Women's Basketball Welcomes Lafayette for 5 p.m. PL Home Opener on Wednesday

What: Bucknell Bison (6-6, 1-1 PL) vs. Lafayette Leopards (6-7, 0-2 PL)
Where: Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014, 5 p.m.
Internet Video: Bison Vision on the Patriot League Network
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Stats: BucknellBison.com
Tickets: 570-577-1000 or buy online

With a Victory Over Lafayette, Bucknell Would...
• Improve to 7-6 and 2-1 in the Patriot League, winning back-to-back games for just the second time this season.
• Improve to 4-1 at home this season and 80-60 all-time at Sojka Pavilion.
• Earn its 35th win over the Leopards in the 72nd meeting between the two teams.

Last Meeting with Lafayette - February 16, 2013
• Lafayette 66, Bucknell 61, OT (Sojka Pavilion)
• Bucknell women's basketball had a 16-point lead at the half but a Lafayette buzzer-beater at the end of regulation sent the game to overtime and ultimately a 66-61 decision in favor of the Leopards at Sojka Pavilion in the last meeting between the two teams.
• Audrey Dotson led all players with 19 points as the Bison, who fell to 13-12 overall and 4-6 in the Patriot League, shot .404 from the field as a team.
• After a few minutes of shaky play in the beginning of the game, Bucknell gained its composure and was soon sailing to halftime. Dotson posted nine points early and the Bison then ended the half on a 20-5 run, giving them a 37-21 lead at halftime. Katherine Harris kick-started the offensive stretch, hitting a jumper in the paint as the shot clock hit zero and a 3-pointer from the right elbow on the next possession.
• Bucknell struggled to keep its momentum as the second half got underway and Lafayette, which improved to 11-14 overall and 4-6 in conference play with the win, went on a 10-0 run to reopen play. Despite the Leopards' push, the Bison hung on to its double-digit lead for several more minutes. Another run for Lafayette, this one going 12-0, got the lead down to one. With 3:27 left in regulation, Bucknell's lead stood at 48-47.
• However, just as they had at the beginning of the half, the Leopards put together a run and got a bit of luck to extend their game. Eight of the next nine points went their way. Two came at the free throw line after Maddie Peabody was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 0:08 remaining, making the score 54-53. The last came on a running, twisting jumper from Alicia Manning at the buzzer to knot things up at 55-55.
• Bucknell was never able to completely recover in overtime and was outscored 11-6. Lafayette hit the first bucket of the extra period, going up 57-55, its first lead since the scoreboard read 2-0. The Leopards never saw their advantage dip below three points after that and they ultimately went home with the five-point win, moving into a tie with Bucknell for fifth place in the Patriot League standings.
• Joining Dotson in double-digit scoring was Romine with 11. She also had a game-high five assists and four steals. Lindsay Horbatuck led Bucknell with eight rebounds.
• For Lafayette, Peabody contributed 15 points and Kelly Loughney added 14. Danielle Fiacco finished with a double-double at 12 points and 10 rebounds.

About the Leopards
Lafayette, which is in the midst of a four-game losing streak, has played to a 6-7 record thus far, earning four straight wins over Rider (67-62), Brown (70-69), Columbia (95-83) and Pitt (48-45) to open the season before winning just two contests in its last eight. The Leopards played at Army and hosted Navy last week, falling 66-49 to the Black Knights and dropping a 67-53 decision to the Mids.

Emily Homan leads Lafayette in scoring, averaging 12.2 points per contest, while Jamie O'Hare is also averaging in double-digits with 10.9 points per game. Danielle Fiacco's 7.5 rebounds per game is a team-high, and her average of 3.5 blocks leads the Patriot League.

History vs. Lafayette
• Bucknell trails in the all-time series with Lafayette, 37-34. The series could hardly be any closer. The Leopards have a +0.42 scoring margin in those 71 contests.
• Bucknell is 7-11 against Lafayette when the game is decided by five or fewer points. The series is even at 6-6 when the game is decided by three or fewer points.
• Bucknell is 21-13, including 5-3 in the last eight, when playing Lafayette in Lewisburg.
• The last time Bucknell defeated Lafayette at Sojka Pavilion was Feb. 16, 2011, winning 46-34.
• Molly Creamer holds two of Bucknell's series highs since the 2000-01 season. She tallied a Patriot League- and Bucknell-record 44 points on Feb. 21, 2003 in addition to 13 assists on Jan. 26, 2003. In her final two years with Bucknell, which included that 44-point performance, Creamer averaged 30.0 points per game against Lafayette.

Last Time Out
Four members of the starting five scored in double-digits on Sunday afternoon, leading the Bucknell women's basketball team to its first Patriot League win of the season, an 88-72 triumph over Colgate on Cotterell Court. Claire DeBoer spearheaded the effort with a career-high 24 points, as the Bison bounced back from a tough loss to American last Thursday, improving to 6-6 overall and 1-1 in conference play with the win. Colgate fell to 4-9 overall and 0-2 in the Patriot League with the loss.

DeBoer's 24 points, scored on 7-of-14 (.500) shooting from the field and 10-of-15 (.667) from the line, led all players in the contest, and the rookie also pulled down 12 rebounds for the second double-double of her young career. Her four assists and two steals both matched career-highs. Audrey Dotson tallied 20 points in just 19 minutes of action, hitting 10-of-13 (.769) shots for her fifth 20+ point performance of the season and the eighth of her career.

Shelby Romine put forth another stellar all-around effort for the Bison, playing to her second double-double of the season and the fourth of her career with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The guard also handed out an impressive seven assists, all in the first 20 minutes of action. Sheaira Jones also shined on Cotterell Court, scoring a career-high 13 points buoyed by a .500 (2-of-4) percent effort from beyond the arc.

Bucknell shot 48.3 (28-of-58) percent from the field in the contest, including 28.6 (4-of-14) percent from three-point range and 73.7 (28-of-38) from the line. The squad held the Raiders to 35.3 (24-of-68) percent overall and 25.0 percent from long range.

Looking Ahead
Bucknell hits the road again this weekend, traveling to Worcester, Mass. to square off against Holy Cross on Saturday, Jan. 11. The Crusaders, who are currently 2-0 in league play, will take on Colgate on Wednesday night before welcoming the Bison. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on the Patriot League Network.