Bucknell University Athletics
Patriot League Play Opens Saturday with Bucknell Women's Basketball at Army
1/10/2013 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 10, 2013
| Bucknell (9-6, 0-0 PL) at Army (11-4, 0-0 PL) Women's Basketball |
| WHERE: West Point, N.Y., Christl Arena |
| WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 12, 1 p.m. |
| RADIO: SportsJuice.com |
STREAMING VIDEO: Patriot League All-Access  |
LIVE STATISTICS: GameTracker  |
COMPLETE GAME NOTES  |
ABOUT THE GAME
The Patriot League season is here and Bucknell will open up its conference campaign at Army on Saturday. Tip off at West Point is slated for 1 p.m. at Christl Arena. The Bison are looking to snap a two-game losing skid to the Black Knights. The last time Bucknell topped its Patriot League foe was in the 2011 Patriot League Tournament Quarterfinals, when the Bison advanced with a 54-40 decision at Davis Gym, the first time a women's postseason game had been hosted in Lewisburg.
Live audio coverage can be found at SportsJuice.com with Danny Will calling the play-by-play. Live stats and video will also be available at goARMYsports.com.
WITH A VICTORY AGAINST ARMY, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• Double its wins total from last season by improving to 10-6 in 2012-13.
• Snap a two-game losing streak to the Black Knights.
• Win its Patriot League opener for the first time since 2009.
• Win back-to-back games since defeating Towson and Saint Peter's in late December.
• Even the series at West Point, improving to a 13-13 record on the road vs. Army.
QUICK FACTS
• Audrey Dotson was named the Anaconda Patriot League Player of the Week on Jan. 7 for the second time this season (also 12/17). Shelby Romine was also named the league's Player of the Week on Dec. 27.
• Bucknell leads the Patriot League in scoring (63.1), rebounding (44.4), rebounding defense (33.2), rebounding margin (+11.2), defensive rebounds (31.4), FT% (.743) and FG% defense (.347).
• Lindsay Horbatuck played in her 100th career game Tuesday vs. NJIT.
• Bucknell finished its November/December schedule with a winning record (7-5) for the first time since the 2006-07 team went 8-6 before New Year's Day.
• 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 nine wins this season (9-6). 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 (82).
• 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 ARMY - FEB. 4, 2012
• Army 60, Bucknell 56 (Christl Arena)
• Bucknell put up a strong rebounding effort and Lindsay Horbatuck tied a then-career high with 15 points, but Army was too much from beyond the 3-point line as the Black Knights secured a four-point win. The Bison won the battle of the boards 35-18 and held Army to just four offensive rebounds, while the Black Knights shot 9-for-16 (.563) from behind the arc.
• Army's defense kept Bucknell from getting the offensive looks it wanted and the Black Knights scored at will early in the game. While it took the Bison nearly three minutes to get on the board, Army scored on each of its first three possessions. Rachel Voss broke open the scoring for Bucknell at 17:19 with a 3-pointer, which was what the Bison needed due to Army's solid interior defense. That was the last jumper for some time, however, and at the 11:52 mark Bucknell was 3-for-11 (.273) from the field.
• The second half took on a frenzied pace as both teams were able to score early and often. While neither squad was able to gain a lead of more than just a couple of points after play resumed, each team made their progress in different ways. Army continued to keep it interesting with its success from behind the 3-point line and Bucknell, while it began hitting its jumpers with more regularity, did its damage on the glass.
• With 3:40 left in the game, the Bison turned a defensive rebound into a fastbreak layup for a 52-52 tie. Army then scored the next eight points, knocking the wind out of Bucknell. The Bison had a handful of opportunities in the final few minutes but could not convert. They went just 2-for-5 from the free throw line in the final 1:33, the only two buckets coming from Horbatuck.
ABOUT THE BLACK KNIGHTS
Army enters Saturday with more wins than any other team in the Patriot League with its 11-4 record. The Black Knights won eight of their first nine games this winter and have earned a seven-game winning streak that included victories Penn (58-53) and Yale (53-47). Most recently, they bounced back from a three-point loss at Brown to defeat Morgan State 63-59 last weekend. Anna Simmers had 21 points and Olivia Schretzman added 16 points and 15 rebounds in that last contest.
Army went 14-16 overall and 8-6 in the Patriot League to earn the No. 4 seed in the 2012 conference tournament. The Black Knights fell 59-50 to Holy Cross in the quarterfinals, but all three of their all-league selections are back this year. Simmers was a First Team All-Patriot League honoree, while Jen Hazlett was named to the second team and Schretzman was named All-Rookie.
HISTORY VS. ARMY
• Bucknell leads the all-time series, 31-19. The Bison are 18-6 at home but 12-13 on the Black Knights' turf. The last time Bucknell won at West Point was Feb. 16, 2011 by the low score of 44-40.
• Bucknell's loss last February ended a five-game winning streak at West Point. The contests have been close throughout the series, however. The Bison have just a +0.08 scoring margin over the Black Knights when playing at West Point.
• With the exception of last season when Army won both games 67-64 in January and 60-56 in February, neither team has had much luck breaking the 60-point barrier. Prior to last winter, neither team had scored 60 points since Feb. 24, 2007 when Army won 61-57. Bucknell is 1-5 against Army since 2004 when the Black Knights score 60 points or more.
• The last time the Bison defeated the Black Knights was in the Patriot League Tournament Quarterfinals on March 3, 2011. Hosting the first women's basketball postseason game in program history, fourth-seeded Bucknell knocked off Army 54-40 at Davis Gym. Shelby Romine had 19 points as the Bison shot .472 from the field and held the Black Knights to a .232 field goal percentage.
• Recent Results:
Jan. 29, 2011 Bucknell, 49-48
Feb. 16, 2011 Bucknell, 44-40
March 5, 2011 Bucknell, 54-40 (PL Tournament)
Jan. 7, 2012 Army, 67-64
Feb. 4, 2012 Army, 60-56
LAST TIME OUT
• Jan. 8, 2013: Bucknell 52, NJIT 35 (Sojka Pavilion)
• A strong defensive effort for Bucknell earned the ninth win of the season, defeating NJIT by 17 points in its non-conference finale. The Bison allowed their fewest points on the season and held the Highlanders to .236 (13-55) shooting.
• NJIT's 35 points were the fewest points by a Bison opponent this season and missed the Sojka Pavilion record for lowest opponent point total by just three. Tuesday was also the second straight home game in which Bucknell limited the other team to fewer than 40 points as it also defeated Cornell 64-39 on Jan. 2. Cornell shot just 11-for-49 from the field. Together with NJIT's 13-for-55, Bucknell has limited its last two opponents at home to a .231 (24-104) field goal percentage.
• The Bucknell defense dealt NJIT more than a few scoring droughts. The longest for the Highlanders lasted 9:52 at the end of the first half and into the second. That took the Bison lead from two points to a much more comfortable 15. NJIT went another 7:00 between field goals later in the second half, keeping them from a comeback.
• Shelby Romine scored 10 points in just :59 seconds late in the second half. That brought the junior guard's total to 20 for the game and 892 for her career.
• With the win, Bucknell claimed its best record through the non-conference season since the 2000-01 squad went 9-4. That team ultimately finished 20-8 overall, giving the Bison their first 20-win season in program history.
BISON IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
• Bucknell is 150-144 all-time in Patriot League games.
• Bucknell's last win in a Patriot League opener came on Jan. 10, 2009. The Bison defeated Navy, 66-50, at Sojka Pavilion.
• Bucknell has registered 16 Patriot League seasons at .500 or better. The last was in 2010-11 when the Bison finished with a 7-7 record. The last season at better than .500 was 2008-09 as they went 8-6 in conference action.
• Bucknell has won two Patriot League regular-season titles (1995-96, 2006-07) and two tournament titles (2001-02, 2007-08).
KEEPING THEM OFF THE BOARDS - REVISED
Bucknell has outrebounded 14 of its 15 opponents, and each of the last 13, this season and has a Patriot League-best +11.5 rebounding margin. Its 13 straight games of outrebounding foes is the longest streak in program history. Next on the list are the 1978-79, 2000-01 and 2010-11 squads, which each had a season-best eight straight games of beating their opponents on the glass. The 2009-10 team outrebounded 21 total opponents, while the 1978-79 squad bested 13 of its 15 opponents on the boards.
WINS WITH LOW FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE ...
Bucknell shot just .286 (16-56) from the field on Tuesday vs. NJIT, but the Bison still came away with a 52-35 victory. Although not the first time Bucknell has failed to hit at least one-third of its shots, it was the first time in a while since it did so and still won. Bucknell beat Akron 47-48 on Dec. 29, 2004 despite shooting .290 (18-62) from the floor. The Zips finished that game with a field goal percentage of .288 (15-52).
... AND LOSSES WITH HIGH FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Bucknell shot .481 (25-52) from the field on Jan. 5 at Yale and lost 82-62. The last time the Bison lost after shooting better than .400 was Feb. 4, 2012 when they went .469 (23-49) from the floor and fell 60-56 at West Point.
Previous to the meeting with Yale, Bucknell's best field goal percentage in a loss this season was .386 (17-44) at Youngstown State on Dec. 29.
FIELD NOTES
• Bucknell limited NJIT to .236 (13-55) shooting from the field on Tuesday night. It was the second consecutive opponent to be held under .300 at Sojka Pavilion after Cornell shot just .224 (11-49).
• Over the course of the season, Bucknell has held five foes to a sub-.300 shooting percentage. The Bison are 4-1 in those games, and 3-0 when playing at home.
• The three lowest opponent field goal percentages this season have all come at Sojka Pavilion - Cornell (.224), NJIT (.236) and Mount St. Mary's (.246). The four highest opponent field goal percentages have all come on the road - Yale (.508), Youngstown State (.473), Towson (.400) and Saint Peter's (.393). Those are also the last four road games for the Bison.
• When playing on its home court, Bucknell is 5-2 overall. The Bison have registered a higher field goal percentage in all five of those wins. The only two games in which they shot worse than their opponent - Saint Francis (Pa.) and Longwood - they lost.
• On the road, Bucknell has shot better than its opponent four times and has won two of those games (Canisius, Morgan State). It has also shot worse than its opponent four times and lost two of those contests (Towson, Saint Peter's). The four contests in which the Bison registered a better field goal percentage than its foe were the first four road games of the season. The Bison have shot worse than their opponents in each of the last four road games.
THE BISON IN WINS
In their nine games won this season, Bucknell ...
• Has a +11.8 scoring margin.
• Has a +14.3 rebounding margin. It is also beating opponents by 11.0 defensive rebounds per game.
• Is shooting .407 from the floor and holding opponents to a .314 field goal percentage.
• Is outscoring opponents 288-189 in the first half and 14-7 in overtime. The Bison are tied in the second half, however, 299-299.
CONTROLLING THE OFFENSIVE BOARDS
Against NJIT on Tuesday, Bucknell allowed 10 offensive rebounds. That was the first time an opponent had reached double digits in offensive boards since Penn grabbed 13 on Dec. 3. In the last seven outings, Bucknell has allowed 7.9 offensive rebounds per game. That is quite the turnaround from its first eight games when opponents were averaging 13.9 offensive rebounds per game.
BISON IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
As of Jan. 6, Bucknell maintained a position in the national statistical rankings. The Bison were 10th in rebounding margin (+11.1) and Lindsay Horbatuck ranked 28th nationally in rebounding (10.5). Horbatuck's 19 rebounds vs. Cornell was also tied for 18th for the most in a single game. Audrey Dotson's .833 (10-12) field goal percentage against the Big Red was tied 12th nationally as well.
EYEING NO. 10
With the 52-35 victory over NJIT on Jan. 8, Bucknell reached nine wins in 15 games. That is the seventh-quickest run to nine wins in program history and the fastest since the 2001-02 team also recorded its ninth win in its 15th game.
Bucknell will now turn its attention to collecting its 10th victory. The Bison have reached 10 wins in 16 games for fewer five times in program history.
ODDS & ENDS
• Bucknell has not registered a double-double since Shelby Romine, Audrey Dotson and Lindsay Horbatuck all achieved the feat in the same game at Saint Peter's on Dec. 22.
• Audrey Dotson has eight career double-digit scoring games. Seven of those have come this season and eight of the last nine games. The sophomore is averaging 15.1 points over the last nine contests.
• Felicia Mgbada has played in 101 career games, more than any other current Bison, although Lindsay Horbatuck joined her in the triple-digit club on Tuesday. Horbatuck notched her 100th career game against NJIT.
• Jen Heider set a career high with five points against Cornell on Jan. 2. The sophomore tallied her first career points as a freshman against none other than Cornell. She has totaled seven points in five minutes of play against the Big Red during her career.
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 9-6 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 nine wins so far, Roussell has the second-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).
PROMOS COMING UP
Bucknell will host a handful of promotions in January. First up is the Purdy Insurance Feed the Fan night on Jan. 16. Fans in attendance as the Bison take on Colgate can get free pizza at halftime. Jan. 26 will feature a halftime performance by the USA Jump Rope Team. Fans can also play Basketball Bingo for prizes when Bucknell hosts Holy Cross that night at 7 p.m.
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
Bucknell will play its first Patriot League game at home this season when it hosts Colgate at 7 p.m. on Jan. 16 at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison have won eight of the last 10 games against the Raiders, including a 67-45 decision in their last meeting on Feb. 8, 2012. The game is also the Purdy Insurance Feed the Fan night. That means free pizza at halftime for all fans in attendance.
