Thursday, March 11
Lewisburg, Pa.
7 p.m.
Bucknell University
vs
Lehigh (PL Semifinals)
Photo by: Marc Hagemeier
Women's Basketball to Host Lehigh in Patriot League Semifinal Game
3/10/2021 7:55:00 AM | Women's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – For the sixth season in a row, the Bucknell women's basketball team is headed to the Patriot League semifinals for a chance to advance to the league title game on Sunday. The first-seeded Bison are to host fourth-seeded Lehigh on Thursday, as the two teams collide for a fifth time this season. After going 35 days without competition, Bucknell took down Loyola in the quarterfinal round to get to where it is now, and the Mountain Hawks advanced after a quarterfinal round win over Holy Cross. Just the top four seeds remain in the tournament.
Bucknell won each of the four previous matchups this season, but Lehigh has played the Bison the closest of any opponent to this point. Two of Bucknell's wins in the season series have come after trailing through much of the game, and the most recent game in Bethlehem required an impressive 18-point second half comeback. Weighing in the Bison's favor this time around is the fact that they're at home, where the team has won 16 games in a row and has outscored Lehigh 156-130 in two games this season.
The matchup features the Patriot League's two top scoring teams, the top two shooting teams from beyond the arc, and the two best defensive teams from the arc. There will be five All-League players on the court on Thursday, and two-time Coach of the Year Trevor Woodruff is pitted against Lehigh head coach Sue Troyan, who has two Coach of the Year awards of her own.
This is the sixth time Bucknell and Lehigh have met in the Patriot League Tournament, and it's the first time the two Pennsylvania rivals will meet in the penultimate game.
Game Notes2020-21 Media Guide
What: Lehigh (8-5, 3-5 PL Central) at Bucknell (9-0, 6-0 PL Central)
When: Thursday, March 11 at 7 p.m.
Where: Sojka Pavilion - Lewisburg, Pa. | VIRTUAL SEASON TICKETS
Internet Stream (US): ESPN+ | Internet Stream (International): SIDEARM Sports
Radio: 90.5 WVBU
Internet Radio: BucknellBison.com
Live Statistics: BucknellBison.com
NOTICE: Because Bucknell University's campus is closed to the public, no spectators will be permitted at home events until further notice.
Last Game's StartersG: Ally Johnson (9.0 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.3 apg)
G: Taylor O'Brien (16.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.9 apg)
G: Abby Kapp (11.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.4 apg)
F: Tessa Brugler (13.1 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 1.8 apg)
F: Autumn Ceppi (7.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.0 apg)
With a Win over Lehigh, Bucknell Would...
• ... advance to the Patriot League Championship game for the sixth time in program history and the second time in three years.
• ... improve to 10-0 for the first time in program history.
• ... move to 26-25 all-time in the Patriot League Tournament.
• ... improve to 49-43 in all-time meetings with the Mountain Hawks.
• ... improve to 7-0 against the Mountain Hawks under Woodruff.
• ... improve to 10-1 against the Mountain Hawks with the current senior class.
• ... win its 10th consecutive game over the Mountain Hawks.
• ... win its 19th straight game, dating back to last season.
• ... win its 17th home game in a row.
Scouting the Mountain Hawks
• The fourth-seeded Mountain Hawks advanced past the quarterfinal round with a 75-57 win over fifth-seeded Holy Cross.
• Lehigh went 7-5 during the regular season, with four of their losses coming against the Bison. Lehigh also suffered a 70-60 loss to Lafayette back on Feb. 21.
• Lehigh senior Mary Clougherty and sophomore Frannie Hottinger were each named to the All-Patriot League Second Team, and freshman Mackenzie Kramer was placed on the All-Rookie squad. Hottinger ranks fifth in the league in scoring (14.0 ppg), and Clougherty is first in 3-pointers per game (2.5). Kramer ranks sixth with 1.9 threes per contest.
• The Mountain Hawks lead the Patriot League in scoring with 73.5 points per game and are second in 3FG percentage. They're also third among NCAA Division I teams with 10.4 triples per game.
• The Mountain Hawks are led by head coach Sue Troyan, who owns a 409-349 career record in 26 seasons with the team. She's led Lehigh to the Patriot League semifinals in 10 of the last 14 seasons and has advanced to the championship game four times.
Where They Rank
• Bucknell is No. 31 in the latest women's basketball NET rankings. The Bison ranked 14th in the latest College Insider Mid-Major Poll.
• Lehigh is No. 87 in the women's basketball NET rankings.
Series History with the Mountain Hawks
• Bucknell is 48-43 in the all-time series with Lehigh, dating back to 1977.
• The Bison are 25-17 in home games and 21-24 in games at Lehigh.
• Bucknell has won nine in a row over the Mountain Hawks, including four wins this season.
• Bucknell came back after trailing by 18 to win 73-68 in the last meeting back on Jan. 31.
• In four games this season, Bucknell has outscored Lehigh 84-47 in the fourth quarter.
• Three Bison are averaging double-figure scoring against Lehig this season: Taylor O'Brien (17.3 ppg), Tessa Brugler (13.8 ppg), Abby Kapp (14.0).
Bucknell in the Patriot League Tournament
• Bucknell is 25-25 all-time in the Patriot League Tournament, dating back to 1991.
• Bucknell is 11-3 at home during the Patriot League Tournament.
• Bucknell is 10-2 in the Patriot League Tournament since 2015.
• This is the sixth time Bucknell has earned the No. 1 seed. The Bison are 8-2 when playing in that position.
• Bucknell is 5-10 all-time in Patriot League semifinal games.
• Bucknell is 1-4 against Lehigh in the Patriot League Tournament.
• Bucknell last faced Lehigh in the tournament in 2012, falling 63-47 to the Mountain Hawks in the quarterfinals.
• The two teams have never face each other beyond the quarterfinals.
Bucknell vs. Lehigh in the PL Tournament
Date Location Result
2/27/98 Annapolis, Md. L, 59-55
3/3/05 Bethlehem, Pa. L, 54-52
3/2/06 Worcester, Mass. W, 64-54
3/6/10 Worcester, Mass. L, 72-58
3/1/12 Bethlehem, Pa. L, 63-47
Bucknell Among National Stat Leaders
• The Bison currently rank in the top 10 among NCAA Division I women's basketball programs in at least six major statistical categories:
• Assist/Turnover Ratio - 1st (1.72)
• Field Goal Percentage Defense - 7th (33.7)
• Free Throw Percentage - 3rd (80.5)
• Scoring Margin - 9th (+17.8)
• Three-Point Field Goal Percentage - 5th (39.1)
• Turnovers Per Game - 1st (9.1)
Converting from the Line
• The Bison finished first in the Patriot League in free throw percentage in seven of the last eight seasons.
• Bucknell has shot over 70 percent from the line in nine consecutive seasons.
• Taylor O'Brien currently ranks fourth in Division I with .926 free throw shooting.
• Eight different Bison have a career free throw percentage above 70 percent.
Bucknell's Double-Digit Victories
• 27 of Bucknell's last 33 wins have come by double digits.
• Since the start of the 2018-19 season, 49 of Bucknell's 59 wins have come by double digits.
• Bucknell's largest margin of victory was 47 vs. Coppin State (2/10/85).
• Bucknell's largest margin of victory this season was 34 vs. Lafayette (1/10/21).
Bucknell's School-Record Win Streak
• The Bison are currently on an 18-game winning streak, dating back to Feb. 8, 2020. It's the longest winning streak in program history.
• Bucknell has the fourth-longest win streak (18) in Division I women's basketball, trailing only Princeton (22), which is not competing this season, FGCU (22), and Cal Baptist (25).
• The Bison have gone more than an entire calendar year without losing a game. Bucknell's last loss was at Boston U. on Feb. 2, 2020.
• Bucknell is one of only two unbeaten teams remaining in NCAA Division I women's basketball.
Records in Danger
• Senior guard Abby Kapp is currently second all-time in program history with 193 made 3-pointers. She's just 2 shy of tying Molly Creamer's all-time mark of 195 made threes.
• She's currently third in career 3-point attempts (486).
• Senior guard Ally Johnson ranks 10th all-time in made threes (109) and is five away from moving into ninth, passing Ellie Mack.
Bucknell's Postseason Honors
• Trevor Woodruff - Patriot League Coach of the Year
• Tessa Brugler - First Team All-League, All-Defensive Team
• Taylor O'Brien - First Team All-League
• Abby Kapp - Third Team All-League, Scholar Athlete of the Year, Academic All-League Team
• Autumn Ceppi - All-Defensive Team
Patriot League Success
• The Bison have gone 98-12 vs. Patriot League opponents dating back to the start of the 2015-16 season, which includes two Patriot League Tournament titles and four regular season titles. Bucknell also has the best overall record during that span at 135-36.
The Seniors
• Bucknell's senior class has seen some of the most successful seasons in program history. Since Abby Kapp, Tessa Brugler, Autumn Ceppi and Ally Johnson joined the Orange & Blue, the Bison have gone 55-7 (.887) in Patriot League play and sport an 83-22 (.790) overall record. The group is also 45-6 (.880) on their home court in their careers.
Last Time Out
• Bucknell returned to play and defeated Loyola 65-50 in the Patriot League quarterfinal round on Sunday after going 35 days without competition.
• Bucknell led wire-to-wire against the Greyhounds and got up by as many as 20 in the game.
• The Bison limited Loyola to just 11 points and 17.2 percent shooting in the first half. Loyola was 32.8 percent from the field for the game and hit just 3-of-16 from beyond the arc.
• After committing five first quarter turnovers, Bucknell committed just five more over the rest of the game and posted just seven personal fouls.
• Taylor O'Brien, Tessa Brugler and Ally Johnson all scored in double figures, and both Brugler and O'Brien finished with double-doubles. O'Brien's 22 points matched a season high.
Up Next
With a win on Thursday, the Bison will host the Patriot League Championship game at Sojka Pavilion on Sunday, March 14, with a chance to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in San Antonio, Texas. Bucknell would play the winner of the other semifinal game between second-seeded Boston U. and third-seeded American in the title game.
Players Mentioned
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