Bucknell University
Fairleigh Dickinson
Women's Basketball Visits Fairleigh Dickinson for Wednesday Night Matchup
11/16/2021 10:47:00 AM | Women's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell women's basketball team continues its season-opening road swing with a Wednesday night game at Fairleigh Dickinson. The Bison are looking to collect their first win of the 2021-22 season and improve to a perfect 6-0 in the all-time series against the Knights.
Bucknell challenged itself in game one by visiting 17th-ranked Ohio State on Wednesday, Nov. 10. The Bison put together a strong second quarter to enter halftime trailing by just four, but the Buckeyes got hot in the second half and pulled away for the 71-48 victory. Bucknell showed flashes of the defensive prowess it's had in the first two years under head coach Trevor Woodruff, outscoring the Buckeyes 10-8 in the second quarter. Senior Taylor O'Brien also continued her streak of double-digit scoring efforts, totaling 17 in Columbus to guide the Bison.
As expected, Bucknell's rookie class had major impacts in the season opener. Two of the three first-years played over 20 minutes, and Cecelia Collins was one of three Bison that made their first collegiate starts.
• 2021-22 Season Preview• Digital Program
• Game Notes
What: Bucknell (0-1, 0-0 PL) at Fairleigh Dickinson (0-2, 0-0 NEC)
When: Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.
Where: Rothman Center – Hackensack, N.J.
Streaming: NEC Front Row
Radio: 90.5 WVBU
Live Statistics: FDUKnights.com
Last Game's Starters
Sr./G: Marly Walls (5.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.0 apg)
Sr./G: Taylor O'Brien (17.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 apg)
Jr./G: Tai Johnson (3.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.0 apg)
Fr./G: Cecelia Collins (8.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.0 apg)
Jr./F: Emma Shaffer (3.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.0 bpg)
With a win over Fairleigh Dickinson, Bucknell would...
• … collect its first victory of the 2021-22 season, improving to 1-1.
• … move to 6-0 in the all-time series with Fairleigh Dickinson.
• … move to 14-6 in road games under head coach Trevor Woodruff.
• … improve to 34-8 overall under head coach Trevor Woodruff.
Headlines
• Bucknell visits Fairleigh Dickinson for its second game of the season. The Bison are into the second game of a six-game road swing to begin the season and are seeking their first victory of 2021-22 after falling at No. 17/25 Ohio State in the opener.
• Bucknell is one of five Patriot League teams still seeking their first wins this season, while Lehigh is the only team in the league without a loss at 2-0.
• Fairleigh Dickinson is 0-2 to begin the year following losses to St. John's and Patriot League foe Loyola (Md.). The Knights were tied with the Greyhounds at the end of regulation before being outscored 13-4 in overtime.
• Although the Bison lost 71-48 at the Buckeyes, they trailed by just four at halftime after a strong showing in the second quarter. Bucknell limited Ohio State to 3-of-17 shooting (17.65%) and 0-for-3 from beyond the arc in the second, and a 15-0 run gave Bucknell a 22-20 lead. Bucknell was also even with Ohio State on the glass for the game, pulling down 36 rebounds.
• Senior Taylor O'Brien led Bucknell's offense in the opener, finishing with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting (46.2%) and two assists. She was also perfect at the foul line and hit one of Bucknell's two 3-pointers. She's fifth in the league in scoring through the first week.
• Bucknell rookie Cecelia Collins made the start in her first collegiate basketball game and finished second on the roster in scoring with eight points. She was the first Bucknell freshman to start a season opener since 2017.
• Bucknell's rebounding effort was led by junior Emma Shaffer, who was one of three players making their first collegiate starts.
• The Bison played a conference-only schedule last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bucknell faced just three different opponents due to cancelations and posted an undefeated regular season (8-0) for the first time in program history. Bucknell fell to eventual-champion Lehigh in the Patriot League semifinals, snapping an 18-game winning streak that dated back to 2019-20. The Bison previously defeated the Mountain Hawks in all four regular season meetings.
• Bucknell finished among the top 3 in the Patriot League in a number of statistical categories last season, including scoring offense, scoring defense, scoring margin, rebounding margin, and more. Additionally, the Bison ranked second in the nation in assist/turnover ratio, fifth in turnovers, sixth in free-throw percentage and first in turnovers per game.
• Bucknell has seen some of its most succesful seasons in program history over recent years, including five first-place regular season finishes and two Patriot League Championship titles in the last seven seasons. Bucknell has finished atop the conference in the regular season in each of the last three, going 61-13 overall during that stretch.
• Bison head coach Trevor Woodruff is in his third season with the team, and he was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year in each of his first two. Bucknell has gone 24-2 in Patriot League play under his direction.
• Bucknell lost four starters to graduation in the spring and is entering the 2021-22 season with seven underclassmen. Bucknell's most decorated returner, Taylor O'Brien, was a First Team All-Patriot League selection last season after finishing fourth in the conference in scoring with 16.3 points per game. She was also second on the roster in rebounding.
• Bucknell plays its first six games of the season on the road before returning to Sojka Pavilion on Dec. 1 to host Saint Francis in the home opener.
Series History with Fairleigh Dickinson/NEC Opponents
• Bucknell leads the all-time series with Fairleigh Dickinson, 5-0.
• The two teams first met in 1987, when Bucknell won 73-71 at a tournament hosted by La Salle.
• The Bison and the Knights last met in 2015, and Bucknell came away with a 72-62 win at Sojka Pavilion as three players scored in double figures, including a team-high 19 from Jacquie Klotz. Bucknell trailed 36-27 at halftime before outscoring the Knights 45-26 over the final two quarters.
• Two of Bucknell's wins in the series were by double digits, while three were decided by two points or fewer.
• Bucknell is 24-17 all-time against current Northeast Conference teams.
All-Time Series
Date Location Result
12/29/87 Philadelphia, Pa. W, 73-71
1/5/04 Hackensack, N.J. W, 67-65
1/17/05 Lewisburg, Pa. W, 80-64
11/22/14 Hackensack, N.J. W,61-60(OT)
12/4/15 Lewisburg, Pa. W, 72-62
Last Time Out
• Bucknell challenged itself in the season opener with a road game at No. 17/25 Ohio State on Wednesday, Nov. 10. The Bison led 22-20 during the second quarter following a 15-0 run and trailed by just four at halftime, but the Buckeyes outscored Bucknell 43-24 in the second half to pull out the win.
• Bucknell finished the game even on the glass with Ohio State (36-36) and forced 10 turnovers. The Bison held the Buckeyes to just 27.6 percent shooting over the first two quarters.
• Taylor O'Brien led Bucknell with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting (46.2%), including one make from beyond the arc. Freshman Cecelia Collins finished second on the team in scoring with eight points on 4-of-7 shooting (57.1%), making the start in her first collegiate game. Junior Emma Shaffer led the team in rebounding with seven.
• Three players made the first starts of their careers, and Bucknell's rookie class averaged 18.3 minutes.
Patriot League Preseason Poll
• The Bison were picked to finish third in the Patriot League in the preseason poll, one spot behind last season's runner-up Boston U. and two spots behind reigning league champion Lehigh.
• The Bison were picked first in five of the last seven years. They were also picked third prior to the 2019-20 season when they won the regular season title by a four-game margin.
• Bucknell is 88-10 in league play since the start of the 2015-16 season
Bucknell's Preseason Honors
• Senior Taylor O'Brien was voted one of the top five players in the conference as she was named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
• O'Brien was a First Team All-Patriot League selection in 2021 as well as a member of the 2021 All-Tournament Team. She finished fourth in the league in scoring (16.3) while averaging 6.1 rebounds per game. O'Brien also finished 18th in the country in free-throw percentage (.871).
• The senior has started 20 of the last 22 games, including every game last season when she posted three double-doubles in 10 appearances.
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
Patriot League 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
Double-Digit Victories
• 27 of Bucknell's last 33 wins have been by double digits. Since the start of the 2018-19 season, 49 of the team's 59 wins have been by a double-digit margin.
• Bucknell's largest margin of victory was 47 vs. Coppin State in 1985. Bucknell's largest margin of victory last season was 34 when it defeated Lafayette 79-45.
Next Up
• Bucknell visits Temple on Saturday, Nov. 20 for its third game of the season.
• Bucknell is 0-2 all-time against the Owls. The Bison led 33-32 at halftime of the 2019 meeting before eventually falling 72-61. O'Brien scored 10 points with five rebounds in the loss.
• Saturday's game is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
