Women's Basketball Hosts Penn Friday Seeking Fifth Consecutive Win

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. – Bucknell plays its second home game of the season on Friday when the Penn Quakers visit Sojka Pavilion. The Bison are currently riding a four-game winning streak, including a huge 68-31 victory over Saint Francis on Wednesday.

Bucknell has posted its two best offensive showings of the season in back-to-back games, scoring 68 points and shooting better than 46 percent from the field in both. Bucknell has also combined to go 16-for-33 (48.5%) from beyond the arc in its last two wins. Meanwhile, the defense has held four straight opponents to under 40 percent shooting, and the 31 points it allowed to Saint Francis on Wednesday were the fewest the team has given up in over two years.

Penn poses as one of the tougher opponents Bucknell will face this season as a perennial 20-win team. The Quakers are 4-3 this season, but they've dropped three of their last four contests. The Bison will look to earn their first win over the Quakers since 1989.

• 2021-22 Season Preview
• Digital Program
• Game Notes

What: Bucknell (5-2, 0-0 PL) vs. Penn (4-3, 0-0 IL)
When: Friday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m.
Where: Sojka Pavilion – Lewisburg, Pa.
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 90.5 WVBU
Live Statistics: BucknellBison.com
Tickets: Campus Box Office, or call 570-577-1000

Last Game's Starters
Sr./G: Marly Walls (7.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.9 apg)
Sr./G: Taylor O'Brien (18.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.1 spg)
Jr./G: Tai Johnson (2.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.9 apg)
Fr./G: Cecelia Collins (10.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.1 apg)
Jr./F: Emma Shaffer (4.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.3 apg)

With a win over Penn, Bucknell would...
• ... improve to 6-2 overall this season.
• ... win a fifth consecutive game.
• ... improve to 2-0 at home this season and 20-2 at home under head coach Trevor Woodruff.
• ... improve to 39-9 under Woodruff.
• ... improve to 4-5 all-time against Penn, snapping a five-game losing streak.
• ... earn its first win over Penn since 1989.
• ... improve to 173-75 all-time in Sojka Pavilion.

Headlines
• Bucknell hosts Penn at Sojka Pavilion for its second home game of the season on Friday. The Bison are looking to make it five consecutive wins after beginning the year 1-2. The Bison currently possess the highest winning percentage (.714) among Patriot League teams and join Lehigh as the only teams with five wins this season.
• Bucknell captured a 68-31 win over Saint Francis in its home opener on Wednesday. It was Bucknell's second game scoring 68 points, and the offense impressed again by shooting over 50 percent in the second and third quarters. Bucknell also shot 50 percent (9-of-18) from beyond the arc on Wednesday.
• Bucknell outscored Saint Francis 20-7 in the second quarter and 17-3 in the fourth. The 68-31 final was Bucknell's largest margin of victory since beating Navy 90-48 on Feb. 27, 2019. It was also Bucknell's first time holding a team to 31 points since doing so against Holy Cross on March 14, 2019.
• Taylor O'Brien, who ranks ranks second in the conference in points per game (18.1) and second in field goal percentage (.506), has led Bucknell in scoring in six of seven games this season and 16 times over her career. The reigning PL Player of the Week has been above 50 percent shooting in each of the last three games and is 10-of-13 from beyond the arc this season. O'Brien is 15 points away from reaching the 700 mark for her career.
• Junior forward Carly Krsul finished one rebound shy of her second double-double of the season on Wednesday, posting 11 points and nine boards to go along with a career-high four blocks. Krsul's 6.3 rebounds per game lead the roster.
• Fellow junior forward Emma Shaffer scored a career-high 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting against Saint Francis. She's started every game this season.
• Rookie Remi Sisselman also posted a new career scoring high on Wednesday, dropping eight points against the Red Flash with two makes from beyond the arc. Sisselman is sixth on the team with 17.6 minutes played per game.
• 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.
• Bucknell continues to thrive defensively under Woodruff. The Bison currently lead the Patriot League in scoring defense (53.9), and only Ohio State has scored 60 or more on the Bison this season. Bucknell has held five of seven opponents to under 40 percent shooting.
• Bucknell went 5-for-5 at the foul line in Wednesday's win over Saint Francis. It was the third time under Woodruff the Bison have gone perfect at the line, and they currently rank first in the conference with their .790 free throw percentage.
• Bucknell opened the season with six consecutive road games, which were the most to start a season in program history.
• 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 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.
• 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.

Scouting the Penn Quakers
• Penn is 4-3 to begin the season, but it has dropped three of its last four games. Most recently, the Quakers suffered a 63-49 loss at home against La Salle.
• The Quakers were picked to finish second in the Ivy League preseason poll, receiving three of 15 first-place votes. The Ivy League did not compete last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Penn finished 20-7 overall and 10-4 in conference play in 2019-20.
• Penn ranks third in the Ivy League in both scoring offense (68.4) and scoring defense (57.1). The La Salle loss is the only game this season that the Quakers have scored less than 60.
• The Quakers are led by junior guard Kayla Padillia, who has twice been named the Ivy League Player of the Week and averages 22.5 points per game in four games played. Padilla hung 36 points on Memphis in her most recent game.
• Forward Jordan Obi has twice been named Ivy League Rookie of the Week and is fourth in the conference with 16.1 points per game. She's also fifth in the league in rebounding with a 7.4 average. Senior forward Kennedy Suttle has pulled down 9.3 boards per game in four appearances this season.
• Penn leads the Ivy League in field goal percentage defense (.310), rebounding (42.0 pg), and is second in 3FG percentage defense (.262).
• Penn junior guard Maddy McGurk is the younger sister of former Bison Megan McGurk '17, who served as a team captain and started 103 games for the Orange & Blue. Maddy McGurk has started four games this season and is averaging 10.8 points per contest.
• Head coach Mike McLaughlin is in his 13th season at Penn and sports a 206-123 record with the team. He's guided the Quakers to three NCAA tournament appearances.

Series History with Penn/Ivy League Opponents
• Penn leads 5-3 in the all-time series, which dates back to 1985. The Quakers have won five in a row after Bucknell claimed the first three wins in the series. Penn head coach Mike McLaughlin is 2-0 in his career against Bucknell.
• Bucknell's last win against the Quakers was back in 1989.
• Penn won 69-61 at Sojka Pavilion in the most recent meeting in 2013. The Bison trailed by as many as 24 in the contest before narrowing the deficit to six in the final minute. Penn shot 39.1 percent for the game, while Bucknell shot 40.4 percent. The Quakers also forced 21 Bison turnovers.
• The Bison are 31-24 all-time against Ivy League opponents. Bucknell's last win over an Ivy League foe was a 91-78 victory over Brown in 2018.

New Notable Career Highs
• Emma Shaffer - 11 points vs. Saint Francis
• Cecelia Collins - 4 assists vs. Saint Francis
• Carly Krsul - 4 blocks, 3 steals vs. Saint Francis
• Remi Sisselman - 8 points vs. Saint Francis

Overall Success at Sojka Pavilion
• The Bison are an incredible 76-8 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 172-75 (.696) on its home court.
• Bucknell finished a perfect 16-0 at Sojka Pavilion in 2016-17.

Up Next
Bucknell is back on the road Monday, Dec.6 to visit St. Bonaventure for a 7 p.m. tip-off. The Bison will look to improve to 5-2 in games played away from Sojka Pavilion this season. Bucknell has won two in a row against the Bonnies, including a 68-60 win during Trevor Woodruff's first season in 2019. Monday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Women's Basketball Hosts Penn Friday Seeking Fifth Consecutive Win

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cecelia Collins

Tai Johnson

Carly Krsul

Taylor O'Brien

Emma Shaffer

Emma Shaffer

Remi Sisselman

Marly Walls

Women's Basketball Hosts Penn Friday Seeking Fifth Consecutive Win

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cecelia Collins

Tai Johnson

Carly Krsul

Taylor O'Brien

Emma Shaffer

Emma Shaffer

Remi Sisselman

Marly Walls

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