Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Looks to Extend Streak Wednesday at Lehigh
1/22/2013 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 22, 2013
| Bucknell (11-7, 2-1 PL) at Lehigh (10-8, 2-1 PL) Women's Basketball |
| WHERE: Bethlehem, Pa., Stabler Arena |
| WHEN: Wednesday, Jan. 23, 7 p.m. |
| RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM and SportsJuice.com |
STREAMING VIDEO: Bison Vision/Patriot League All-Access  |
| LIVE STATISTICS: lehighsports.com |
COMPLETE GAME NOTES  |
ABOUT THE GAME
Coming off victories over Colgate and Lafayette, Bucknell will return to the Lehigh Valley on Wednesday, this time to make it three straight wins with a 7 p.m. matchup against the Mountain Hawks in Bethlehem. Lehigh took two of three meetings off the Bison last season, but it was Bucknell that won the last regular-season matchup at Stabler Arena.
Live coverage of Wednesday's game can be heard on WVBU 90.5 FM and online at SportsJuice.com with Danny Will doing the play-by-play duties. Lehighsports.com will carry live stats of the matchup, and Bison Vision and Patriot League All-Access will continue to broadcast streaming video online.
WITH A VICTORY AGAINST LEHIGH, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• Collect its 12th win for the first time since the 2008-09 squad finished the season with an 16-12 record.
• Win its second consecutive regular-season game at Stabler Arena.
• Extend its current winning streak to three games, its longest since winning five straight in November/December.
• Equal the number of Patriot League wins it had all of last year.
• Start the Patriot League season 3-1 for the first time since 2006-07.
QUICK FACTS
• As of Jan. 20, Bucknell ranked 19th nationally in rebounding margin (+9.1) and 15th in FG% defense (.335).
• Bucknell's three Patriot League games have been decided by an average of 3.7 points, the fewest in the conference.
• Bucknell leads the Patriot League in rebounding offense (43.7) but ranks last in rebounding defense (45.0).
• The last time a Bucknell opponent scored 60+ points at Sojka Pavilion was Dec. 15 (Longwood, 60). Foes are averaging 43.3 ppg in the last four games at Sojka.
• At Army on Jan. 12, Shelby Romine became the 22nd player in program history to record her 900th career point.
• 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 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.
• Bucknell has 11 wins this season (1-7). 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.
LAST MEETING WITH LEHIGH - MARCH 1, 2012
• Lehigh 63, Bucknell 47 (Stabler Arena)
• Shelby Romine scored a game-high 16 points, but Lehigh shot .500 from the field to end the 2011-12 season for Bucknell with a 63-47 loss.
• At 11:03, Bucknell's advantage was 12-9 and it was shooting .417 (5-12) from the floor. At the same time Lehigh was .200 (2-10) from the floor but had done much of its damage from the free throw line where it was 9-for-10 in the first half. Free throw shooting never really picked up. At the game's final buzzer, Bucknell was 0-for-2 with both attempts coming late in the first half and Lehigh was at 11-for-12.
• Bucknell went scoreless over the last 7:07 of the first half. The drought took them from a 16-13 lead at 8:26 to their eight-point halftime deficit after Lehigh rattled off 11 unanswered points. Lehigh's 26-18 lead at halftime came courtesy of both better shooting at their own end of the court and a rebounding effort that put them up 22-8 on the glass.
• Paired with their sluggish offense, the Bison did not have all the pieces for a comeback. The Mountain Hawks were .567 (17-30) from the floor in the second. Bucknell's offense did not right itself immediately after halftime. By the time Romine and Katherine Harris hit back-to-back threes, the Mountain Hawks had earned a 27-4 run going back to the 8:09 mark in the first half and a 38-22 lead.
ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN HAWKS
One of four teams to reach double-digit wins already this season, Lehigh enters Wednesday's game at 10-8 overall. The Mountain Hawks are also 2-1 in the Patriot League having sandwiched a loss to American (62-56) with road victories against Holy Cross (67-65) and Colgate (70-62). In those three games, Lehigh has put itself atop the conference rankings in scoring (64.3) and rebounding margin (+8.3).
The Mountain Hawks return three of their five starters from a team that went 17-13 overall and 9-5 in the Patriot League last season. One of their personnel losses, however, was Alexa Williams. After leading Lehigh in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocked shots, Williams was named First Team All-Patriot League, making her the Mountain Hawks' only all-league selection in 2012.
HISTORY VS. LEHIGH
• Lehigh is 40-31 all-time, including 22-13 at Stabler Arena, against Bucknell. The Bison are averaging 63.7 points in all 35 games in Bethlehem, but that drops to 51.3 points per game in the last six trips.
• The 2012 meetings between Bucknell and Lehigh saw more than one extreme. When the teams first squared off on Jan. 18, Lehigh held Bucknell its fewest points in series history with a 53-38 win. The next game went in favor of the Bison, 62-56, which snapped Bucknell's 10-game losing streak to the Mountain Hawks.
• Three of Bucknell's last five wins in the series have come at Stabler Arena. That run dates back to the 2005-06 season.
• 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.
• Molly Creamer tied the Bucknell single-game record for assists on Jan. 26, 2002. Creamer registered 14 assists in that game against Lehigh. The former Bison also holds the Sojka Pavilion scoring record with 35 points opposite the Mountain Hawks on Jan. 15, 2003.
• Recent Results:
Jan. 26, 2011 Lehigh, 64-48
Feb. 23, 2011 Lehigh, 72-39
Jan. 18, 2012 Lehigh, 53-38
Feb. 15, 2012 Bucknell, 62-56
March 1, 2012 Lehigh, 63-47 (PL Tournament Quarterfinals)
LAST TIME OUT
• Jan. 19, 2013: Bucknell 50, Lafayette 49 (Kirby Sports Center)
• Lindsay Horbatuck made both ends of a 1-and-1 to give Bucknell a four-point lead with 0:02 left in the game. That put the contest out of Lafayette's reach, giving the Bison a 50-49 win despite a buzzer-beating half-court shot from the Leopards' Maddie Peabody.
• Horbatuck finished with 11 points and was 3-for-4 from the free throw line. Audrey Dotson registered her third career double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. She also led the team in assists (4), steals (2) and blocks (1).
• Bucknell held Lafayette to .277 (18-65) shooting. The Leopards struggled from the field throughout the day, going without a field goal for 10:35 at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second. Despite its shooting woes, Lafayette outscored Bucknell in the final frame, 30-24, to make it a close one.
• Lafayette's bench outscored Bucknell's, 28-4.
• With the win, Bucknell improved to 2-1 in the Patriot League. It was the first time the Bison had been better than .500 in the conference at any point in the season since the 2008-09 campaign.
BISON IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
• Bucknell is 152-145 all-time in Patriot League games.
• 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 when 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).
• Bucknell is 87-60 (.592) in Patriot League regular-season games played at home. It is 39-31 (.557) in league games at Sojka Pavilion.
• Bucknell has never suffered back-to-back losing Patriot League seasons at home. The Bison were 1-6 against the Patriot League at Sojka Pavilion last winter.
PICKING UP A DOZEN
With their 50-49 victory at Lafayette on Saturday, the Bison reached 11 wins in its 18th game of the year. That is tied for the fifth-quickest run to 11 victories in program history and the fastest since the 1995-96, 2005-06 and 2006-07 teams also recorded their 11th win in their 18th game.
Bucknell will now turn its attention to collecting its 12th victory. The Bison have reached 12 wins in 19 games for fewer six times in program history. They have recorded 12 wins in an entire season just 16 times since the inaugural 1973-74 campaign.
BISON IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
As of Jan. 20, Bucknell maintained a position in the national statistical rankings. The Bison were 19th in rebounding margin (+9.1) and 15th in field goal percentage defense (.335). Lindsay Horbatuck ranked 29th nationally in rebounding (10.4) and Audrey Dotson cracked the top 100, ranking 90th in rebounding average (8.7).
DOUBLE-DOUBLES FOR WINS
Audrey Dotson registered her third career double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds at Lafayette on Jan. 19. The Bison now have seven double-doubles in five games this season and have amassed a 4-1 record in those games. The lone loss came to Longwood when Dotson claimed her first career double-double (27 pts.-17 reb.).
FINAL 5:00 FREE THROWS
• Bucknell has become accustomed to Lindsay Horbatuck hitting her free throws down the stretch. Including her two with 0:02 left for the win at Lafayette, Horbatuck is shooting 9-for-14 (.643) from the free throw line in the final 5:00 of games this year. She is also 6-for-6 in the final 5:00 since Dec. 1. On the year, Horbatuck has a .614 (43-70) free throw percentage.
• Shelby Romine has put up even better numbers when shooting free throws in either the final 5:00 of regulation or during overtime periods. The junior, who is .763 (61-80) from the free throw line for the season, is shooting .794 (27-34) in crunch time. That includes back-to-back games in which she was 4-for-4 down the stretch against Towson and Saint Peter's.
• As a team, Bucknell is shooting .736 (67-91) from the free throw line in the final 5:00 of play. In Patriot League action, the Bison are also .857 (6-7) when shooting in the final 5:00 but .628 (27-43) overall.
• Bucknell has gone perfect at the free throw line five times - Morgan State (4-4), Mount St. Mary's (4-4), Saint Peter's (8-8 in OT), NJIT (2-2) and Army (4-4). The most free throws made and attempted in the final 5:00 came against Niagara. The Bison shot 13-for-16 and won that game 77-69.
CLOSE CALLS
Bucknell's three Patriot League games have been decided by a mere 3.7 points with the Bison's biggest margin being an eight-point loss at Army and its smallest being a one-point win last Saturday at Lafayette. The 3.7 average is the smallest in the league so far this year. Lehigh is second on the list at 5.3.
Lehigh (+1.3) and Bucknell (-1.7) rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Patriot League in scoring margin.
PATRIOT LEAGUE STARTS
• With its win over Lafayette on Jan. 19, Bucknell has now started the Patriot League season with a 2-1 record seven times since the league's first campaign in 1990-91. It is also Bucknell's first 2-1 conference start since 2007-08. That team finished 8-6 in the Patriot League.
• Bucknell has opened Patriot League play 3-1 five times with the most recent occasion being the 2006-07 season. That team went on to finish 12-2 in the conference.
• Bucknell has opened Patriot League play 2-2 six times with the most recent being 2007-08. All six times the Bison eventually finished their regular-season conference schedule with at least a .500 record.
SLIPPING AT THE LINE
The Bison have seen a dip in their free throw shooting in recent games. After shooting .748 (110-147) in November and .765 (101-132) in December, they are just .596 (59-99) from the stripe so far in January. Each month has also had a different individual leader at the line with Alyssa Dunn (.906; 29-32) setting the standard in November, Audrey Dotson (.885; 23-26) in December and now Shelby Romine (.727; 16-22) in January.
ODDS & ENDS
• Bucknell has a +9.2 rebounding margin through all 18 games this season. Its rebounding margin drops to -1.3 in Patriot League play.
• Audrey Dotson leads Bucknell with 23 blocked shots this season. That is just over double the next Bison, Felicia Mgbada, who has 11 blocks.
• Shelby Romine tallied seven assists at Army on Jan. 12. The Black Knights totaled four assists as a team.
• Audrey Dotson has 11 career double-digit scoring games. Ten of those have come this season and in 11 of the last 12 games. The sophomore is averaging 14.9 points over the last 12 contests.
• Felicia Mgbada has played in 104 career games, more than any other current Bison, although Lindsay Horbatuck joined her in the triple-digit club against NJIT on Jan. 8 and Rachel Voss hit 100 on Jan. 12 at Army.
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 an 11-7 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 11 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).
SUCCESS ON THE ROAD
Bucknell finished its non-conference schedule with a 4-4 record in road games and has since posted a 5-5 mark. The last time the Bison won more road games was in 2008-09 when they finished the season 8-7 away from Sojka Pavilion and 16-12 overall. That was also Bucknell's last winning season.
RECORD WATCH
• Shelby Romine moved up to fifth on the Bucknell 3-point field goal list when she shot 3-for-6 from behind the line vs. Colgate on Jan. 16. The junior now has 111 career 3-pointers. She is also sixth on the 3-point field goals attempted list with 324.
• Romine is coming up on the program's top-10 list in single-season 3-pointers as well with 31 successful attempts. Holding the 10th spot on that list currently is Lauren Schober (2007-08) with 39.
• Romine has been doing plenty to help her teammates score. She now has 253 career assists. Deb Boldry (1976-80) ranks 10th in program history with 265.
• With 668, Lindsay Horbatuck is approaching the top-10 list for career rebounds at Bucknell. Shannon McGowan (1993-97) currently ranks 10th with 696. Horbatuck is averaging 10.4 rebounds this winter.
THE BISON IN WINS
In its 11 games won this season, Bucknell ...
• Has a +9.9 scoring margin.
• Has a +11.5 rebounding margin. It is also beating opponents by 10.1 defensive rebounds per game.
• Is shooting .394 from the floor and holding opponents to a .305 field goal percentage.
• Is outscoring opponents 337-240 in the first half and 14-7 in overtime. The margin is much closer in the second half, however, 343-348.
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 next two games at home. First up is a meeting with Holy Cross at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The USA Jump Rope Team will perform at halftime and fans can play Basketball Bingo for prizes throughout the game.
