Bucknell University
George Mason
Women's Basketball Clashes with George Mason at Sojka Pavilion Saturday
12/16/2021 11:19:00 AM | 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.
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell women's basketball team hosts George Mason at Sojka Pavilion on Saturday in its first game in 12 days following the exam period. The Bison are riding a six-game winning streak and will look to extend it against a George Mason team that has won three of its last four.
The Bison and the Patriots met as recently as 2019, and Bucknell has claimed each of the last five matchups in the series as well as five in a row against Atlantic 10 teams.
Bucknell has been a defensively stout team all season, allowing no more than 60 points in eight straight games and sporting a Patriot League-best 53.7 points allowed per contest. The offense has caught up as well, and Bucknell posted a season-high 72 points in its most recent win over St. Bonaventure with four players scoring in double figures.
George Mason, which captured its first win over an SEC opponent since 1996 earlier in the month, will serve as a measuring stick for the Bison after having faced three other Patriot League teams this season. With a win on Saturday, Bucknell will maintain its top position in league standings and capture eight wins over its first 10 games for the third time in four years.
• Game Notes
• Digital Program
• 2021-22 Media Guide
What: Bucknell (7-2, 0-0 PL) vs. George Mason (6-4, 0-0 A10)
When: Saturday, Dec. 18 at 5 p.m.
Where: Sojka Pavilion – Lewisburg, Pa.
Streaming:Â ESPN+
Radio:Â 90.5 WVBU
Live Statistics:Â BucknellBison.com
Ticket Special:
Last Game's Starters
Sr./G: Marly Walls (7.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.3 apg)
Sr./G: Taylor O'Brien (18.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.1 apg)
Jr./G: Tai Johnson (2.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.0 apg)
Fr./G: Cecelia Collins (11.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.2 apg)
Jr./F: Emma Shaffer (3.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.3 apg)
With a win over George Mason, Bucknell would...
 • ... improve to 8-2 overall this season.
 • ... win a seventh consecutive game.
 • ... improve 3-0 in home games this season.
 • ... move to 21-2 in home games under Woodruff.
 • ... improve to 41-9 overall under Woodruff.
 • ... improve to 7-2 all-time against George Mason, winning a sixth straight game in the series.
 • ... improve to 25-41 all-time against current Atlantic 10 teams.
 • ... collect eight victories over its first 10 games for the third time in four years.
Headlines
• Bucknell returns to action on Saturday following an 11-day break during the exam period. The Bison are looking to make it seven consecutive victories when George Mason visits Sojka Pavilion for Bucknell's penultimate non-conference game of the season. It's the first of three straight home games for the Bison.
• Bucknell improved to 7-2 on the season when it defeated St. Bonaventure 72-60 on the road back on Monday, Dec. 6. Bucknell never trailed in the game, and four Bison scored in double figures. The Bison have now won four straight games by double figures.
• Bucknell is once against sitting atop the Patriot League standings. American and Lehigh sit second and third at 6-3.
• Bucknell continues to thrive defensively and has held all but one opponent to 60 points or less this season. The Bison have also limited six of nine opponents to under 40 percent shooting. They ranks first in the Patriot League in scoring defense (53.7), second in field goal percentage defense (.365) and first in turnover margin (+2.67).Â
• Senior Taylor O'Brien, who eclipsed 20 points for the seventh time in her career last game, currently ranks second in the Patriot League in scoring this season with 18.7 points per contest. She's also first in field goal percentage (.492) and fifth in steal per game (2.0). O'Brien is shooting .706 from beyond the arc as well, going 12-for-17 through the first nine games.Â
• Junior Carly Krsul grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds in the St. Bonaventure win, 12 of which were on the offensive end. She added 13 points for her second double-double of the season, and she's now scored in double figures in five consecutive games. Additionally, Krsul ranks leads the Patriot League in blocks with 2.1 per game.
• Also averaging double-digit scoring this season for the Bison is rookie Cecelia Collins, who ranks second among Patriot League rookies with 11.1 per game. Collins leads the roster with 13 made 3-pointers and is shooting .514 from the field this season.
• Bucknell opened the season with six consecutive road games, which were the most to start a season in program history. Bucknell went 4-2 over that stretch and is 5-2 away from Sojka on the season.
• The Bison moved up one spot in this week's College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll from 19 to 18. Lehigh also makes the list, coming in at 25.
• 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 61-14 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 and 40-9 overall.
• Bucknell opens Patriot League play with a home game against Boston U. on Wednesday, Dec. 29. The Terriers are one of two teams picked ahead of Bucknell in the Patriot League preseason poll.
Scouting George Mason/Series History
• George Mason is 6-4 through its first 10 games, and like the Bison, the Patriots haven't played since Dec. 6. The Patriots fell 66-59 at home against Norfolk State in their last appearance.Â
• The Patriots have faced a pair of Power 5 opponents this season, as well as three Patriot League foes. George Mason lost 81-52 to 24th-ranked Virginia Tech back on Nov. 14 before defeating the SEC's Florida on Dec. 1. In games against Bucknell's league rivals, George Mason won 53-51 at Loyola, lost 69-61 at American, and won 69-64 against Navy at the Navy Thanksgiving Classic.
• The Patriots were picked 14th in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll after going 3-19 overall and 0-14 in conference play last season. George Mason's last winning season was in 2018-19 (16-14, 8-8 A10).
• Senior forward Amaya Scott has led the Patriots this season with 16.1 points and 7.5 boards per game. She's reached 25 points twice and is shooting .485 for the season. Just behind Scott is junior guard Jordan Wakefield, who averages 14.1 points.
• George Mason head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis is in her first season in Fairfax, Va. after spending the previous 13 at Bethune Cookman. She owns a 322-306 career record over her 22 season in NCAA Division I women's basketball.
• Bucknell leads 6-2 in the all-time series with the Patriots, including a 64-51 victory on the road during head coach Trevor Woodruff's first season in 2019. Bucknell has won each of the last five meetings.
• The Bison are 3-0 in home games against George Mason. Bucknell last hosted the Patriots at Sojka Pavilion in 2007 and won 67-64 in double overtime. George Mason's last win in the series was back in 1988.
• In the last meeting, George Mason shot just 27.5 percent (14-of-51) from the field and 20 percent (3-of-15) from beyond the arc. Bucknell outscored the Patriots 23-10 in the third quarter, where the Bison shot 63.6 percent. Then-sophomore Taylor O'Brien added eight points and six rebounds to the Bucknell effort, while Marly Walls contributed five points and four assists.
• The Bison are 24-41 all-time against current members of the Atlantic 10. Bucknell defeated St. Bonaventure, another Atlantic 10 opponent, 72-60 in its last game on Monday, Dec. 6. Bucknell has won its last five games against Atlantic 10 teams.
Series Record: 6-2
Record at Home: 3-0
Record at George Mason: 3-1
Neutral Site Record: 0-1
Trevor Woodruff Record: 1-0
Current Streak: 5 wins
Longest Winning Streak: 5
Longest Losing Streak: 1
New Notable Career Highs
• Carly Krsul - 15 rebounds, 14 FGA at St. Bonaventure
• Taylor O'Brien - 20 FGA at St. Bonaventure
• Cecelia Collins - 10 FGA at St. Bonaventure
Double-Digit Victories
• 32 of Bucknell's last 40 wins have been by double digits. Since the start of the 2018-19 season, 54 of the team's 65 wins have been by a double-digit margin.
• The Bison have five double-digit victories this season, including a 37-point win over Saint Francis. Each of the last four wins have been by double digits.
Success at Sojka Pavilion
• The Bison are an incredible 77-8 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 173-75 (.696) on its home court.
• Bucknell finished a perfect 16-0 at Sojka Pavilion in 2016-17.Â
• The Bison are currently 2-0 in Sojka this season.
Up Next
The Bison play their final non-conference game against Buffalo at Sojka Pavilion on Monday, Dec. 20. It's the first meeting between the two teams since 2012, and the Bulls hold a 7-5 edge in the all-time series. Monday's game is set for 5 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
