Bucknell University Athletics
Women's Basketball to Take on NJIT on Saturday
11/29/2013 2:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball
What: Bucknell Bison (3-3) vs. NJIT Highlanders (1-6)
Where: Fleisher Athletic Center, Newark, N.J.
When: Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013, 12 p.m.
Internet Video: Highlanders All-Access (for a fee)
Radio: WVBU 90.5 FM
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
With a Victory Over NJIT, Bucknell Would...
• Improve to 4-3.
• Win its third consecutive game, having defeated Cornell and Youngstown State in the past week.
• Improve to 2-1 against NJIT and earn its second consecutive win over the Highlanders.
• Earn its first win in Fleisher Athletic Center.
• Improve to 2-3 on the road this season.
Last Meeting with NJIT - Jan. 8, 2013
• Bucknell 52, NJIT 35 (Sojka Pavilion)
• Led by Shelby Romine's 20 points and a strong defensive effort, Bucknell women's basketball capped off its 2012-13 non-conference schedule with a 52-35 victory over NJIT at Sojka Pavilion on in the last meeting between the two teams.
• NJIT finished the night shooting 13-for-55 from the field. While Bucknell's field goal percentage was only slightly better at 16-for-56 (.286), the Bison did not suffer the extended scoring droughts that the Highlanders did. NJIT ended the first half on dry spell that ran into the beginning of the second. By the time their woes ended at 18:06 after halftime, the Highlanders had gone 9:52 between scores and trailed 29-16.
• Bucknell outrebounded its 13th consecutive opponent, winning the battle on the boards, 49-37. Lindsay Horbatuck led all players with 11 rebounds, while Audrey Dotson put together another well-rounded performance with three steals and one blocked shot to go along with nine points and five rebounds.
• Rayven Johnson led the Highlanders with a double-double, tallying 10 points and collecting 13 rebounds.
About the Highlanders
NJIT, the only unaffiliated team in Division I women's basketball, is off to a bit of a rocky start in the 2013-14 campaign and has just one victory under its belt heading into the weekend. The Highlanders opened up the season with losses to Stony Brook (50-44), Lehigh (77-72), New Hampshire (53-40) and Howard (80-73), before earning their first win of the season at LIU Brooklyn (60-58). Most recently, the team has falled at Northeastern (79-55) and St. Francis Brooklyn (58-53).
Shakia Robinson is averaging 10.9 points per game to lead NJIT (.674), and has shot 31-of-46 from the field. Uju Nwanko is the Highlander's top rebounder with 8.4 boards per game and is also averaging 1.6 blocks per contest. Matejcikova is the team's second leading scorer with 9.4ppg followed by point guard Alyssa Albanese with 8.6ppg. Albanese is the team leader with 25 assists.
History vs. NJIT
• Bucknell and NJIT have met in each of the last two seasons, with the Highlanders earning the first win in the series and the Bison tying things up with a win at home in January.
• In the first meeting between the two squads, Bucknell led by as many as 11 points in the first half, but a late attack by NJIT gave the Highlanders a 54-53 win in Newark. A one-point halftime lead flipped back and forth throughout the second half until NJIT's Uju Nwankwo hit a free throw with 25 seconds left to decide the contest.
Last Time Out
The Bucknell women's basketball team jumped out to an 18-point lead early in the contest and kept the momentum rolling until the final buzzer on Tuesday night, playing to a 66-41 win over Youngstown State in Sojka Pavilion. The Bison defeated the Penguins for the first time in 26 years, and their 25-point margin of victory was the largest in the series between the two teams.
Audrey Dotson continued to light up the floor for Bucknell, scoring 22 points and pulling down 10 rebounds to record her third double-double of the season and the seventh of her career. The junior shot 7-of-14 (.500) from the field and was a perfect 7-of-7 from the line, while also dishing out three assists. Fellow forward Claire DeBoer picked up right where she left off on Saturday, scoring a career-high 15 points on 7-of-11 (.636) shooting, collecting eight rebounds and adding a pair of assists, blocks and steals to her stuffed stat line.
Shelby Romine also scored in double-digits, knocking down 11 points and passing in three assists, while Micki Impellizeri grabbed a career-high eight boards.
The Bison, who dominated the Penguins in every statistical category over the course of the game, shot 23-of-59 (.390) from the field and a scorching 88.9 percent from the line, sinking 16-of-18 free throws. A strong Bucknell defense held Youngstown to 23.1 percent from the field and a measly 15.8 percent from long range, while battling to a 46-43 advantage on the glass.
Bison in the National Rankings
As of Nov. 25, Audrey Dotson ranks 26th in the country in free throw percentage, having connected on 27-of-28 (.964) from the line. The junior sunk 6-of-6 at No. 15/14 Penn State on Wednesday, Nov. 20 and hit 7-of-7 against Youngstown on Tuesday. The forward has not missed a free throw since Bucknell's season opener at Pittsburgh, knocking down 22 straight from the line.
Earning her Spot
Claire DeBoer earned a spot in Bucknell's starting lineup against Penn State, and the freshman supported this decision with her performances against Cornell and Binghamton. She scored 11 points and pulled down 10 rebounds against the Big Red and became the first Bucknell freshman to register a double-double since Joyce Novacek on March 9, 2008. On Tuesday, she scored a career-high 15 points on 7-of-11 (.636) shooting, collected eight rebounds and added a pair of assists, blocks and steals to her stuffed stat line DeBoer currently leads all Patriot League freshmen in rebounding with 6.8 boards per game.
Amazing Aussie
Claire Maree O'Bryan, a native of Darwin, Australia, exploded for 18 points in Saturday's game against Cornell, surpassing the career-high of 12 points that she set against Binghamton on Nov. 14. The sophomore shot 7-of-12 from the field against the Big Red, hitting 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, while also contributing five rebounds and two assists.
Four for the Win
In Bucknell's first two wins this season, four different Bison scored in double-digits. Shelby Romine (25), Audrey Dotson (22), Claire Maree O'Bryan (12) and Sheaira Jones (10) combined for the magic number in the Bison's 89-48 win over Binghamton, while Romine (18), O'Bryan (18), Dotson (12) and Claire DeBoer (11) each sunk 10+ in the team's 72-59 defeat of Cornell. The team effort continued in Bucknell's 66-41 victory over Youngstown State on Tuesday, with Dotson (22), DeBoer (15) and Romine (11) all scoring in double-figures to lead the Bison.
Double Threat
After opening her junior campaign with a bang against Pittsburgh, leading all players with 23 points and 14 rebounds to record the fifth double-double and the fourth 20+ point performance of her career, Audrey Dotson continues to put up impressive numbers on both ends of the court. The forward tallied 22 points and made four blocks against Binghamton, and recorded her second double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds against No. 15/14 Penn State. She continued her dominance on Tuesday, recording her seventh career double-double and sixth career 20+ point game with 22 points and 10 rebounds against Youngstown State. Dotson, who currently ranks second in the Patriot League in scoring (18.0 ppg), rebounding (9.0 rpg) , free throw percentage (.964) and defensive rebounds (6.2 rpg), is currently shooting an impressive .557 in the young season and has scored in double-digits in each of Bucknell's six games.
Girl on Fire
Shelby Romine, who scored 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting and sunk 4-of-6 from long range in the second half against Cornell, had a truly impressive night in Bucknell's home opener against Binghamton. The senior stuffed the stat sheet with 25 points, a career-high 10 assists, six rebounds and four steals in 29 minutes of play, recording the second double-double of her career. Twenty-two of her points came in the first half of the contest, and she shot 9-of-13 from the field and 4-of-5 from long range for one of her most dominant offensive outings.
It's Been Awhile
The scorching offensive performance that the Bison put forth in their home opener surpassed anything that Bucknell fans have seen in recent memory. Bucknell registered 50 points in a half for the first time since its Nov. 19, 2007 game against Howard, holding a 50-19 lead over Binghamton at halftime, and the team's last 40+ point victory came against Lycoming on Dec. 30, 2009. The Bison have not shot over 60 percent since hitting 32-of-51 against Iona on Jan. 3, 2005, and the Dotson-Romine duo is the first to score over 20+ in the same game since Lindsey Hollobaugh (22 points) and Hope Foster (20 points) did it in an 85-77 win over Hampton on Nov. 10, 2006.
They Didn't Miss a Beat
In spite of the fact that they graduated the top rebounder in the Patriot League when Lindsay Horbatuck (10.5 rebounds per game) walked across the stage last May, Bucknell has not missed a beat, outrebounding Pittsburgh (59-38), Binghamton (41-27), Cornell (43-38) and Youngstown State (46-43) to rank first in the Patriot League in defensive rebounds (30.8 rpg). Their strength is not limited to the glass however, as the Bison have stepped up all aspects of their defensive game and are currently ranked second in the Patriot League in three-point field goal percentage defense (.258) and blocked shots (4.3 bpg), as well as third in field goal percentage defense (.362).
Opening with 20+
When Audrey Dotson scored 23 points against Pittsburgh, the junior joined an impressive group of Bison to hit the 20-point mark in a season opener. The last to score at least 20 points in the first game of the season was her co-captain, Shelby Romine, who had 21 against Xavier last season. Prior to the performances of these two stars, it had been four years since a Bison had accomplished the feat.
Bison Online
Now there are more ways than ever to follow the Bison. In addition to the Bucknell women's basketball account (@BucknellWBB), head coach Aaron Roussell (@CoachRous), assistant coach Christian Stefanopoulos (@CStef23), assistant coach Katie Adams (@CoachKAdams12) and assistant coach Mike Lane (@MLane417) are all 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
After Saturday's contest at NJIT, Bucknell will return to Sojka Pavilion for three consecutive home contests. The fun in Lewisburg begins on Wednesday, Dec. 4 when the Bison welcome the Towson Tigers for a 7 p.m. matchup. On Saturday, Dec. 7 both Bucknell basketball squads will play at home in an action-packed doubleheader. The women's team will take on Penn in a 4 p.m. contest, while the men's squad will welcome Columbia for a 7 p.m. tip-off. The Student-Athlete Advisory Committe will be sponsoring a toy collection at both games, and each donor will receive a voucher for free popcorn.
