Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell WBB Schedule Includes Games at Syracuse and Iowa State
8/31/2018 1:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Bison Play Home Opener Against Mid-Major Power Quinnipiac
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Head coach Aaron Roussell's Bucknell women's basketball teams have never shied away from tough competition, and the 2018-19 schedule may be the most challenging in his seven years with the Bison. The schedule, which was released on Thursday, includes two teams from Power Five conferences, five games against schools that played in national postseason tournaments last season, and three games in three days on Thanksgiving weekend.
"We feel we have come a long way in our build toward being a prominent program on the national mid-major scene and we wanted to schedule with a desire in to increase our relevance. We feel this schedule does that," Roussell said. "With a blend of Power Five schools and highly-successful mid-majors this is a schedule that will both challenge us and prepare us for the Patriot League slate"
Highlighting the schedule as far as name recognition are games at Syracuse (Nov. 18) and Iowa State (Dec. 20). The Orange have made the NCAA Tournament in five consecutive seasons, including a run to the national championship game in 2016. The Cyclones were an NCAA Tournament qualifier two seasons ago.
The Iowa State game will be a homecoming for Bison senior Kate Walker, a First Team All-Patriot League selection last season. She is a graduate of Red Oak High School, which is about two hours from the Iowa State campus in Ames.
"I am really excited to get on a plane and have our team play in front of Kate's friends and family," Roussell said. "We always try to give our players the chance to play a homecoming game, and it's great when the stars align and we are able to make it work. Iowa State is one of the best venues in the country for basketball, and it will be a real thrill for this group to have this opportunity."
On the mid-major front, Bucknell's home opener will be against Quinnipiac, which has established itself as the top mid-major program in the country. The Bobcats have gone 57-13 over the past two seasons, with both ending in the NCAA Tournament. They beat Marquette and Miami to advance to the Sweet 16 two years ago, and then knocked off Miami again in the NCAA First Round last year. The Bison welcome Quinnipiac to Sojka Pavilion on Sunday, Nov. 11.
The Bison are also excited to host local students for an Education Day game for the third consecutive season. This year's game will be against Youngstown State at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 18. Nearly 1,000 students and a total crowd of over 1,600 watched Bucknell set the program record for 3-pointers in a game in an 83-53 win over Lafayette on Education Day last year.
Bucknell opens the 2018-19 season on Tuesday, Nov. 6, with a road game against Monmouth. Rounding out the non-conference dates for the Bison is a game at Drexel (Nov. 15), which has played in the WNIT in four straight years, games against UMass (Nov. 23), Fairfield (Nov. 24), and Brown (Nov. 25) at the Brown University Turkey Tip-Off, and home games against Iona (Dec. 2) and Rider (Dec. 15).
The Patriot League schedule for Bucknell, which won the league title two seasons ago, starts with a home contest against defending-champion American on Thursday, Jan. 3, and continues with another home game against Boston University on Sunday, Jan. 6.
"There is a ton of returning talent in the Patriot League this season," Roussell said. "I really like our group – they are seasoned, but also eager for another chance to play in the NCAA Tournament – but there are a lot of teams with the ability to win the league this season."
As always, the league schedule includes a home-and-home series with each of the other nine teams. The Bison are 48-6 in league play over the past three seasons.
Season tickets for Bucknell women's basketball home games at Sojka Pavilion are now on sale through the Campus Box Office. Tickets may be purchased in advance online, over the telephone at 570-577-1000, or in person at the Campus Box Office.
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"We feel we have come a long way in our build toward being a prominent program on the national mid-major scene and we wanted to schedule with a desire in to increase our relevance. We feel this schedule does that," Roussell said. "With a blend of Power Five schools and highly-successful mid-majors this is a schedule that will both challenge us and prepare us for the Patriot League slate"
Highlighting the schedule as far as name recognition are games at Syracuse (Nov. 18) and Iowa State (Dec. 20). The Orange have made the NCAA Tournament in five consecutive seasons, including a run to the national championship game in 2016. The Cyclones were an NCAA Tournament qualifier two seasons ago.
The Iowa State game will be a homecoming for Bison senior Kate Walker, a First Team All-Patriot League selection last season. She is a graduate of Red Oak High School, which is about two hours from the Iowa State campus in Ames.
"I am really excited to get on a plane and have our team play in front of Kate's friends and family," Roussell said. "We always try to give our players the chance to play a homecoming game, and it's great when the stars align and we are able to make it work. Iowa State is one of the best venues in the country for basketball, and it will be a real thrill for this group to have this opportunity."
On the mid-major front, Bucknell's home opener will be against Quinnipiac, which has established itself as the top mid-major program in the country. The Bobcats have gone 57-13 over the past two seasons, with both ending in the NCAA Tournament. They beat Marquette and Miami to advance to the Sweet 16 two years ago, and then knocked off Miami again in the NCAA First Round last year. The Bison welcome Quinnipiac to Sojka Pavilion on Sunday, Nov. 11.
The Bison are also excited to host local students for an Education Day game for the third consecutive season. This year's game will be against Youngstown State at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 18. Nearly 1,000 students and a total crowd of over 1,600 watched Bucknell set the program record for 3-pointers in a game in an 83-53 win over Lafayette on Education Day last year.
Bucknell opens the 2018-19 season on Tuesday, Nov. 6, with a road game against Monmouth. Rounding out the non-conference dates for the Bison is a game at Drexel (Nov. 15), which has played in the WNIT in four straight years, games against UMass (Nov. 23), Fairfield (Nov. 24), and Brown (Nov. 25) at the Brown University Turkey Tip-Off, and home games against Iona (Dec. 2) and Rider (Dec. 15).
The Patriot League schedule for Bucknell, which won the league title two seasons ago, starts with a home contest against defending-champion American on Thursday, Jan. 3, and continues with another home game against Boston University on Sunday, Jan. 6.
"There is a ton of returning talent in the Patriot League this season," Roussell said. "I really like our group – they are seasoned, but also eager for another chance to play in the NCAA Tournament – but there are a lot of teams with the ability to win the league this season."
As always, the league schedule includes a home-and-home series with each of the other nine teams. The Bison are 48-6 in league play over the past three seasons.
Season tickets for Bucknell women's basketball home games at Sojka Pavilion are now on sale through the Campus Box Office. Tickets may be purchased in advance online, over the telephone at 570-577-1000, or in person at the Campus Box Office.
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Players Mentioned
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