Friday, March 22
Charlotte, N.C.
4 p.m.
Bucknell University
vs
Florida State
Photo by: Marc Hagemeier
#12 Bucknell Set for NCAA Tournament Matchup with #5 Florida State Friday on ESPN2
3/20/2019 3:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball
 Â Â Â Â GAME NOTES Â Â @Bucknell_WBB Projected Starters G: Kyi English (8.0 ppg, 3.1 apg) G: Kate Walker (10.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg) G: Abby Kapp (9.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg) F: Ellie Mack (12.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg) F: Kaitlyn Slagus (13.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg) |
     GAME NOTES   @fsuwbb   Projected Starters   G: Nicki Ekhomu (14.9 ppg, 4.0 apg)   G: Nausia Woolfolk (13.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg)   G: Morgan Jones (4.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg)   F: Valencia Myers (8.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg)   F: Kiah Gillespie (16.2 ppg, 9.0 rpg) |
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Game Info
What: NCAA First Round -- #12 Bucknell (28-5) vs. #5 Florida State (23-8)
When: Friday, March 22 (4 p.m.)
Where: Halton Arena (Charlotte, N.C.)
TV: ESPN2Â (regional); DirecTV 789; WatchESPN App
Internet: WatchESPN
Radio: 90.5 WVBU
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics: NCAA.com
With a win over Florida State, Bucknell would...
• improve to 29-5 overall and tie the Patriot League record for wins in a season.
• win win a NCAA Tournament game for the first time in program history.
• play the winner between #4 South Carolina and #13 Belmont on Sunday.
• improve to 1-0 in the all-time series with the Seminoles.
• beat a nationally-ranked team for the first time in program history.
• improve to 2-12 all-time against current members of the ACC.
• improve to 3-0 in neutral site games this season.
How They Got Here
Bucknell (#12 Seed)
• Non-conference — Bucknell went 9-3 in non-conference play, including a 75-58 win over Quinnipiac. The Bobcats won the MAAC title and are 39th in the RPI. The Bison's losses came to two guaranteed NCAA Tournament teams (Syracuse and Iowa State) and another Drexel that lost in the CAA Tournament final. Bucknell won the Brown University Turkey Tip-Off with wins over UMass, Fairfield, and Brown, and had another solid victory against Youngstown State.
• Patriot League —  The Bison went 16-2 in league play, including regular season sweeps over second-seeded American and third-seeded Lehigh. They suffered a home loss to Boston University and a road loss on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at Holy Cross.
• Patriot League Quarterfinal — Ellie Mack (17), Kyi English (14), Kate Walker (12), and Abby Kapp (11) all scored in double-figures to lead Bucknell to an 88-63 win over eighth-seeded Loyola (Md.). The Bison shot 57% (31-55) from the field and 44% (12-27) from beyond the arc.
• Patriot League Semifinal — Bucknell set Patriot League Tournament records for fewest points allowed (31), margin of victory (35), and steals (18) in a 66-31 win over Holy Cross. Kaitlyn SlagusÂ
finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, and five steals.
• Patriot League Championship — The Bison won their second Patriot League title in three years with a 66-54 win over American. Kaitlyn Slagus earned MVP honors after tallying 23 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks. Ellie Mack and Kate Walker made the All-Tournament Team.
Florida State (#5 Seed)
• Non-conference — Florida State went 13-1 in non-conference play, with the lone loss coming coming by a 58-45 score at home to LSU. The Seminoles posted a 71-67 win over Iowa, which is currently ranked eighth in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, in a game that was played in the Bahamas.
• ACC —  The Seminoles went 10-6 in the ACC. That was good enough for sixth in the 15-team conference. All five teams in front of them qualified for the NCAA Tournament, as did the two teams behind them in the standings.
• ACC Second Round — Kiah Gillespie recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead Florida State to a 51-41 win over Duke. The Seminoles held the Blue Devils to 29% shooting and 17% shooting from beyond the arc. They finished plus-14 on the boards and pulled down 13 on the offensive end.
• ACC Quarterfinal — Nicki Ekhomu finished with 23 points and four assists, but Florida State came up short in a 69-62 loss to NC State. The Seminoles led 24-20 after one quarter, but scored 15 points over the second and third quarters.
Series History with Florida State
• Bucknell and Florida State will play for the first time in program history.
Bucknell NCAA Tournament History
• Bucknell is set to make its fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Bison are 0-3 in NCAA First Round games.
• The Bison were a #15 seed and lost to Baylor in 2002, were a #16 seed and lost to North Carolina in 2008, and were a #14 seed and lost to Maryland in 2017.
• The current juniors and seniors will be the first classes in program history to play in two NCAA Tournament games after winning their second Patriot League title.
• Gia Hayes is Bucknell's top scorer in the NCAA Tournament amongst active players, scoring nine points against Maryland.
#5 vs. #12 Seeds in the NCAA Tournament
• Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1994, #5 seeds are 78-22 (.780) against #12 seeds.
• A #12 seed has beaten a #5 seed four times in the past three seasons. Florida Gulf Coast defeated Missouri 80-70 in 2018, Quinnipiac beat Marquette 68-65 in 2017, South Dakota State beat Miami 74-71 in 2016, and Albany defeated Florida 61-59 in 2016.
• A #12 seed has defeated a #5 seed in 17 of the 25 years that the bracket has been 64 teams.
• Four #12 seeds have advanced to the Sweet 16. They were Quinnipiac (2017), BYU (2014), Kansas (2013), and San Francisco (1996).
• Florida State has been a #5 seed once since the bracket went to 64 teams in 1994. In 2016, the Seminoles defeated #12 Middle Tennessee (72-55) and #4 Texas A&M (74-56) before falling to #1 Baylor (78-58) in the Sweet 16.
• Bucknell has never been a #12 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Career Highs Set Last Game
Ellie Mack — minutes (38)
About Florida State
• Florida State received an at-large bid after going 23-8 overall and 10-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• The Seminoles advanced to the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament before losing 69-62 to N.C. State.
• Florida State is led by First Team All-ACC performer Kiah Gillespie, who averages 16.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.Â
• The Seminoles were defeated by 11th-seeded Buffalo in the Second Round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
Bucknell vs. the ACC
• Bucknell is 1-12 against current members of the ACC. The lone win was a 58-57 win over Pitt, which was a member of the Big East at the time, in 2001.
• The Bison have played nine of the 15 current members of the ACC (Duke, Miami, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest).
• Friday's game is the seventh against an ACC team during head coach Aaron Roussell's seven seasons at Bucknell and the second this season. They lost 70-56 at Syracuse in November.
Where Do They Rank?
• Bucknell is ranked 11th in the latest edition of the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25. The Bison are ranked 37th in the most recent RPI.
• Florida State is ranked 22nd in the Coaches Poll, 25th in the AP Poll, and is 21st in the RPI.
Up Next
The winner of Friday's game will advance to play the winner between #13 Belmont and #4 South Carolina in the Second Round on Sunday at Halton Arena.
Players Mentioned
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