would tie for fifth in program history equaling the average points allowed by the 1974-75 and 1979-80 Bison squads.
• Bucknell's 59.0 scoring defense is the best since the 2006-07 team allowed just 56.1 points per game. That mark currently stands as the school record.
• Bucknell has finished the season with a scoring defense of 60.0 points or less in six of the last seven years.
• In the 2012 series with Lehigh, Bucknell allowed 53 and 56 points to the Mountain Hawks. The Bison's 54.5 points allowed against Lehigh this season is the fewest since they gave up 45.0 points per game in 2007. Bucknell won over Lehigh 64-37 and 63-53 in those two matchups. That stretch also marked the last time the Bison won back-to-back games against the Mountain Hawks.
ASSIST 22
Christina Chukwuedo recorded four of her highest single-game assists totals this season. The senior dished out eight against Youngstown State in November, seven at Lehigh on Feb. 15 and six at both Lafayette and Navy. She has nine games with five or more assists and has led Bucknell in the stat 15 times this season.
HORBATUCK STILL HITTING THE BOARDS
It's hard not to love Lindsay Horbatuck's tenacious style of play. That intensity has paid off for the junior, particularly during Patriot League action. In 2012, Horbatuck ...
• Led the Patriot League with 9.4 rebounds per game. As a freshman, she averaged 5.0 boards in league play. As a sophomore, she finished at 2.7 rebounds per game.
• Ranked second in the league in both offensive (3.7) and defensive rebounds (5.7).
• Recorded double-figure rebounding totals in 10 of 14 league contests. After a game-best 10 rebounds at Navy on Saturday, she also had double-digit boards in five of her last six contests.
• Recorded a career-high 16 rebounds at Buffalo on Nov. 19 and vs. Colgate on Feb. 8. Only Colgate's 6-4 center Tricia Oakes had more (17 vs. Holy Cross) this season.
LINE NOTES
• Lindsay Horbatuck and Alyssa Dunn finished the Patriot League season ranked 1-2 in free throw percentage. Horbatuck closed out the conference campaign at .900 (36-40), while Dunn came in at .875 (28-32).
• As a team, Bucknell ranked No. 1 in free throw percentage (.750; 144-192) in Patriot League play.
• With a 70.64 average (272-385) for the entire season, Bucknell is looking to break into the program top 10. The current 10th-ranked team finished the 1987-88 season at 70.57 percent (367-520) from the line.
• Shelby Romine shot 11-for-13 from the line against Colgate on Feb. 11. Her 11 made free throws is the second-most by a Patriot League player this season. Only Alexa Williams (12 vs. Robert Morris) had more.
STARTERS VS. RESERVES
When Bucknell took on Navy last Saturday, starters dominated offensive play. The two starting fives combined to shoot 33-for-78 (.423) from the field. Reserves were 6-for-26 (.231). For Bucknell's part, starters were 15-for-42 (.357) and players off the bench were 3-for-16 (.214).
THE DIFFERENCE IN WINS AND LOSSES
After winning three straight games Feb. 8-15 against Colgate, Lafayette and Lehigh, Bucknell has lost its last three Feb. 18-22 opposite Holy Cross, American and Navy. Here is a comparison of the latest two streaks.
| Last 3 Wins (vs. Colgate, Lafayette, Lehigh) |
Last 3 Losses (vs. Holy Cross, American, Navy) |
|
| FG% | .428 (74-173) | .331 (54-163) |
| 3FG% | .360 (9-25) | .296 (8-27) |
| FT% | .740 (37-50) | .865 (32-37) |
| Scoring Avg. | 64.7 | 49.3 |
| Rebounding Avg. | 46.3 | 33.7 |
| Steals/Gm | 10.0 | 7.0 |
| Assists/Gm | 18.0 | 10.7 |
| Turnovers/Gm | 20.0 | 16.3 |
THAT'S A BIG WIN
Bucknell accomplished a lot with its 62-56 win over Lehigh on Feb. 15. With the victory, the Bison ...
• Snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Mountain Hawks. It was Bucknell's first win over Lehigh since Feb. 20, 2007.
• Earned their 150th Patriot League win. Bucknell is now 150-142 in regular-season conference play.
• Won their third straight game for the first time this season.
• Won back-to-back games on the road for the first time since January 2011.
• Moved ahead of Lafayette into a tie for sixth place in the Patriot League standings at 3-8.
LOOKING FOR, AND FINDING, BIGGER NUMBERS VS. LEHIGH
Lehigh has held Bucknell to some low scoring numbers in recent years. Before the Feb. 15 game, Lindsay Horbatuck and Alyssa Dunn were the only current Bison to reach double-figure scoring in a single game vs. the Mountain Hawks. Horbatuck totaled 11 on Jan. 26, 2011, and Dunn had 10 on Jan. 18, 2012. Bucknell's leading scorer, Shelby Romine, was averaging just 6.0 points in three games against Lehigh with her highest single-game scoring output being seven points on two occasions. That all changed on Feb. 15 when Romine tallied 23 points against the Mountain Hawks. Horbatuck added 13 points and Rachel Voss had 11. It was the first time three Bison scored in double figures against Lehigh since Joyce Novacek (24 points), Cosima Higham (11) and Trisha Krewson (10) in the Patriot League Tournament Quarterfinals on March 6, 2010.
FLIP FLOPPING
Bucknell earned one of its biggest leads of the year when it went up by 19 at Lehigh on Feb. 15. The only time the Bison had a larger advantage was against Colgate on Feb. 8 when they went up by 27 at one point. More impressive, however, was the turnaround from the first meeting between Bucknell and Lehigh. When the two teams squared off in January, Lehigh's largest lead was 15 points with :06 remaining in the second half, while Bucknell's was six points with 12:23 in the first. In February, Lehigh led by no more than four with 18:33 left in the first half. Bucknell's 19-point advantage came at 14:04 in the second.
ANOTHER 60-POINT STAT
One key to snapping Bucknell's 10-game losing streak to Lehigh on Feb. 15 was undoubtedly its ability to put the ball in the basket. The Bison scored 60 points only once during that 10-game span - a 69-60 loss on Feb. 25, 2009. Not including Feb. 15, the last time Bucknell scored more than 60 points was on Feb. 20, 2007, the game before the losing streak began. The Bison won that contest 63-53. The Mountain Hawks score 60 or more points six times during their 10-game run.
ANOTHER MILESTONE UPDATE
Several Bison have hit career milestones this season. Three more are on the horizon.
• Felicia Mgbada: 390 career points, 293 career rebounds
• Alyssa Dunn: 377 career points
• Christina Chukwuedo: 96 season assists
UP NEXT
Should the Bison advance to the Patriot League Tournament Semifinals, they will take on the winner of No. 3 Navy vs. No. 6 Colgate. The semifinal game will take place at the site of the higher seed.
