Bucknell University
Saint Francis
Women's Basketball Hosts Saint Francis for Home Opener Wednesday
11/30/2021 2:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball
SPECTATOR POLICY:  Bison Athletics and the Bucknell women's basketball team are pleased to welcome fans back to Sojka Pavilion this season. Please note that per University policy, masks are required for all individuals inside all public and academic indoor campus spaces, regardless of social distancing or vaccination status.
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LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell women's basketball team plays its home opener against Saint Francis on Wednesday, Dec. 1. The Bison will be performing in front of a home crowd at Sojka Pavilion for the first time in 632 days after last season's games were closed to spectators.
Bucknell is looking to extend a three-game winning streak after improving to 4-2 overall last week with wins over Iona, North Dakota and Vermont. The Bison were crowned TD Bank Classic champions following two wins at the tournament in Burlington, Vt. Bucknell's offense posted a breakout performance in the championship game against the hosting Catamounts, scoring a season-high 68 points and knocking down 54.9Â percent of its shots.
Bucknell will continue to rely on Patriot League Player of the Week Taylor O'Brien, who eclipsed the 20-point mark in both wins over the weekend and set a new career-high with 24 points on Sunday. Meanwhile, first-year guard Cecelia Collins has found her rhythm and is fresh off of three consecutive double-digit scoring efforts and a Patriot League Rookie of the Week award.
Saint Francis is seeking its first victory of the season after an 0-5 start. The Red Flash is the last team to spoil a home opener for Bucknell, winning in the first game at Sojka back in 2012. The Bison are 8-0 in home openers since and will be looking to improve to 19-2 on the home court under head coach Trevor Woodruff.
• 2021-22 Season Preview
• Digital Program
• Game Notes
What: Bucknell (4-2, 0-0 PL) vs. Saint Francis (0-5, 0-0 NEC)
When: Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 6 p.m.
Where: Sojka Pavilion – Lewisburg, Pa.
Streaming:Â ESPN+
Radio:Â 90.5 WVBU
Live Statistics:Â BucknellBison.com
Tickets:Â Campus Box Office, or call 570-577-1000
Sr./G: Marly Walls (7.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.0 spg)
Sr./G: Taylor O'Brien (18.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.3 spg)
Jr./G: Tai Johnson (2.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.8 apg)
Fr./G: Cecelia Collins (11.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.5 bpg)
Jr./F: Emma Shaffer (3.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg)
With a win over Saint Francis, Bucknell would...
 • ... improve to 5-2 overall this season.
 • ... win a fourth consecutive game.
 • ... improve to 1-0 at home and 32-16 all-time in home openers.
 • ... improve to 38-9 under head coach Trevor Woodruff.
 • ... improve to 14-6 all-time against Saint Francis and 2-0 in the last two meetings.
 • ... improve to 172-75 all-time in Sojka Pavilion.
 • ... improve to 19-2 at home under Woodruff.
Headlines
 • After playing six games on the road to begin the 2021-22 season, Bucknell hosts Saint Francis at Sojka Pavilion on Wednesday for its home opener. The Bison are 31-16 all-time in home openers and have won each of their last eight.
 • Bucknell will be playing in front of fans at home for the first time in 632 days after Sojka Pavilion was closed to spectators last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bucknell's last game in front of a home crowd was an 87-61 victory over Army in the 2020 Patriot League quarterfinals.
 • Bucknell has lost just one home game in each of the last three seasons. Since the start of the 2015-16 season, the Bison are an incredible 75-8 on their home court.
 • Bucknell went 3-0 last week to improve to 4-2 on the season. Over the weekend, Bucknell defeated both North Dakota and Vermont to capture the TD Bank Classic Championship in Burlington, Vt. The Bison put together a strong second half against North Dakota to win 64-59. They followed it up with a 68-53 win over tournament host Vermont in what was their best offensive performance of the season so far. Bucknell shot a season-best 54.9 percent and knocked down 7-of-15 attempts from beyond the arc in the victory.Â
• Senior guard Taylor O'Brien earned Patriot League Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career Monday after totaling 61 points in Bucknell's three games last week. O'Brien, who is currently second in the league with 18.2 points per game, posted 46 points on 69 percent shooting in the two TD Bank Classic games to earn tournament MVP honors. Her 24 points against Vermont were a career high, and she matched her career best with four 3-pointers made. O'Brien has now eclipsed 20 points six times in her career.
 • Freshman Cecelia Collins was voted the PL Rookie of the Week on Monday. It was Bucknell's first Rookie of the Week since December 2018 when they also swept the weekly awards. Collins scored in double figures in all three games last week, including a season-best 16 in the Iona win. Collins knocked down 3-of-5 attempts beyond the arc against North Dakota, and she sports a team-best .500 shooting percentage this fall. She ranks second among Patriot League rookies with 11.3 points per game. Collins joined O'Brien on the All-Tournament Team at the TD Bank Classic.
 • Junior Carly Krsul posted her first career double-double against North Dakota, scoring 16 points and hauling in 10 rebounds. Krsul has scored in double figures in four of six games and is second on the team in rebounding.
• Bucknell continues to thrive defensively under Woodruff. The Bison are currently second in the Patriot League in scoring defense (57.7). Only Ohio State has scored 60 or more on the Bison this season, and they've held four of six opponents to under 40 percent shooting.
• 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. Â
• 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 successful 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 in Home Openers
• Bucknell is 31-16 all-time in home openers and 2-0 under Trevor Woodruff.
• The Bison have won eight consecutive home openers, dating back to the 2013-14 season. Bucknell's last home-opening loss was to Saint Francis in 2012.
• This is the first time in program history Bucknell has played six road games before making its home debut. Excluding last season's delayed start to the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is Bucknell's latest home opener since the 1993-94 season when it played its first home game on Dec. 21.
Series History with Saint Francis/NEC Opponents
 • Wednesday will be the 20th all-time meeting between Bucknell and Saint Francis. The Bison lead the series, which dates back to 1984, 13-6.Â
 • Bucknell won the most recent meeting, a 70-46 victory at Sojka Pavilion on Dec. 21, 2019. Then-sophomore Taylor O'Brien finished second on the team in scoring that game with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting and a pair of 3-pointers. Marly Walls added six points on 3-of-5 shooting and supplied three assists and two steals as well. The Bison shot 50 percent for the game and limited the Red Flash to 37 percent shooting.
• Saint Francis' last win in the series was in 2012 when it defeated the Bison 62-54 in Lewisburg. It was Bucknell's last home-opening loss.Â
• The Bison are 26-17 all-time against the Northeast Conference.
• Bucknell has one win over an NEC opponent this season - a 66-56 win over Fairleigh Dickinson.
New Notable Career Highs
• Taylor O'Brien - 24 points at Vermont
• Marly Walls - 8 assists at Vermont, 7 rebounds vs. North Dakota
• Carly Krsul - 16 points, 10 rebounds vs. North Dakota
• Cecelia Collins - 3 made 3FGs vs. North Dakota
• Emma Shaffer - 3 assists vs. North Dakota
Overall Success at Sojka Pavilion
• The Bison are an incredible 75-8 at Sojka Pavilion since the start of the 2015-16 season. Bucknell has lost just one game at home in each of the last three seasons.
• Now in its 20th season playing at Sojka Pavilion, Bucknell is 171-75 (.695) on its home court.
• Bucknell finished a perfect 16-0 at Sojka Pavilion in 2016-17.Â
Up Next
• Bucknell hosts Penn at Sojka Pavilion for its second home game of the season on Friday, Dec. 3.
• Penn leads the all-time series 5-3, winning each of the last five matchups.
• Friday's game is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
