Women's Basketball Plays Towson on Wednesday in First of Three Home Contests

What: Bucknell Bison (3-4) vs. Towson Tigers (2-4)
Where: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013, 7 p.m.
Internet Video: BucknellBison.com
Radio: WVBU 90.5 FM
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com

With a Victory Over Towson, Bucknell Would...

• Improve to 4-4.

• Remain undefeated in Sojka Pavilion this season, improving to 3-0.

• Improve to 16-9 against Towson and earn its second consecutive win over the Tigers.

• Improve to 79-59 all-time at Sojka Pavilion.

Last Meeting with Towson - Dec. 19, 2012

• Bucknell 75, Towson 62 (Towson Center)

• Four Bison finished in double-digit scoring and Bucknell women's basketball enjoyed an impressive all-around effort in the last meeting between the two teams, defeating Towson 75-62. Shelby Romine led the way with 20 points, while Audrey Dotson added a team-best 15 rebounds and six assists.

• Alyssa Dunn and Lindsay Horbatuck each finished with 12 points in the contest, while Sheaira Jones added 11 more to claim a career-high.

• Tanisha McTiller finished with 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting to lead Towson.

• The Tigers finished the night at 24-for-60 (.400) from the field and 7-for-18 (.389) from 3-point distance. The Bison posted similar numbers at 24-for-63 (.381) overall and 8-for-22 (.364) from behind the arc, while also outrebounding their opponents 46-30.

About the Tigers

Towson has played to a 2-4 record under first-year head coach Niki Reid Geckeler, earning wins over Manhattan (63-43) and UMBC (64-57), and falling to Navy (56-55), N.C. State (69-46), George Mason (60-58) and Maryland (90-53). All four of the Tigers' losses have come on the road. LaTorri Hines-Allen and Markell Smith combined for 32 points in Towson's latest victory, helping the team to a 64-57 defeat of UMBC last Tuesday.

Tanisha McTiller currently leads the Tigers in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.7 points and 9.0 boards per game. Hines-Allen also poses a formidable threat, contributing 14.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Dominique Johnson dishes out 4.7 assists per game for Towson, while Nyree Williams averages 1.3 blocks.

History vs. Towson

• Bucknell's series with Towson has not had many changes in momentum since the inaugural contest in 1981. The Bison won the teams' first meeting, 56-48, but the Tigers took the next seven. Bucknell responded with its own winning streak, earning victories in the next five games, but Towson stepped up in response and has won eight of the last ten games between the two squads.

• The Bison earned their eighth win against the Tigers when the teams met last December, snapping a seven-game losing streak.

• Bucknell was 6-9 against Towson when the two teams were members of the East Coast Conference. One of those wins came in March 1987, when the Bison played to a 77-74 conference tournament victory over the Tigers.

History vs. the Colonial Athletic Association

Bucknell is 8-19 (.296) all-time when playing members of the CAA, and 29-70 (.293) against the conference's current members. The Bison have played 24 games against both Drexel and Towson, and have experienced the most success against Hofstra, winnng nine of 22 (.409) games played.

Last Time Out

Three different Bison scored in double-digits and the squad jumped out to an 11-point lead in the first half, but NJIT came charging back in the second to defeat Bucknell 61-59 at the Fleisher Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon.

Audrey Dotson led Bucknell in scoring for the fifth time this season, contributing a game-high 16 points on 6-of-12 (.500) shooting and 4-of-7 from the free throw line. The forward, who has scored 10+ points in each of Bucknell's first seven contests, also collected seven rebounds, dished out two assists and made one block in a solid all-around effort.

Claire Maree O'Bryan and Sheaira Jones also scored in double-digits for the Bison, with O'Bryan scoring nine of her 15 points from the line and Jones collecting eight of her 10 in the first half. Shelby Romine led Bucknell on the glass, collecting nine boards, and also dished out an impressive five assists.

Bucknell shot 36 percent from the field in the contest, connecting on 18-of-50, while NJIT sunk 22-of-55 (.400). The Highlanders were hot from beyond the arc, hitting 7-of-19 (.368), while the Bison remain dependable from the line, making 21-of-25 (.840) free throws. Bucknell won the battle on the boards, outrebounding NJIT 34-31.

Bison in the National Rankings

As of Dec. 2, Audrey Dotson ranks 54th in the country in free throw percentage, having connected on 31-of-35 (.886) from the line. The junior also ranks 55th in field goal percentage, shooting .549 on 45-of-82 from the field.

Rookie of the Week

Claire DeBoer was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week on Monday, earning her first career weekly award and becoming the first Bison to receive the honor since Shelby Romine garnered the accolade six times in the 2010-11 season. Last Tuesday, the forward scored a career-high 15 points on 7-of-11(.636) shooting, collecting eight rebounds and adding a pair of assists, blocks and steals in Bucknell's 66-41 win over Youngstown State. The game was her second double-digit effort in a row, as she became the first Bison freshman in almost six years to register a double-double when she turned in 11 points and 10 rebounds in the team's 72-59 win at Cornell on Saturday, Nov. 23. DeBoer also shot .500 (3-of-6) against NJIT on Saturday, contributing eight points to the Bison offense in a close game with the Highlanders, and she currently leads all Patriot League freshmen in both scoring (8.3 ppg) and rebounding (6.1 rpg).

Amazing Aussie

Claire Maree O'Bryan, a native of Darwin, Australia, has consistently provided a spark off the bench for the Bison this season, scoring 10+ points in three contests. The sophomore exploded for 18 points against Cornell, surpassing the career-high of 12 points that she set against Binghamton on Nov. 14. O'Bryan 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. Most recently, she tallied 15 points at NJIT, nailing 2-of-3 three-pointers and sinking 9-of-10 free throws.

Hot at Home

Bucknell has played two games in Sojka Pavilion this season, earning wins in both, and each time the team has taken to the court at home, at least three different Bison have scored in double-digits. Shelby Romine (25), Audrey Dotson (22), Claire Maree O'Bryan (12) and Sheaira Jones (10) each turned in a 10+ point performance in the Bison's 89-48 win over Binghamton, while Dotson (22), DeBoer (15) and Romine (11) all scored in double-figures to lead Bucknell to a 66-41 win over Youngstown State.

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 against Youngstown State last Tuesday, recording her seventh career double-double and sixth career 20+ point game with 22 points and 10 rebounds, before turning around to tally a game-high 16 points against NJIT on Saturday. Dotson, who currently ranks second in the Patriot League in scoring (17.7 ppg) and third in rebounding (8.9 rpg), is currently shooting an impressive .549 and has scored in double-digits in each of Bucknell's seven games.

Making History

Shelby Romine, who stuffed the stat sheet with 25 points, a career-high 10 assists, six rebounds and four steals in the Bison's home opener, continues to surpass many of Bucknell's top performers in the program's record book. She is currently 40 points shy of becoming the 14th all-time scorer and four three-pointers away from moving into fourth in all-time shots from long-range. A trio of helpers will move her into fourth-place in career assists, and she has already found her way into the top ten in field goal attempts this season, currently sitting in ninth place with 1,134.

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

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 Committee will be sponsoring a toy collection at both games, and each donor will receive a voucher for free popcorn with the donation of a new or gently-used toy.