Bison Continue Fight for PL Title with Game at Lafayette on Wednesday

What: Bucknell (21-5, 13-2 PL) at Lafayette (2-25, 1-14 PL)
Where: Kirby Sports Center (Easton, Pa.)
When: Wednesday, Feb. 22 -- 7 p.m.
Webcast: Patriot League Network
Radio: 90.5 WVBU
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics: GoLeopards.com

Bucknell Probable Starters
G: Kyi English (7.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.7 apg)
G: Megan McGurk (4.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.9 apg)
G/F: Claire DeBoer (16.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.4 apg)
F: Kaitlyn Slagus (12.8 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.8 apg)
F: Sune Swart (11.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.3 apg)

With a Win Over Lafayette, Bucknell Would ...
• Improve to 22-5, the best record through 27 games in program history.
• Improve to 14-2 in the Patriot League.
• Improve to 31-3 in Patriot League regular season games dating back to the beginning of last season.
• Win for the fifth straight game.
• Improve to 40-38 in the all-time series with the Leopards.
• Improve to 7-2 against the Leopards under head coach Aaron Roussell.
• Up its winning streak against the Leopards to five games.

Headlines
• Bucknell (21-5, 13-2 PL) looks to stay atop the Patriot League standings as it travels to play Lafayette (2-25, 1-14 PL) on Wednesday at 7 p.m.. The Bison are currently tied with Navy for first-place in the conference. The teams have clinched the top two seeds, and are now playing for the regular season title and potential hosting rights for the semifinal and championship rounds of the conference tournament.
• Bucknell is coming off its fourth straight win and its 24th consecutive at Sojka Pavilion, beating Boston University 73-56 on Saturday. The Bison never trailed in the game and haven't trailed in any of the games during their four-game winning streak.
• Claire DeBoer led all players in points (19), rebounds (9), assists (4), and steals (4) in the win over the Terriers. Joining her in double-figures in scoring were Kyi English (13), Megan McGurk (12), and Sune Swart (10).
• Often underrated because it doesn't force a lot of turnovers, Bucknell's defense has been the best in the league this season and ranks favorably in the nation in multiple statistical categories. The Bison rank 19th in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.356) and 24th in scoring defense (56.3)
• The Bison rank 14th in the nation in rebounding margin (+8.6). They have out-rebounded their opponent in 25 of 26 games, including a 37-32 advantage against Boston University last game.
• Over the past two seasons, Bucknell is an impressive 30-3 in conference play. That's three wins better than any other Patriot League team.

About Lafayette
• Lafayette is 2-25 overall and 1-14 in the Patriot League following a 69-60 loss to Lehigh. The Leopards' lone league win was 85-70 over Holy Cross.
• Senior Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby matched a career-high 21 points in the loss to the Mountain Hawks. Freshman Olivia Gumbs scored in double-figures for the fifth straight game with 13 points.
• Gumbs leads the team in both scoring at 9.2 points per game and rebounding at 6.6 per game.

How to Get the Game
• Wednesday's game can be seen free of charge on the Patriot League Network.
• The game can be heard online via BucknellBison.com and on the radio on 90.5 WVBU, with Justin Antweil calling the action. The pregame show begins 15 minutes before tip-off.
• Live stats can be accessed at GoLeopards.com
• Follow @Bucknell_WBB on Twitter for live updates

Bucknell vs. Lafayette Series Notes
• Bucknell and Lafayette will meet for the 78th time. The Bison lead the all-time series 39-38, including 6-2 under head coach Aaron Roussell.
• The Bison have won four straight games in the series, including a season sweep last season.
• Claire DeBoer has averaged 10.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in six career games against the Leopards. Megan McGurk has averaged 8.3 points in four games.

Bucknell vs. the Patriot League
• Bucknell is 246-230 against current members of the Patriot League.
• The Bison are 205-172 in Patriot League play.
• Bucknell has a winning record against six teams in the conference -- Army West Point, Boston University, Colgate, Lafayette, Loyola, and Navy.
• The Bison have won two Patriot League titles and have played in the title game three times.

Where Do They Rank?
• Bucknell is ranked 10th in the latest edition of the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. The Bison are 68th out of 349 teams in the Division I national RPI.
• Lafayette is 321st in the latest RPI.

Up Next
• Bucknell travels to play Navy in a potential matchup of first-place teams on Saturday at 7 p.m.