Bucknell University
Navy
Bucknell Women's Basketball Looks Beyond Unfinished Business as Saturday Season Opener Approaches
12/30/2020 2:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Season Preview
Game Notes
Week 1 Digital Game Program
2020-21 Media Guide
GAME ONE
What: Navy (0-4, 0-0 PL) at Bucknell (0-0, 0-0 PL)
When:Â Saturday, Jan. 2 at 2 p.m.
Where: Sojka Pavilion - Lewisburg, Pa. | VIRTUAL SEASON TICKETS
Internet Stream (US): ESPN+Â | Internet Stream (International):Â SIDEARM Sports
Radio:Â 90.5 WVBU
Internet Radio:Â BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics:Â BucknellBison.com
GAME TWO
What: Bucknell (0-0, 0-0 PL) at Navy (0-4, 0-0 PL)
When:Â Sunday, Jan. 3 at 3 p.m.
Where: Alumni Hall – Annapolis, Md.
Internet Stream (US): ESPN+Â | Internet Stream (International):Â SIDEARM Sports
Radio:Â 90.5 WVBU
Internet Radio:Â BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics: NavySports.com
Bucknell Probable Starters
G: Ally Johnson (8.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.3 apg)
G: Taylor O'Brien (8.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.6 apg)
G: Abby Kapp (10.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.6 apg)
F: Tessa Brugler (9.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.0 apg)
F: Autumn Ceppi (4.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.7 apg)
With a win over Navy, Bucknell would...
• open the season 1-0 for the sixth time in last seven years.
• win its 10th straight game, dating back to last season.
• win its 12th straight game in Sojka Pavilion, dating back to last season.
• improve to 42-29 in all-time meetings with the Midshipmen.
• win its fifth straight game over the Midshipmen.
• improve to 3-0 against the Mids under Woodruff.
• win its 10th straight game over a PL opponent, dating back to last season.
Headlines
• Bucknell enters its 48th season of women's basketball and its second season under head coach Trevor Woodruff.
• Bucknell returned nine of its 12 players from last season, including all but one starter. Bucknell also retained two of its three All-League selections from last season (Abby Kapp, Tessa Brugler).
• The Bison welcomed four newcomers to the roster this season, each hailing from different states (G Caroline Dingler, Rome, Ga., G Julie Kulesza, Wilmington, Del., F Nicole Davis, Richmond, Va., F Kaylee Reinbeau, Wheeling, W.Va.).Â
• Bucknell was voted the preseason favorite in the Patriot League Preseason Poll with 15 first-place votes.
• Senior guard Abby Kapp was one of five players named to the All-Patriot League Preseason Team on Monday. Kapp led the league in 3-pointers in each of the last two seasons and was Bucknell's second-leading scorer last season (10.9 ppg). The Bison have had at least one player honored in the preseason poll since 2013.
• It was announced in October that the four Bucknell seniors, Abby Kapp, Tessa Brugler, Ally Johnson, and Autumn Ceppi, would serve as team captains this season.
About Navy
• As a service academy, Navy was able to participate in non-conference play prior to the start of Patriot League competition.
• The Mids are under the leadership of first-year head coach Tim Taylor, who most recently served as an assistant at UNC.
• The Mids sport a young roster this season with eight underclassmen, including five freshmen.
• The Mids have opened the season at 0-4, but lost two of those games by just four points and were within single digits in three of them.
• Senior captain Sophie Gatzounas has led Navy in scoring, rebounding and assists this season.
• Junior guard Jennifer Coleman burst onto the scene in her season debut last game and nearly pulled off a triple-double with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists vs. Morgan State.
• The Mids have suffered a -8.5 turnover differential through four games, but have won the rebounding battle in three contests.
Series History with Navy
• Bucknell is 41-29 in all-time meetings with Navy, dating back to 1981.
• Bucknell has won four in a row over Navy.
• The Bison are 21-12 at home and 17-15 on the road against Navy.
• Bucknell defeated Navy by double digits twice last season.
• Bucknell's longest winning streak against the Mids is 13 games.
• Tessa Brugler totaled 35 points in two games against the Mids last season.
• Abby Kapp also reached double figures in both games.
What's Different This Year
• Due to adjustments related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020-21 season will look different than any other in Bucknell's history. For starters, non-conference play was prohibited, pushing the start of the season back to Jan. 2 with a modified 16-game conference schedule.
• In an effort to minimize travel, teams will generally play the same opponent on back-to-back days at opposite sites. There will be a few exceptions where two teams play at the same site on consecutive days, such as when Colgate visits Bucknell on Jan. 23-24.
• The Patriot League has been reconfigured into three divisions for this season: North (Army, Boston U., Colgate, Holy Cross), Central (Bucknell, Lafayette, Lehigh) and South (American, Loyola, Navy). As a result, Bucknell will play Lehigh and Lafayette four times each, and the Bison will not play Army, Boston U. or Holy Cross at all in the regular season.
• The Patriot League Tournament will consist of just eight teams this year instead of the normal full field of 10. The three division winners will be seeded 1-3, the division runners-up will be seeded 4-6, and the next best remaining records will be seeded 7 and 8.Â
Bucknell's Preseason Honors
• Bucknell was voted the preseason favorite in the Patriot League Preseason Poll, as announced by the league office on Monday. It's the fourth time in the last five years the Bison were picked first.
• Senior guard Abby Kapp was named to the Preseason All-Patriot League team on Monday.
• The Bison have had at least one player honored in the preseason poll since 2013.
Patriot League Preseason Poll
   Bucknell – 160 (15 first-place votes)
   Boston University – 145 (5)
   Lafayette – 121
   Lehigh – 112
   American – 91
   Colgate – 69
   Loyola Maryland – 62
   Army – 59
   Holy Cross – 58
   Navy – 24
Preseason All-Patriot League Team
   Jade Edwards, American, Jr., G
   Katie Nelson, Boston University, Sr., G
   Abby Kapp, Bucknell, Sr., G
   Avery LaBarbera, Holy Cross, Jr., G
   Natalie Kucowski, Lafayette, Sr., F (Preseason Player of the Year)
Bucknell in Season Openers
• Bucknell is 22-25 all-time in season-opening games.
• The Bison will open the season at home for the first time since 2011.
• Bucknell has won five of the last six season openers.
Dominant Defense
• Bucknell's scoring defense ranked eighth in the nation last season with 53.6 points allowed per game, setting a new program record.
• The Bison held teams to 50 points or fewer 14 times last season.
• Bucknell held four opponents to 40 points or fewer last season.
• Bucknell sported the league's best scoring margin at +10.8 last season.
• The Bison were also second in FG% defense, rebounding defense and blocked shots.
Double-Digit Victories
• 20 of Bucknell's 24 wins last season came by double digits.
• Since the start of the 2018-19 season, 42 of Bucknell's 52 wins have come by double digits.
• Bucknell's largest margin of victory in program history was 47 vs. Coppin State (2/10/85).
Moving up the Record Books
• Senior Abby Kapp enters the season one 3-pointer shy of moving into second in the Bucknell record books. She's just 19 shy of tying Molly Creamer's all-time mark of 195 made threes.
• Ally Johnson's 51 3-pointers last season were good enough for 10th all-time in a single season for a Bucknell player. She ranked fifth in the Patriot League in 2019-20.
Patriot League Success
• The Bison have gone 81-10 in Patriot League play dating back to the start of the 2015-16 season, which includes two Patriot League Tournament titles and four regular season titles.
• Bucknell also has the best overall record during that span at 126-36.             Â
Bucknell Success in Sojka Pavilion
• The Bison are an incredible 70-7 at Sojka Pavilion dating back to the start of the 2015-16 season.
• Now in its 18th season playing at Sojka Pavilion, Bucknell is 166-74 (.692) on its home court.
Last Time Out
• Bucknell cruised to an 87-61 win over Army in the quarterfinal round of the Patriot League Tournament in March. It was Bucknell's ninth consecutive victory and one of its best offensive games of the season.
• Bucknell was set to face Holy Cross at home in the Patriot League semifinal round before the remainder of the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
• The Bison won the regular season by a four-game margin at 16-2 vs. the Patriot League in 2019-20.
• Head coach Trevor Woodruff was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year, while Ellie Mack was named the Player of the Year.
Up Next
Bucknell takes on its first mini-conference opponent in Lafayette in week two of the season. The Leopards were picked third in the Patriot League Preseason Poll and have Preseason Player of the Year Natalie Kucowski back for her senior season. Bucknell travels to Easton, Pa. for a 2 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, Jan. 9 before returning to face the Leopards in Sojka on Sunday, Jan. 10.
2020-21 Season Preview
The Bucknell women's basketball team is entering its second season under head coach Trevor Woodruff, and the expectations surrounding the team are different than they were a year ago.
When the Bison walked off the court in March, having just pulled off a massive victory over Army in the Patriot League quarterfinal round, the team had overcome the challenges of a coaching change and roster turnover. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, Bucknell posted a 24-6 overall record, won the regular season title by a four-game margin at 16-2, and was gearing up to host a Patriot League semifinal game following one of its most successful seasons.
The Bison proved that defense travels, even down to Puerto Rico where they pulled off big wins over Cincinnati and Howard. At 53.6 points allowed per game, Bucknell sported the nation's eighth-best scoring defense.
This season, Bucknell enters Patriot League play as the preseason favorite. Woodruff, who was voted the league's Coach of the Year last season, enters year two with a cast of veteran players and promising talent among the newcomers. After missing out on the opportunity to complete the job last season, there is a feeling of unfinished business surrounding the 2020-21 Bison.
"We can't redo last year. Last year was amazing," said Woodruff. "What that group accomplished was terrific. It was heartbreaking the way it ended, but neither of those two things have any effect on what's going to happen this weekend or throughout the course of the Patriot League season."
Despite losing 2020 Patriot League Player of the Year Ellie Mack, Bucknell's lineup should remain relatively unchanged as it returns most of its starters from a year ago. The juniors and seniors on the roster average 26 starts, while each member of the sophomore class saw valuable playing time last season. The veteran experience will be key this season as the Bison prepare for an unprecedented Patriot League sprint that will look different than any previous season.
Leading the Bison in experience with 68 starts in her career is senior guard Abby Kapp, who was named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team on Monday. Kapp has led the league in 3-pointers in each of the last two seasons and enters the year 19 threes shy of the Bucknell all-time record. Kapp was second on the Bison roster in scoring last season (10.9 ppg) and played a key role on defense. Ally Johnson also stepped into a starting roll last season and proved she could run the offense when needed while also being a threat from beyond the arc. Johnson's 51 made threes as a junior rank 10th in program history for a single season.
Senior forwards Tessa Brugler and Autumn Ceppi each had career years in 2019-20, and Brugler was voted to the All-Patriot League Third Team after scoring in double figures in 13 of 25 starts. Brugler's physical play earned her 5.9 boards per game and a team-high 105 free throw attempts.
Ceppi brings her own physicality and proved it over the final seven games of last season where she averaged 8.4 points and 6.3 rebounds. As one of two upperclassmen forwards and one the best defenders on the squad she'll likely be a more permanent piece in the starting five.
"A large amount of the burden is going to fall on the senior group," said Woodruff. "They have not just experience, but championship-level experience."
Junior guard Marly Walls returns this season after missing 15 games in 2019-20 due to injury, and her presence will bring stability, depth and toughness to the backcourt. Walls was leading the Bison in assists (2.9 apg) through the first 15 games of last season and produced a career-high 13 points in her final appearance against Holy Cross.
Fellow junior guard Taylor O'Brien, who started 19 games last season, brings unmatched athleticism that allowed her to score from anywhere on the court as a sophomore. She finished fourth on the roster in scoring, third in rebounds, and led the Bison with 1.4 steals per game. O'Brien will likely see those numbers increased as she was just beginning to play her best basketball down the stretch.
The sophomore class appears to have made the second-year leap after getting a healthy dose of playing time in 2019-20. Leading last season's rookies in appearances and points scored was forward Carly Krsul. The Plymouth, Minn. native filled in nicely behind Brugler and Ceppi, averaging eight minutes and making a team-high 57.4% (27-47) of her field goal attempts.
 Sophomore Tai Johnson led the group in minutes played, boosted by a 43-minute outing at Stony Brook in which she scored eight points on 3-of-4 shooting and grabbed three steals. Rounding out the sophomores is Emma Shaffer, who stepped in at forward and scored in five games while remaining perfect from the charity stripe. As a whole, the sophomores on the roster may see the biggest jump in playing time.
"When you look at our group, I think that's true. The sophomore group has taken a big step forward, which gives us more depth than we had last year," said Woodruff.
The Bison's rookie class consists of two forwards and two guards, each hailing from different states. At 6 feet 4 inches, forward Nicole Davis is the tallest player on the Bucknell roster since fellow Virginia native and 2019 graduate Maegen Mikkelsen. Another forward, Kaylee Reinbeau, was a First Team All-State honoree from Wheeling, W.Va. and averaged a double-double over her final two seasons in high school.
The rookie guards consist of Rome, Ga. native Caroline Dingler and two-time Gatorade Player of the Year from Delaware Julie Kulesza. Based on the 16-game, back-to-back format of the league schedule this season, the younger players could see more minutes in order to ensure the lineup stays rested.Â
Bucknell won't see every Patriot League opponent during the regular season with Boston University, Holy Cross and Army not on the schedule, but it will face the challenge of being in perhaps the most competitive mini-conference. As part of the Central division, Bucknell will face both Lehigh and Lafayette four times apiece during the regular season. All three Pennsylvania teams were picked to finish top 4 in the preseason poll.
The Bison also take on Navy, Colgate, Loyola (Md.) and American in pursuit of a spot in the eight-team 2021 Patriot League Tournament.
Bucknell opens its season Saturday, Jan. 2 in Sojka Pavilion against the Navy Midshipmen, who have already played four non-conference games. The Bison then travel down to Annapolis, Md. to take on the Mids at their place on Sunday, Jan. 3.
