Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell's Taylor O'Brien Named to Women's Basketball Preseason All-Patriot League Team
10/14/2021 11:01:00 AM | Women's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell senior guard Taylor O'Brien was voted to the five-player Preseason All-Patriot League Team for the 2021-22 season, as announced by the league office on Thursday. Additionally, the Bison were picked to finish third in the Patriot League Preseason Women's Basketball Poll.
O'Brien, who earned First Team All-League and All-Tournament Team honors in 2020-21, led the Bison in scoring and ranked fourth in the Patriot League with 16.3 points per contest last season. Her scoring average was the highest a Bucknell player had achieved since Jacquie Klotz maintained 16.4 points per game in 2015-16. O'Brien was also second on the roster in rebounding (6.1 per game). Among national stat leaders, O'Brien finished 18th in the nation with her .871 free-throw percentage, missing just four attempts on the season.
The Lafayette Hill, Pa. native has started 19 of the team's last 21 games, including all 10 during her junior year. She took over a starting role in 2019-20 and averaged 8.8 points per contest. O'Brien has also led the Bison in steals over the last two seasons.
For her career, O'Brien has started 29 of the 68 games she's appeared in and totals 558 points with a .409 field goal percentage, including a career-best .474 in 2020-21. She added three double-doubles last season and has led Bucknell in either scoring or rebounding 18 times during her career. O'Brien has scored in double figures 26 times since arriving at Bucknell in 2018 and has eclipsed 20 points four times in the last two seasons.
O'Brien has been a two-sport athlete during her time at Bucknell and set the track & field program's all-time record in outdoor high jump (5-7 1/4) as a freshman. She was a Second Team All-Patriot League track & field athlete that season with a runner-up finish in the 2019 Patriot League Outdoor Championships.
The Bucknell women's basketball team received four first-place votes and 132 points in the preseason poll to land at third. Lehigh, the reigning Patriot League champion, received 12 first-place votes and 152 points. Coming in at second was Boston U. with three first-place votes and 141 points. American was picked right behind Bucknell at fourth. American senior guard Jade Edwards was named the Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year. Edwards is the league's leading returning scorer, posting 17.4 per game a year ago.
The Bison returned nine players from last year's squad, and O'Brien is the only returning starter. The team posted a 9-1 record during the truncated 2020-21 season and finished atop league standings during the regular season for a third consecutive year, going 8-0 in league play before falling to the eventual champions in the Patriot League semifinals.
Bucknell welcomed three versatile rookies to the roster this season while keeping the coaching staff intact. The Bison are 33-7 overall and 24-2 in league play since two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year Trevor Woodruff's arrival in 2019. The Bison also sport an impressive 18-2 record at home over that stretch. Bucknell has finished with the best regular-season Patriot League record in five of the last six years.
The Bison open the 2021-22 season at Ohio State on Wednesday, Nov. 10. Patriot League play begins with a home game against Boston U. on Wednesday, Dec. 29.
2021-22 Women's Basketball Preseason All-Patriot League Team
Jade Edwards, American, Sr., G
Taylor O'Brien, Bucknell, Sr., G
Avery LaBarbera, Holy Cross, Sr., G
Frannie Hottinger, Lehigh, Jr., G/F
Jennifer Coleman, Navy, Sr., G
2021-22 Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year: Jade Edwards, American, Sr., G
2021-22 Patriot League Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
Lehigh – 152 (12 first-place votes)
Boston University – 141 (3)
Bucknell – 132 (4)
American – 120 (1)
Holy Cross – 93
Navy – 84
Army – 72
Lafayette – 51
Loyola Maryland – 28
Colgate - 27
