Bucknell University Athletics
Women's Basketball Opens Season With Tough Challenge at Bowling Green on Friday
11/13/2014 6:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball
What: Bucknell (0-0) at Bowling Green (0-0)
Where: Stroh Center – Bowling Green, Ohio
When: Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, 6 p.m.
Webcast: Falcons All-Access ($)
Radio: WVBU-FM 90.5
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics: BGSUFalcons.com
With a Victory Over Bowling Green, Bucknell Would ...
• Win its first season opener under Aaron Roussell.
• Win its first game in the series with Bowling Green. The teams have played just twice, with the Falcons winning in 2003 and 2004.
• Improve to 10-15 against current members of the Mid-American Conference. In addition to Bowling Green, Bucknell has played Akron, Buffalo, Miami (Ohio) and Kent State.
• Improve to 16-14 against non-conference opponents in the regular season under Roussell.
• Win its second straight non-conference regular season road game. The Bison topped Longwood 71-47 on Dec. 21, 2013.
How to Get the Game
• The Bucknell-Bowling Green game will be webcast on Falcons All-Access, but a subscription is required.
• The game can be heard in the Susquehanna Valley on the radio on BVUB-FM 90.5, with Justin Antweil calling the action. The pregame show begins 15 minutes before tip-off.
• The audio feed is available online free of charge via BucknellBison.com.
• Live stats can be accessed at BGSUFalcons.com.
Bucknell vs. Bowling Green
• Bucknell and Bowling Green have played just two times. The Falcons were the victors in both games, winning 100-77 in 2003, and 80-60 in 2004.
The Bison vs. the MAC
• Bucknell last faced a MAC opponent during the 2012-13 season when it topped Buffalo 78-71.
• The Bison have played five current members of the conference and hold a winning record against one of them (Akron, 3-1). They also have a victory against Kent State, and are 9-15 overall against the conference.
About the Falcons
• Bowling Green makes its season debut after a 30-win season and Mid-American Conference East Division championship last year. It was the ninth division championship in the past 10 years for the Falcons, who went on to be upset in the conference tournament. They received an invite to the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) where they won three games before falling to eventual champion Rutgers in the quarterfinals.
• The Falcons received three first-place votes and were picked to finish second behind Buffalo in the East Division this season. They lost three senior starters but return six letterwinners and two starters from last year's team, including Erica Donovan, who was selected to the Preseason All-MAC Team. She averaged 10.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
• Donovan recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds as Bowling Green rolled to an 88-36 win over Davis & Elkins in exhibition action last week. The Falcons pulled away early, taking a 51-15 lead into halftime.
• The Falcons are ranked ninth in the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25.
Second-Year Captain:
• Senior Audrey Dotson will serve as team captain for the second straight year. Last season she was a co-captain with Shelby Romine.
Converting From The Line
• The Bison took the most foul shots (665) in the conference last season and took advantage of those opportunities with the best free-throw percentage in the league (.735).
• They scored 24 percent of their points (489 of 2005) from the line.
• Individually, Bucknell returns two players that ranked in the top 10 in foul shooting. Dotson led the team and was fifth in the conference, draining 112 of 136 attempts for an .824 clip. Claire DeBoer made 80 of her 113 attempts (.708) and was 10th.
Patriot League Preseason Poll
• Bucknell tied with Holy Cross for third in the 2014-15 Patriot League Preseason Poll and received two first-place votes. Defending champion Army was picked to win the conference, while American was voted second.
2013-14 Patriot League Preseason Poll
1. Army (16) 159
2. American (1) 132
t3. Bucknell (2) 123
t3. Holy Cross 123
5. Lehigh 88
6. Navy (1) 85
7. Lafayette 70
8. Colgate 47
9. Boston U. 39
10. Loyola 34
Preseason Accolades
• Dotson was voted to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team for the first time in her career. She returns for her final season after leading the team in both scoring (16.1 ppg) and rebounding (6.9 rpg).
Two Steps Forward
• Roussell was hired as Bucknell's ninth head coach in April 2012. He led the Bison to the largest turnaround in program history during his debut campaign, and continued that improvement during his second season, guiding the team to 16 wins and home-court advantage for the Patriot League quarterfinals.
Up Next for the Bison
• Following the game at Bowling Green, Bucknell will get on the bus to make the trip to Ann Arbor Michigan, where the Bison will play the Wolverines on Sunday at 2 p.m. It marks just the second meeting between the two teams, with Michigan winning the first in 1992.
