Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball Announces 2021-22 Non-League Schedule
8/3/2021 2:38:00 PM | Women's Basketball
2021-22 Women's Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell women's basketball team has non-league opponents in its sights for the first time since 2019, as the Bison announced the 2021-22 non-conference schedule on Wednesday. Bucknell opens the new season at Ohio State on Wednesday, Nov. 10, and the early test sets the scene for a challenging slate of games in advance of the Patriot League opener.
Along with power-five competition, Bucknell will see a host of high-quality mid-majors, a pair of Ivy League foes and a matchup with Temple from the American Athletic Conference. Four of Bucknell's 11 non-conference games will be played at home, and a tournament in Vermont is on tap for Thanksgiving weekend.
Bucknell, which played a league-only schedule last season due to the COVID-19 public health threat, is 31-14 in non-conference games since 2016. The Bison secured the No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Tournament last season for a third year in a row, going 8-0 during the truncated regular season.
The Ohio State matchup kicks off a six-game road string to begin the season and will be Bucknell's first meeting with the Big Ten power. The Buckeyes posted a 13-7 record last season, including wins over four Sweet 16 teams. It's the second time in Woodruff's three years that Bucknell has opened the season against a power-five opponent after facing Virginia in the first game of 2019-20.
"As always, we have put together a challenging non-conference schedule to prepare us for Patriot League play. Opening with a Big Ten opponent and a bevy of road games, we will find out quickly what we need to improve on," said Woodruff
The Bison then have a week-long break before hitting the road again to face a more familiar opponent in Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday, No. 17. Bucknell is 5-0 in the matchup, last meeting in 2015, and the Knights finished 16-8 last season.
Bucknell travels to Philadelphia on Saturday, Nov. 20 to face Temple for a rematch of the narrow 2019 loss in which Bucknell held the edge at halftime at home. The team then visits Iona in New Rochelle, N.Y. on Tuesday, No. 23.
Bucknell, which is 5-0 in Thanksgiving tournaments over the last three years, will head up to Burlington, Vt. during this year's holiday weekend to participate in the annual TD Bank Classic. The Bison are scheduled to play games on Saturday, Nov. 27 and Sunday, Nov. 28.
Matchups for the tournament have yet to be announced, but Vermont, North Dakota and Brown will all be in attendance. Bucknell faced the Bears during Thanksgiving in 2018 and captured a win over Vermont in the teams' only meeting in 1986. The Bison have never played against North Dakota.
"We're looking forward to hitting the road over the Thanksgiving holiday. Trips like that have historically helped our teams grow into a more cohesive group," said Woodruff.
Bucknell captured a pair of wins over Howard and Cincinnati at the Puerto Rico Clasico over Thanksgiving break during Woodruff's first season in 2019-20, sparking a 12-1 run during the middle portions of the season.
Bucknell makes its return to Sojka Pavilion on Wednesday, Dec. 1 when the team hosts Saint Francis (Pa.) for the home opener. Bucknell has lost just one home game in each of last three seasons and is 7-1 in non-conference home games over the last two. The Red Flash played in the NCAA tournament as recently as 2018 and finished 14-9 last season. The 19-game series history between the two programs is the longest Bucknell shares with any non-league opponent this season.
Just two days later, the Penn Quakers visit Lewisburg on Friday, Dec. 3. Ivy League programs missed competition last season, but the Quakers pose as one of the biggest challenges for the Bison as a perennial NCAA tournament and WNIT team with 20 or more wins in seven straight seasons.
The team plays its final non-conference road game at St. Bonaventure on Tuesday, Dec. 7. The Bonnies have been a mainstay on Bucknell's non-conference schedule since 2016, and the Bison are 3-1 in the series over that stretch. It's the last game before Bucknell takes a 10-day break for final exams.
After exams, Bucknell wraps up the non-conference schedule with back-to-back home games against George Mason of the Atlantic 10 on Saturday, Dec. 18 and Buffalo of the Mid-American Conference on Monday, Dec. 20. The Bison have won five in a row in the George Mason series, including a 64-51 win on the road in 2019, but the Patriots are just a few years removed from a 24-10 season in 2018. Meanwhile, Buffalo has been near the top of the MAC standings for almost a decade and has posted eight consecutive winning seasons, including a 29-6 overall record in 2018. Bucknell hasn't faced the Bulls since 2008.
Bucknell retained its entire staff from last season while losing four senior starters to graduation. The Bison added three newcomers to the equation and enter the program's 49th season of competition with a roster size of 12. Seven of the 12 student-athletes are sophomores or rookies.
"With a young roster we expect there to be ups and downs throughout the season, but our goal is to be our best at championship time in February and March," Woodruff said.
Further updates on game times as well as the 2021 Patriot League schedule will be announced at a later date.
2021-22 Bucknell Non-Conference Schedule:
Nov. 10 at Ohio State
Nov. 17 at Fairleigh Dickinson
Nov. 20 at Temple
Nov. 23 at Iona
Nov. 27 vs. TBA at Vermont (Roy L. Patrick Gymnasium)^
Nov. 28 vs. TBA at Vermont (Roy L. Patrick Gymnasium)^
Dec. 1 vs. SAINT FRANCIS
Dec. 3 vs. PENN
Dec. 7 at St. Bonaventure
Dec. 18 vs. GEORGE MASON
Dec. 20 vs. BUFFALO
^ TD Bank Classic Thanksgiving tournament at Vermont (Possible opponents include Vermont, North Dakota and Brown)
