Bucknell University
Lehigh
Bison Women's Basketball Readies for Round Two Against Mountain Hawks
1/27/2021 3:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – For the first time in program history the Bucknell women's basketball team will be facing off against the same opponent in four consecutive games when it goes toe-to-toe with the Lehigh Mountain Hawks once again this weekend. After not competing last weekend, the Bison are looking to maintain the success they had in two wins over the Mountain Hawks back on Jan. 16 & 17.
The weekend series will go far in determining Patriot League Tournament seeding as Bucknell currently holds onto a two-game lead over Lehigh in Central Division play.
Lehigh improved to 6-2 overall last weekend with a pair of convincing wins over Holy Cross that earned the Mountain Hawks both the Patriot League Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors. Lehigh's only two losses on the season came against the Bison, who remain unbeaten and are looking to capture their best start to a season in program history.
Week 5 Digital Program
Game Notes
2020-21 Media Guide
SERIES GAME ONE
What: Lehigh (6-2, 2-2 PL Central) at Bucknell (6-0, 4-0 PL Central)
When: Saturday, Jan. 30 at 2 p.m.
Where: Sojka Pavilion - Lewisburg, Pa. | VIRTUAL SEASON TICKETS
Internet Stream (US): ESPN+ | Internet Stream (International): SIDEARM Sports
Radio: 90.5 WVBU
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics: BucknellBison.com
SERIES GAME TWO
What: Bucknell at Lehigh
When: Sunday, Jan. 31 at 4 p.m.
Where: Stabler Arena - Bethlehem, Pa.
Internet Stream (US): ESPN+ | Internet Stream (International): SIDEARM Sports
Radio: 90.5 WVBU
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics: LehighSports.com
Bucknell Probable Starters
G: Ally Johnson (7.5 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 2.5 apg)
G: Taylor O'Brien (16.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.3 spg)
G: Abby Kapp (11.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.0 apg)
F: Tessa Brugler (12.5 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 2.2 apg)
F: Autumn Ceppi (7.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.2 apg)
With a Win over Lehigh, Bucknell Would...
• ... improve to 7-0 for the first time since 1986.
• ... improve to 7-0 in Patriot League play for a second consecutive season.
• ... improve to 5-0 against the Mountain Hawks under Woodruff.
• ... win its 16th straight game, dating back to last season.
• ... improve to 47-43 in all-time meetings with the Mountain Hawks.
• ... win its eighth consecutive game against the Mountain Hawks, dating back to 1/11/18.
• ... win its 16th straight game over a PL opponent, dating back to last season.
Headlines
• Bucknell looks to match its best start in program history when it hosts Lehigh at Sojka Pavilion on Saturday. With two wins this weekend, the Bison will open the season 8-0 for the first time in program history. Bucknell last opened the season 7-0 in 1986.
• Bucknell is the last remaining unbeaten team in the Patriot League and sits in first place within the PL Central Division.
• Bucknell has won 15 consecutive games, dating back to Feb. 8 of last season. It's the longest winning streak in program history and the fifth-longest active streak in NCAA women's basketball.
• Bucknell ranks No. 2 in the country in assist/turnover ratio and is committing the fewest turnovers per game in Division I (9.2). Senior forward Autumn Ceppi leads the team in assists and is tied for third in the Patriot League with 4.2 per game after dishing out a career-high 11 last game.
• The Bison rank third in the country in 3-point field goal percentage (.417). Senior guard Abby Kapp enters the weekend needing six 3-pointers to tie Bucknell's all-time record for career threes. She's seven shy of passing Molly Creamer's all-time mark of 195.
• Bucknell has not been outrebounded in 15 consecutive games and possess the league's best rebounding margin (+7.8). Senior forward Tessa Brugler, who ranks second in the conference with 10.8 rebounds per game, took home Patriot League Player of the Week honors last week after earning her third and fourth double-doubles of the season against Lehigh. Brugler totaled 33 boards in the two wins, including a career-high 19 on Jan. 16.
• Bucknell ranks seventh nationally in scoring defense with 51.7 points allowed per game. The Bison have limited opponents to 60 or fewer points in all but one game this season. Bucknell also boasts a league-best +21.3 scoring margin through six games.
• Junior guard Taylor O'Brien leads the Bison in scoring through six games and ranks third in the league with 16.5 points per contest. O'Brien has scored in double figures in five of six games, including a season-high 22 vs. Lafayette.
• Bucknell moved from No. 20 to No. 17 in this week's College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll. The Bison ranked No. 23 at the end of last season and reached No. 11 before the season finale in 2018-19. Bucknell also ranks 26th in the NCAA NET rankings.
• Head coach Trevor Woodruff collected his 30th win as head coach of the Bison last game.
About the Mountain Hawks
• Lehigh earned two wins over Holy Cross last weekend to improve to 6-2 (2-2 PL Central). Lehigh's only losses on the season were to Bucknell.
• The Mountain Hawks have played just two road games this season and are 5-1 playing at home.
• Lehigh has maintained the Patriot League's top scoring offense (77.2 ppg). The Mountain Hawks also rank ninth in the country in assists per game (18.6).
• The Mountain Hawks have been especially dangerous from 3-point range. They rank fourth in the country in threes per game (10.2). Lehigh tied a PL record earlier in the season with 16 made 3-pointers vs. American and totaled 17 in the two games vs. Bucknell.
• Lehigh swept the Patriot League weekly awards this week. Senior Mariah Sexe was named the Player of the Week after averaging 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in two wins over the Crusaders. First-year guard Mackenzie Kramer was named the Rookie of the Week for the second time this season.
Series History with Lehigh
• Bucknell is 46-43 in the all-time series with Lehigh, dating back to 1977.
• The Bison are 24-17 at home and 20-24 in games at Lehigh.
• Bucknell has won seven in a row over Lehigh, dating back to 2/7/18. It's Bucknell's longest winning streak against Lehigh in the all-time series. Lehigh's longest winning streak in the series is nine games.
• Bucknell's last two games were against Lehigh. The Bison won 68-60 at Stabler Arena on Jan. 16 before grabbing an 80-66 win at home on Jan. 17.
Last Time Out
• Bucknell's games vs. Colgate scheduled for Jan. 23 & 24 were postponed. The COVID-19 tests within the Bucknell women's basketball Tier 1 group that were announced as positive last weekend were amended from a positive to a negative result by Genetworx, the laboratory that conducted the testing.
• Bucknell improved to 6-0 with two wins over Lehigh on Jan. 16 & 17.
• After trailing by as many as 11 in the first half and six in the fourth quarter, Bucknell outscored Lehigh 21-9 over the final 10 minutes to win 68-60 on the road Saturday, Jan. 16. Taylor O'Brien had a game-high 21 points, and Tessa Brugler pulled down a career-high 19 rebounds.
• Bucknell won 80-66 in the Sunday home game vs. the Mountain Hawks. Bucknell led by as many as 20 in the game and registered a season-high 24 assists with just seven turnovers. Four Bison scored in double figures in the Sunday win, including 18 points apiece from Taylor O'Brien and Abby Kapp. Tessa Brugler had her second double-double of the weekend with 12 points and 14 rebounds, and Autumn Ceppi supplied 11 assists.
Notable New Career Highs
• Tessa Brugler pulled down a career-best 19 rebounds in Bucknell's road win over Lehigh on Jan. 16.
• Autumn Ceppi handed out 11 assists in the win over Lehigh on Sunday, Jan. 17. She's the first Bison to record double-digit assists since 2013.
• As part of Bucknell's 24-assist game last weekend, Carly Krsul contributed a career-best four assists in a career-high 24 minutes.
• Taylor O'Brien, who ranks ninth in the Patriot League in field goal percentage (.513), attempted a career-high 18 field goals against Lehigh on Saturday, Jan. 16.
Patriot League Success
• The Bison have gone 87-10 vs. Patriot League opponents 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 132-36.
Up Next
The Bison are scheduled to face Loyola (Md.) in a home-and-home series next weekend. The Greyhounds visit Sojka Pavilion on Saturday, Feb. 6 for a 2 p.m. tip-off. Bucknell then travels down to Baltimore, Md. on Sunday, Feb. 7 for a 4 p.m. tip in Reitz Arena. Bucknell opened the season with two victories over the Greyhounds back at the start of January. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+, and Saturday's contest will also be available for local viewing on SECV8.
