Women’s Basketball Pays Visit to Holy Cross Saturday For Clash of Patriot League Unbeatens

Saturday, January 11

Worcester, Mass.

Noon

Bucknell University

Holy Cross

Women’s Basketball Pays Visit to Holy Cross Saturday For Clash of Patriot League Unbeatens

1/10/2020 11:01:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Bucknell goes into the Hart Center in Worcester, Mass. on Saturday to take on Holy Cross in a clash of 3-0 Patriot League teams. The Bison are winners of three straight and eight of their last nine, while the Crusaders have claimed four in a row and are a perfect 5-0 at home this season.

The game pits the Patriot League's second-best scoring offense against its second-best scoring defense and features three of the top five scorers. Bucknell, which has held its last two opponents under 40 points, is charged with slowing down the nation's best 3-point shooting team.

Last season, Holy Cross spoiled a 12-game Bucknell winning streak with a 3-point buzzer-beater, but the Bison got their revenge when they defeated the Crusaders 66-31 in the Patriot League semifinal game.

What: Bucknell (10-4, 3-0 PL) at Holy Cross (10-4, 3-0 PL)
When: Saturday, Jan. 11 at noon
Where: Hart Center - Worcester, Mass.
Live Video: Patriot League Network
Live Video: NESN Plus
Radio: 90.5 WVBU
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics: GoHolyCross.com
Game Notes

Bucknell Probable Starters
G: Marly Walls (6.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.1 apg)
G: Taylor O'Brien (8.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 0.8 apg)
G: Abby Kapp (10.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.9 apg)
F: Tessa Brugler (10.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.1 apg)
F: Ellie Mack (14.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.6 apg)

With a win over Holy Cross, Bucknell would...
• improve to 11-4 for a second straight season.
• improve to 7-3 in games played on the road.
• open Patriot League play 4-0 for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
• improve to 25-45 in all-time meetings with the Crusaders.
• win a third straight game against the Crusaders.
• hand the Crusaders their first home loss of the season.

About Bucknell
• Bucknell remains as one of three unbeaten teams in Patriot League play after Wednesday's 61-34 victory at Navy. The Bison have now won three straight and eight of the last nine.
• Bucknell is second in the league in scoring defense and 33rd in the country with 55.9 points allowed per game. The Bison have now held opponents to less than 40 points and under 30 percent shooting in back-to-back games. They've also limited their last two opponents to a combined 4-for-22 from beyond the arc.
• Offensively, Bucknell is the only team in the Patriot League's top-3 in field goal percentage (.426), free throw percentage (.757), and 3-point field goal percentage (359).
• Ellie Mack, who scored her 800th career point on Wednesday, leads Bucknell and is fifth in the league with 14.6 points per game. Mack has scored in double-figures 11 times and is the Bison's top rebounder with 7.1 boards per game.
• For a fourth time this season, Abby Kapp sank four shots from beyond the arc against Navy. Kapp has made a three in 13 straight contests and has sank 3+ nine times.
• Tessa Brugler posted her seventh double-digit scoring effort on Wednesday with a team-high 19 points. Brugler is one of three Bison averaging double-digit points and has been the Patriot League's top free throw shooter at 85 percent.
• The Bison's .757 free throw percentage is 31st in the nation. Four Bison are currently shooting .800 or better from the foul line.

About Holy Cross
• Holy Cross improved to 10-4 and remained unbeaten in the Patriot League with a 57-56 win over Lafayette on Wednesday. The Crusaders have won four straight and sit tied for second place in the league, which is where they were picked to finish in the Preseason Poll.
• The Crusaders have been the second-best scoring team in the Patriot League with 70.3 points per game. They've surpassed 70 points seven times, including four games with 80 or more points.
• Holy Cross averages eight 3-pointers per contest this season and boasts the country's best 3-point percentage (.421). The Crusaders have shot better than 40% from the arc nine times and have made double-digit threes four times.
• Leading the charge for Holy Cross is Preseason Player of the Year Lauren Manis. Manis sits atop the Patriot League with 18.4 points per game and is second with 12.1 rebounds per game. She's scored in double-figures in all but two games and has surpassed 20 points eight times. The senior forward has been named the PL Player of the Week three times this season and eight times in her career.
• Second in scoring for Holy Cross is sophomore guard Avery LaBarbera. LaBarbera ranks fourth in the league at 14.6 points per game and is tied with Abby Kapp with 2.6 3-pointers per contest.
• Holy Cross also has a dangerous scoring threat in Megan Swords, who sports a team-high .549 field goal percentage. Swords also sits in the league's top-5 in rebounding.

Series History with Holy Cross
• Bucknell is 24-45 in all-time meetings with Holy Cross.
• The Bison have won eight of the last 10 meetings against the Crusaders, but Holy Cross captured a 61-60 victory at the Hart Center in February of last season.
• Bucknell is 7-27 all-time in games played at Holy Cross.
• Bucknell defeated Holy Cross in the semifinal round of the Patriot League tournament last season by a score of 66-31. Ellie Mack scored 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting, and Abby Kapp added six points as the Bison shot 48.9 percent as a team.

Bucknell against the Patriot League
• The Bison have gone 67-8 in Patriot League play dating back to the start of the 2015-16 season, which includes two Patriot League titles.
• Bucknell also has the best overall record during that span at 112-34.

Up Next
Bucknell returns to Sojka Pavilion to host American on Wednesday, Jan. 15. The Bison are 21-25 in all-time meetings with American, dating back to 1983. Bucknell defeated American 66-54 in last season's Patriot League Championship game. Wednesday's game is set to tip at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on the Patriot League Network.