Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Squares Off Wednesday with American at Sojka
1/29/2013 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 29, 2013
| Bucknell (13-7, 4-1 PL) vs. American (11-8, 4-1 PL) Women's Basketball |
| WHERE: Lewisburg, Pa., Sojka Pavilion |
| WHEN: Wednesday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m. |
| RADIO: WVBU 90.5 FM and SportsJuice.com |
STREAMING VIDEO: Bison Vision  |
LIVE STATISTICS: GameTracker  |
COMPLETE GAME NOTES  |
ABOUT THE GAME
Currently in the middle of one of its best Patriot League starts in recent years, Bucknell women's basketball is looking for a fifth consecutive win and a chance to break up the four-way tie for first when it hosts American at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison are even in the league standings with the Eagles, Army and Navy. A win over American would be Bucknell's first since 2008.
Catch all the action on the radio (WVBU 90.5 FM) and online (SportsJuice.com) with Danny Will doing the play-by-play duties. Live stats on GameTracker and streaming video on Bison Vision can also be found at BucknellBison.com.
WITH A VICTORY AGAINST AMERICAN, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• Collect its 14th win for the first time since the 2008-09 squad finished the season with an 16-12 record.
• Extend its current winning streak to five games, equaling its longest of the season.
• Defeat the Eagles for the first time since the 2008 Patriot League Tournament.
• Start the Patriot League season 5-1 for the first time since 2006-07.
• Give this year's senior class its first-ever win over the Eagles.
QUICK FACTS
• As of Jan. 27, Bucknell ranked ninth in FG% defense (.332) and 21st nationally in rebounding margin (+8.7).
• Bucknell has held three of its last four opponents to a FG% of less than .280 and those three foes combined to shoot .252 (51-202) from the floor. The Bison were 3-0 in those games.
• Bucknell leads the Patriot League in rebounding offense (43.2) but ranks seventh in rebounding defense (42.0).
• The last time a Bucknell opponent scored 60+ points at Sojka Pavilion was Dec. 15 (Longwood, 60). Foes are averaging 48.8 ppg in the last five games at Sojka. The Bison have held six of their last eight opponents overall to fewer than 60 points.
• 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 13 wins this season (13-7). 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 (86).
• 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 AMERICAN - FEB. 22, 2012
• American 62, Bucknell 59 (Sojka Pavilion)
• Bucknell was the stronger team in the second half as they erased a 10-point deficit with a 15-0 run, but American hit a three with 0.7 seconds left to hold off the upset 62-59 at Sojka Pavilion. The Eagles' win was their 13th straight.
• Bucknell matched American nearly blow for blow through the first half and entered the break trailing just 29-24. The Eagles extended their lead to 10 points five minutes after play resumed, 40-30. It was the first time either team had led by double-digit points, but it did not last long. Felicia Mgbada answered with a three-point play, started the 15-0 Bison run.
• With 2:43 remaining in the game, American extended its lead back up to seven points. Bucknell made one last run at it with a 7-0 run. Alyssa Dunn sank two free throws with 0:14 left on the clock, tying the game at 59-59. Alexis Dobbs stepped in for a last-second three at the top of the arc and found nothing but the bottom of the net to give American the win.
• Bucknell shot 17-for-18 (.944) from the free throw line, while American was 16-for-18 (.889). The Bison were also 4-for-5 (.800), including 3-for-3 in the second half, from behind the 3-point arc.
• Dunn registered her first career 20-point game, shooting 6-for-9 from the field and 8-for-8 from the free throw line.
ABOUT THE EAGLES
American knocked off undefeated Army (45-42) on Saturday to improve its record to 11-8 overall and 4-1 in the Patriot League. The Eagles' league slate so far has also included wins over Colgate (54-45), Lehigh (62-56) and Holy Cross (67-62). Their lone loss, and their first in more than a year, came at the hands of Navy (61-42) just a week ago.
American finished its 2011-12 season at 23-8 overall and although they went a perfect 14-0 in the Patriot League, the Eagles lost to Holy Cross in the tournament semifinals and were relegated to the WNIT. American nearly swept the postseason awards last winter with the Player of the Year (Lisa Strack), Defensive Player of the Year (Ebony Edwards) and Coach of the Year (Matt Corkery). The only on-court honorees back this season, however, are First Team All-Patriot League selection Alexis Dobbs, who leads the league in assists (4.8) and assist/turnover ratio (1.7), and All-Rookie selection Jen Dumiak.
HISTORY VS. AMERICAN
• American leads 17-11 in the all-time series with Bucknell. The Eagles also lead 9-5, although the Bison are +2.8 in scoring margin, when playing in Lewisburg.
• Bucknell has lost each of the last eight games against American, but they've played their closest games in Sojka Pavilion. During that streak, the Bison are 0-3 but with a -4.0 scoring margin at home. When playing Washington, D.C., Bucknell is 0-4 with a -18.5 scoring margin.
• Bucknell's three-point loss last February was the smallest margin since its 67-64 wi on Jan. 16, 2008.
• Through the 28 games in the series, American has a +0.69 scoring margin over Bucknell.
• The last time Bucknell defeated American was on March 9, 2008 at the Patriot League Tournament semifinals. The fifth-seeded Bison knocked off the top-seeded Eagles 60-52 and eventually became the first team in history to be seeded as low as No. 5 and still win the Patriot League title. • Not surprisingly, Molly Creamer has had some of Bucknell's highest scoring totals in Bison-Eagles series history. Her 41 points on Jan. 11, 2003 is the number-one mark all-time. In five career games against American, Creamer averaged 31.4 points.
• Recent Results:
Feb. 20, 2010 American, 53-49
Jan. 12, 2011 American, 60-55 (OT)
Feb. 9, 2011 American, 66-38
Jan. 25, 2012 American, 71-45
Feb. 22, 2012 American, 62-59
LAST TIME OUT
• Jan. 26, 2013: Bucknell 62, Holy Cross 59 (Sojka Pavilion)
• Bucknell ended the game on a 20-3 run to defeat Holy Cross 62-59 at Sojka Pavilion. The late push allowed the Bison to overcome a 14-point deficit with 6:33 left in the game and capture their fourth consecutive victory.
• The win was the 13th of the season for the Bison, giving Aaron Roussell the Bucknell record for most wins by a first-year head coach.
• Audrey Dotson led Bucknell with 14 points. Twelve of those came in the second half and eight of them came during the initial 14-0 run that tied the game with minutes left to play. The sophomore also had four assists and six rebounds.
• Part of Bucknell's comeback was its improvement on the boards. After trailing in the rebounding battle 24-19 at halftime, the Bison eventually outrebounded the Crusaders 40-36. Lindsay Horbatuck led all players with 13 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive glass to return her to the top of the Patriot League offensive rebounds ranking.
• With 13 victories through its first 20 games this winter, only two teams in program history reached 13 wins faster than this year's squad. The 2000-01 team reached 13 in 18 contests, while the 1986-87 team did so in 19.
BISON IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
• Bucknell is 154-145 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 88-60 (.595) in Patriot League regular-season games played at home. It is 40-31 (.563) 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.
COLLECTING THE 14TH
After defeating Holy Cross 62-59 on Saturday, the Bison reached 13 wins in their 20th game of the year. That tied for the third-quickest run to 13 victories in program history and was the fastest since the 2005-06 team also recorded its 13th win in their 20th game.
Bucknell will now turn its attention to collecting its 14th victory. The Bison have reached 14 wins in 21 games or fewer three times in program history. They have recorded 14 wins in an entire season just 12 times since the inaugural 1973-74 campaign.
BISON IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
As of Jan. 27, Bucknell had moved up in the national statistical rankings. The Bison rank ninth nationally in field goal percentage defense (.332). They were also 21st in rebounding margin (+8.7), 62nd in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.275), 83rd in free throw percentage (.716) and 92nd in scoring defense (58.1). Lindsay Horbatuck ranked 32nd nationally in rebounding (10.3) and Audrey Dotson was 100th in rebounding average (8.6).
CLOSE CALLS REVISITED
When Bucknell began its season in November, games could hardly have been closer. Nine of its first 11 contests were decided by single digits. After the next four games were decided by 17 or more points, it appears as if the Bison have hit the reset button. Four of their first five Patriot League games have ended with a scoring differential of fewer than 10 points. Bucknell's scoring margin for the season's entire 20 games is +2.6. It stands at +2.8 in Patriot League action.
BREAKING TREND
• When Holy Cross shot .391 (25-64) from the field on Jan. 26, it was just the second time this season in which a Bucknell opponent shot better than .300 and still lost. The first was Saint Peter's on Dec. 22. The Peacocks went .393 (24-61) from the field and fell 69-62 in overtime.
• The Crusaders' .391 field goal percentage was also the first opponent in Bucknell's current four-game winning streak to shoot better than .300. Foes are just .286 (76-266) in the last four games.
THE CURRENT STREAK
• In its current four-game winning streak, Bucknell is averaging 55.4 points, 5.5 more than its opponents at 49.0.
• The Bison are shooting significantly better than foes as well at .362 (84-232) compared to .286 (76-266).
• No one Bison can be singled out for the team's current success. Shelby Romine (12.5) and Audrey Dotson (12.0) both have scoring averages in the double figures. Alyssa Dunn is also at 9.8 points per game during the streak, higher than her season average. Also exceeding her season averages is Felicia Mgbada with 5.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
• Audrey Dotson makes a good case for the most well-rounded Bison in the four-game winning streak. In addition to her 12.0 points per game, the sophomore is also averaging 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 blocked shots and 1.0 steals. She is shooting .447 (21-47) from the field.
TURNAROUND
• Bucknell's eight-win improvement this season is tied for the second-biggest in program history. The Bison were 5-25 last year and are now 13-7 in the current campaign. The last time Bucknell enjoyed an eight-game turnaround was seven years ago. The Bison went from 10-18 in 2004-05 to 18-11 in 2005-06.
• The turnaround in 2005-06 was also the last season in which Bucknell improved by more than four games from its previous year.
• Bucknell has improved by at least five wins from one season to the next eight times in program history. Three of those went from losing to winning seasons. Including Aaron Roussell's effort this winter, two involved a change in head coach. Lori Howard's last season (2-24 in 1990-91) gave way to Juliene Simpson's first (7-20 in 1991-92) for an improvement of five wins.
IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE COACHING MIX
• Aaron Roussell is attempted to become the fifth current Patriot League head coach to finish conference play with a winning record in their debut season. The first four are Bill Gibbons of Holy Cross (12-0 in 1990-91), Dave Magarity of Army (11-3 in 2006-07), American's Matt Corkery (9-5 in 2008-09) and Navy's Stefanie Pemper (8-6 in 2008-09).
• Four current PL head coaches led their teams to a top-four seed in their first Patriot League Tournament: Bill Gibbons (No. 1 seed), Sue Troyan of Lehigh (No. 4 in 1995-96), Dave Magarity (No. 2) and Matt Corkery (No. 2).
• Two current PL head coaches advanced their teams past the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals. Bill Gibbons led the Crusaders to the first-ever Patriot League title and Stefanie Pemper helped the Midshipmen to the semifinals in 2008-09.
SOJKA RECORDS IN 2013
• Holy Cross set a pair of opponent low records at Sojka Pavilion on Jan. 26 and both came at the free throw line. The Crusaders made just three free throws on four attempts in their loss.
• Lindsay Horbatuck moved up the Sojka Pavilion career lists to No. 2 in rebounding. The senior has 326 boards on her home floor. Felicia Mgbada is also tied for third in blocked shots (42) and Shelby Romine is fourth in assists (121) and 3-point field goals made (42) and attempted (130).
• Colgate took 79 shots on Jan. 16, tying the Sojka Pavilion record for most field goal attempts by an opponent. The mark equaled that originally set by James Madison on Nov. 13, 2007 when the Dukes shot 26-for-79 (.329) for the 73-53 win.
• Two records were tied when Bucknell hosted Cornell on Jan. 2. Lindsay Horbatuck grabbed 19 rebounds, equaling the mark set by Desire Almind against Akron on Dec. 19, 2003. The Bison also limited Cornell to 11 field goals, which ties the total for fewest by a Bucknell opponent. That “honor” originally went to Lafayette on Feb. 16, 2011.
HOME SWEET HOME
• With a 7-2 record at home and a 6-2 mark at Sojka Pavilion, Bucknell is off to its best start in Lewisburg in nearly a decade. The 2004-05 squad also began its home schedule with a 6-1 record but ultimately closed out their Sojka slate at 7-6 after losing five of six down the stretch.
• Bucknell's last winning record at home was in 2010-11. The Bison ended the year with five straight victories at Sojka Pavilion, making them 8-5 on their home court.
• Bucknell's last 10-win season at home was in 2006-07. Those Bison finished the year at 11-3 after winning their final seven home games. That was also the only 10-win season at Sojka Pavilion on the women's side.
• Bucknell has a +6.4 scoring margin when playing at home this season (-0.5 on the road). Audrey Dotson is averaging 14.0 points and 7.8 rebounds in those nine games.
SOLID SCORING TRIO
Bucknell is the only team in the Patriot League that has three players averaging double figures in scoring. Audrey Dotson ranks sixth in conference play with 13.4 points per game, Shelby Romine is seventh at 13.2 and Alyssa Dunn is 11th with 10.0 points per game.
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 wrap up the first round of Patriot League play on Saturday when it travels to Navy for a 7 p.m. tip in Annapolis, Md. The Bison, which have already guaranteed themselves a winning league record through the first round of play, have lost eight straight to the Midshipmen.
