Bucknell Women's Basketball Sweeps Patriot League Weekly Awards, O'Brien Named Bison of the Week

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell women's basketball senior Taylor O'Brien and freshman Cecelia Collins swept the Patriot League weekly awards, as announced by the league office on Monday. O'Brien was voted the Patriot League Player of the Week for the first time in her career, and Collins became the first Bucknell player to be named Rookie of the Week since Marly Walls on Dec. 17, 2018. That was also the last time Bucknell captured both awards in the same week.

O'Brien was also named the Bison of the Week for the first time in her career on Monday.

Both O'Brien and Collins were named to the All-Tournament Team at the TD Bank Classic over the weekend, which Bucknell won by defeating North Dakota and host Vermont. The pair scored in double figures in all three of Bucknell's wins last week, and both put up career highs in a number of categories.

O'Brien, who's currently second in the Patriot League with her 18.2 points per game, racked up 61 points and 16 rebounds in wins over Iona, North Dakota and Vermont. She was particularly effective in Bucknell's two tournament games, scoring 46 on 18-of-26 (69.2%) shooting. She went 9-for-14 with 22 points against North Dakota and 9-for-12 with four made 3-pointers and a career-high 24 points against Vermont. She's now scored 20 points six times in her career.

The Lafayette Hill, Pa. native was also a major asset at the free throw line for the Bison, going 17-for-22 (77.3%) for the week and knocking down a career-best 11 free throws at Iona. O'Brien added four assists, five steals and a block to round out her weekly stat line. In addition to her Patriot League weekly honor, the senior captain was named the TD Bank Classic's Most Valuable Player.

Collins began her week with a season-best 16 points on 5-of-9 (55.6%) shooting and five boards in the Bison's win at Iona. She added five more rebounds and 13 more points in the opening game of the tournament, knocking down a career-high three threes on five attempts against North Dakota. Collins began the Vermont contest 4-for-4 with two makes from beyond the arc and had the first 10 Bucknell points in the victory. She finished with 15 points on Sunday with a 6-for-9 (66.7%) showing from the field. She added two steals, two blocks and three assists on the week while hitting on 7-of-8 free throw attempts.

Collins, a native on Scranton, Pa., has scored in double figures in four of six games this season, and she ranks second in scoring among Patriot League rookies with her 11.3 points per game. Collins' .500 field goal percentage is good enough for fourth in the league.

The Bison have now won three consecutive games to improve to 4-2 in non-conference play. After playing its first six games on the road, Bucknell returns to Sojka Pavilion to host Saint Francis in its home opener at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 1. Bucknell will be playing in front of a home crowd for the first time since March 9, 2020 (632 days) after Sojka was closed to spectators last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fans can purchase tickets through the Campus Box Office, or by calling 570-577-1000.