Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Women's Hoops Hosts Holy Cross in Saturday Matinee
1/25/2013 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 25, 2013
| Bucknell (12-7, 3-1 PL) vs. Holy Cross (9-10, 1-3 PL) Women's Basketball |
| WHERE: Lewisburg, Pa., Sojka Pavilion |
| WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 26, 2 p.m. |
| RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM and SportsJuice.com |
STREAMING VIDEO: Bison Vision  |
LIVE STATISTICS: GameTracker  |
COMPLETE GAME NOTES  |
ABOUT THE GAME
After a pair of nail biters, Bucknell women's basketball secured a slightly more decisive victory on Wednesday when it beat Lehigh by 16. The Bison now turn their attention to Holy Cross on Saturday looking for a fourth consecutive win and their first 4-1 Patriot League start since 2006-07. Tipoff against the Crusaders at Sojka Pavilion is set for 2 p.m.
Live coverage of Saturday's contest can be found in all the usual places. Live audio will be on WVBU 90.5 and online at SportsJuice.com. Live stats on GameTracker and streaming video on Bison Vision can also be found at BucknellBison.com.
WITH A VICTORY AGAINST HOLY CROSS, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• Collect its 13th win for the first time since the 2008-09 squad finished the season with an 16-12 record.
• Extend its current winning streak to four games, its longest since winning five straight in November/December.
• Surpass the number of Patriot League wins it had all of last year when the Bison finished the season 3-11.
• Start the Patriot League season 4-1 for the first time since 2006-07.
• Give Aaron Roussell his 13th win at Bucknell, setting a program record for most wins by a head coach in his first season.
QUICK FACTS
• As of Jan. 24, Bucknell ranked seventh in FG% defense (.329) and 17th nationally in rebounding margin (+8.9).
• Bucknell has held each of its last three opponents to a FG% of less than .280 and they are a combined .252 (51-202) from the floor. The Bison are 3-0 in those games.
• Bucknell leads the Patriot League in rebounding offense (44.0) but ranks last in rebounding defense (43.5).
• 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 has 12 wins this season (12-7). 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 (84).
• 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 HOLY CROSS - FEB. 18, 2012
• Holy Cross 49, Bucknell 38 (Sojka Pavilion)
• Lindsay Horbatuck recorded her third consecutive double-double, but a pair of lengthy scoring droughts ended Bucknell's hopes of a fourth straight victory and sent the Bison to an 11-point loss against Holy Cross at Sojka Pavilion.
• The Bison struggled to find the bottom of the net throughout the game and ended the night shooting .270 (17-for-63). The Crusaders had similar struggles, shooting .339 (20-for-59) from the field, but most of their woes came in the first half.
• Both teams went more than six minutes between field goals at one point during the opening frame. In the final 14:20 of the first, there were just 11 points between the two. Holy Cross led 19-12 at the break after both teams shot .200 from the field. Bucknell's 12 points set a new Sojka Pavilion record for fewest points in a half.
• The Crusaders' maintained a cushion around 10 points for much of the second half until Bucknell got it down to five at 4:14. Alyssa Dunn drove hard to the basket and the acrobatic shot turned into a three-point play as she hit the free throw and set the score at 39-34. Bucknell got Holy Cross' lead back down to five points a minute later thanks to a turnaround jumper from Rachel Voss, but the Crusaders ended the game on an 8-2 run. A final layup from Amy Lepley set the score at 49-38.
ABOUT THE CRUSADERS
Holy Cross comes to Sojka Pavilion with a 9-10 overall record. After winning 60-55 over Lafayette on Wednesday, the Crusaders snapped their three-game losing streak and improved to 1-3 in the Patriot League. Despite the losing record, Holy Cross ranks second in the conference in scoring (58.5) and field goal percentage (.397). Amy Lepley and Alex Smith, who were both named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team, also rank among the top 10 in scoring.
Smith and Lepley were both all-league selections last year as was Emily Parker who earned a nod to the Patriot League All-Rookie squad. The team finished 19-15 overall and 7-7 in the league. Holy Cross fell to Navy in the Patriot League Championship game, 57-48. Four of five starters and 10 of 11 letterwinners from that team return this winter.
HISTORY VS. HOLY CROSS
• Holy Cross holds a 39-13 advantage in the series with Bucknell. The Crusaders are 14-8 with a +4.7 scoring margin in Lewisburg.
• Bucknell lost its last meeting with Holy Cross by a score of 49-38. That was the fewest points scored by the Bison in series history. The Bison have been held under 40 points three times in the series. The Crusaders have failed to reach 40 just once, in a 63-37 Bucknell victory on Feb. 9, 2007.
• Bucknell has scored 60 or fewer points against Holy Cross in nine of their last 11 meetings. The exceptions during that stretch were a 73-67 Crusaders win on Feb. 16, 2008 at the Hart Center and Bucknell's 68-52 win on Feb. 12, 2011 at Sojka Pavilion. Bucknell has scored fewer than 60 points in 23 games against the Crusaders. Holy Cross has been held to less than 60 points 10 times in series history.
• This year's current Bison are 1-5 all-time against Holy Cross. Lindsay Horbatuck has the group's only double-double having registered 12 points and 12 rebounds when the Bison and Crusaders last played on Feb. 18, 2012. Shelby Romine is averaging 7.3 points in her career against Holy Cross, her lowest scoring average against all Patriot League opponents.
• Bucknell has met Holy Cross in the Patriot League Tournament more than any other opponent. The Bison are 3-5 in eight meetings, but 2-1 in championship games.
• Recent Results:
Feb. 13, 2010 Holy Cross, 65-50
Jan. 15, 2011 Holy Cross, 57-47
Feb. 12, 2011 Bucknell, 68-52
Jan. 21, 2012 Holy Cross, 70-53
Feb. 18, 2012 Holy Cross, 49-38
BINGO! SATURDAY'S PROMOTIONS
The next of Bucknell's game promotions is set for Saturday against Holy Cross. Fans in attendance will receive a bingo card. Winners will be eligible for gift certificates to a variety of local restaurants. The grand prize winner will receive a $20 gift card to BJ's Steak & Rib House as well as a Coke duffle bag with Bucknell merchandise.
The USA Jump Rope Team will also be performing at halftime when the Bison take on the Crusaders.
LAST TIME OUT
• Jan. 23, 2013: Bucknell 53, Lehigh 37 (Stabler Arena)
• Bucknell won its second game in three tries at Stabler Arena, thwarting the Lehigh offense and handing the Mountain Hawks a 53-37 loss on Wednesday. Lehigh shot just .207 (12-58) from the field for the game and .138 (4-29) in the first half.
• Bucknell limited Lehigh to 12 first-half points. That was the fewest points the Bison allowed in a half since Colgate scored just nine on Feb. 21, 2009, setting a Sojka Pavilion record.
• Shelby Romine led the Bison with 18 points, 15 of which came in the second half. No one had done much scoring in the opening frame. Bucknell's first bucket came 7:15 into the game and Lehigh managed just one basket in the first 10:47.
• Lindsay Horbatuck became the 35th player in program history to score 600 career points. Alyssa Dunn played in her 100th career game.
• Bucknell improved to 12-7 on the year. That tied the team for the third-fastest rise in program history to a dozen victories.
BISON IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
• Bucknell is 153-145 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.
PATRIOT LEAGUE STARTS
• With its win over Lehigh on Jan. 23, Bucknell has now started the Patriot League season with a 3-1 record five times since the league's first campaign in 1990-91. It is also Bucknell's first 3-1 conference start since 2006-07. That team finished 12-2 in the Patriot League.
• Bucknell has opened Patriot League play 4-1 five times with the most recent occasion being the 2006-07 season.
• Bucknell has opened Patriot League play 3-2 five times with the most recent being 2007-08. All five times the Bison eventually finished their regular-season conference schedule with at least a .500 record.
LUCKY NUMBER 13
After defeating Lehigh 53-37 on Wednesday, the Bison reached 12 wins in their 19th game of the year. That tied for the third-quickest run to 12 victories in program history and was the fastest since the 1995-96, 2001-02 and 2005-06 teams also recorded their 12th win in their 19th game.
Bucknell will now turn its attention to collecting its 13th victory. The Bison have reached 13 wins in 20 games for fewer three times in program history. They have recorded1312 wins in an entire season just 14 times since the inaugural 1973-74 campaign.
OPPONENTS UNDER .300
Bucknell held Lehigh to .207 (12-for-58) shooting from the field on Jan. 23, setting a new season-low for its opponents. That also marked the eighth game this season, the most in program history, in which the Bison held their foe to a field goal percentage of less than .300. Prior to this winter only the 2007-08 (7 games) and 2008-09 (6 games) teams held more than five opponents to sub-.300 shooting.
LOW SCORING HALVES
Lehigh totaled just 12 points in the first half against Bucknell on Jan. 23. That was the fewest points allowed in a single half by the Bison since they limited Colgate to nine on Feb. 21, 2009. It is the second time this season, however, that a Bucknell opponent has scored less than 15 in a half. NJIT totaled 14 points in the first stanza on Jan. 8.
FIRST VS. SECOND
• Bucknell has done some of its best work in the first half of games this year, but more than once they have struggled to close the door on opponents. While the Bison's field goal percentage is similar in both frames this season (.391 in the first and .379 in the second), opponents' percentages have gone up (.290 in the first and .368 in the second).
• Bucknell's rebounding margin in the first half is +6.8. It drops to +2.0 in the second.
• Shelby Romine's assist/turnover ratio in the first half is 0.84. It improves to 1.2 in the second half.
• Eleven times this season, Bucknell has gone up by double digits at some point during a game. The Bison are 11-0 and have never trailed in the first half in those contests. They have been outscored in the second half of those games on five occasions.
• Bucknell has led by at least 20 points in a game four times. Its largest lead at any time was 28 points with 7:56 to play in the second half at Towson on Dec. 19. Despite the large late lead, Bucknell was still outscored 41-37 in the second half against the Tigers.
BISON IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
As of Jan. 24, Bucknell had moved up in the national statistical rankings. The Bison cracked the top 10 and rank seventh nationally in field goal percentage defense (.329). They were also 17th in rebounding margin (+8.9). Lindsay Horbatuck ranked 39th nationally in rebounding (10.2) and Audrey Dotson remained in the top 100, ranking 90th in rebounding average (8.7).
ODDS & ENDS
• Bucknell has not lost a game in which it has had a double-digit lead at any time.
• Lehigh's 37 points on Jan. 23 against Bucknell tied for the fewest scored by the Mountain Hawks in series history. The Bison's 16-point win that night (53-37) was also their largest margin of victory since defeating the Mountain Hawks by 27 pints, 64-37, on Jan. 24, 2007 at Sojka Pavilion. It was Bucknell's second largest margin of victory at Stabler Arena.
• Bucknell has a +9.0 rebounding margin through all 19 games this season. Its rebounding margin drops to +0.5 in Patriot League play.
• Audrey Dotson leads Bucknell with 25 blocked shots this season. That is just under double the next Bison, Felicia Mgbada, who has 13 blocks.
• Shelby Romine tallied seven assists at Army on Jan. 12. The Black Knights totaled four assists as a team.
• Audrey Dotson has 12 career double-digit scoring games. Eleven of those have come this season and in 12 of the last 13 games. The sophomore is averaging 14.5 points over the last 13 contests.
• Felicia Mgbada has played in 105 career games, more than any other current Bison. Lindsay Horbatuck joined her in the triple-digit club against NJIT on Jan. 8 and Rachel Voss hit 100 on Jan. 12 at Army. Alyssa Dunn became the latest to play her 100th game, doing so on Jan. 23 at Lehigh.
THE BISON IN WINS
In its 12 games won this season, Bucknell ...
• Has a +10.4 scoring margin.
• Has a +11.1 rebounding margin. It is also beating opponents by 9.8 defensive rebounds per game.
• Is shooting .393 from the floor and holding opponents to a .297 field goal percentage.
• Is outscoring opponents 367-252 in the first half and 14-7 in overtime. The margin is much closer in the second half, however, 376-373.
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 take on American in a second consecutive contest at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison and the Eagles tip off at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30. Bucknell is looking for its first win against American since the 2008 Patriot League Tournament.
