Bison Women's Basketball Visits Lehigh for Big Wednesday Night Matchup

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell heads to Bethlehem, Pa. to take on a very familiar opponent in Lehigh on Wednesday. It's the sixth time Bucknell has faced the Mountain Hawks within the last calendar year, as the two teams played five times during the 2020-21 season. Both teams were picked in the top three in the Patriot League Preseason Poll.

While the Bison have won nine of the last 10 games against Lehigh, they're looking to avenge a Patriot League semifinal loss to the Mountain Hawks last March, which interrupted an undefeated season and ended the last campaign. Prior to the playoff loss, Bucknell had won four regular season games against the Pennsylvania rival.

Wednesday will be a battle between the two teams sporting the best overall records in the Patriot League at 10-4. The Bison are coming off a get-right game against Loyola in which they outscored their opponent 62-42 – the 35^th double-digit victory Bucknell has seen in its last 43 wins. Meanwhile, Lehigh is looking to get back on track after a 64-53 loss at Holy Cross, which was its first loss in league play of the season.

Bucknell will be tasked with slowing down one of the nation's best 3-point-shooting teams. Lehigh, the Patriot League preseason favorite, averages 10 threes per game, and the scoring comes from a host of players averaging double figures.

Bucknell's Taylor O'Brien, who ranks second in the conference in scoring, averaged 16.2 points in five games against the Mountain Hawks last season. With a win on Wednesday, Bucknell will return home with an even 2-2 record in league play.

• Game Notes
• Digital Program
• 2021-22 Media Guide

What: Bucknell (10-4, 1-2 PL) at Lehigh (10-4, 2-1 PL)
When: Wednesday, Jan. 12 at 6 p.m.
Where: Stabler Arena – Bethlehem, Pa.
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 90.5 WVBU
Live Statistics: LehighSports.com

Last Game's Starters
Sr./G: Marly Walls (8.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.5 apg)
Sr./G: Taylor O'Brien (17.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.1 spg)
Jr./G: Tai Johnson (3.1 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.9 apg)
Fr./G: Cecelia Collins (11.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.9 apg)
Jr./F: Emma Shaffer (4.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.4 apg)

With a win over Lehigh, Bucknell would...
• ... improve to 11-4 overall this season.
• ... have the best overall record in the Patriot League this season.
• ... move to 44-11 overall under Woodruff.
• ... improve to 49-44 all-time against the Mountain Hawks.
• ... improve to 26-4 in Patriot League play under Woodruff.
• ... move to 6-3 in games away from Sojka this season.
• ... move to 266-180 all-time in Patriot League play.
• ... win a second game in a row.

Headlines
• Bucknell and Lehigh face off on Wednesday in Bethlehem, Pa. in a game that carries massive weight in early-season Patriot League standings. Both teams own a 10-4 overall record, and Bucknell is looking to even its league record at 2-2.
• Bucknell collected its first league victory at home against Loyola on Saturday, defeating the Greyhounds 62-42. Bucknell held Loyola to just 18 points in the first half and forced 17 turnovers throughout the game, while three different Bison scored in double figures. The win snapped a two-game losing skid for Bucknell.
• Bucknell grew very familiar with Lehigh last season as the two teams faced each other five times. Bucknell won all four regular season meetings and has claimed nine of the last 10, but Lehigh grabbed the most recent win in the 2021 Patriot League semifinals.
• Bucknell enters Wednesday's game ranked third in the Patriot League in scoring offense (63.2 ppg) and second in scoring defense (56.2 ppg). The Bison are also second in field goal percentage (42.2%), first in 3FG percentage (35.0%), and first in turnover margin (+3.0). Bucknell is 10th in the country in turnovers per game, averaging 11.9.
• Guard Taylor O'Brien posted her 21st consecutive double-digit scoring effort against Loyola on Saturday, totaling 10 points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes of action. O'Brien, who ranks second in the Patriot League in scoring (17.9 ppg), averaged 16.2 points per game in five meetings with the Mountain Hawks last season. The senior also knocked down 2-of-3 from beyond the arc last game and ranks second in the league in field goal percentage (46.9%).
• Junior Carly Krsul was also in double figures last game, scoring a team-high 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Krsul posted a pair of blocks as well and is second in the league with 2.0 blocks per game on the season.
• Two-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week Cecelia Collins added a career-high seven assists in Saturday's victory. Collins was an honorable mention for PL Rookie of the Week this week.
• Senior Marly Walls continues to move up the Patriot League leaderboard in assists after racking up five more against Loyola. Walls has posted 5+ assists five times this season, and she grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds in Bucknell's game against Navy last week.
• Bucknell has been dominant against league opponents for some time and has gone 89-12 in PL play since the start of the 2015-16 season. Under head coach Trevor Woodruff, Bucknell is 25-4 against league opponents during the regular season.
• Bucknell went 9-2 in non-conference play, ending that portion of the schedule with six straight double-digit victories.
• 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 62-14 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 25-4 in Patriot League play under his direction and 43-11 overall.

Scouting Lehigh/Series History
• Lehigh, which was picked to finish first in the Patriot League Preseason Poll, is 10-4 overall and 2-1 in league play entering Wednesday's matchup with the Bison. The Mountain Hawks are coming off a 64-53 loss at Holy Cross on Saturday.
• Lehigh, which is tied with Bucknell for the most overall wins in the league this season, had won five straight prior to the Holy Cross loss. Army is the only common opponent shared between Bucknell and Lehigh to this point. The Mountain Hawks won 62-55 against the Black Knights on Wednesday, Jan. 5.
• Lehigh currently leads the Patriot League in scoring (73.8 ppg), blocks (4.29 bpg) and assists (16.6 apg). Additionally, the Mountain Hawks have attempted the most threes in the country (413) and rank ninth in the nation in 3-pointers made per game (9.9).
• Four Mountain Hawks are averaging double-digit scoring this season, led by sophomore guard Mackenzie Kramer (15.5 ppg). Kramer is a two-time Patriot League Player of the Week this season. She's joined by returning leaders Emma Grothaus (13.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg) and Frannie Hottinger (14.5 ppg).
• Lehigh won the Patriot League Championship last season after going 7-5 in the regular season and defeating Holy Cross, Bucknell and Boston U. in the league tournament. The Mountain Hawks' run ended with a loss to #4 West Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
• Lehigh is led by head coach Sue Troyan, who is in the midst of her 27th season with the team. Troyan is a two-time PL Coach of the Year and has guided the Mountain Hawks to four league titles.
• Bucknell is 48-44 in all-time meetings with Lehigh, having won nine of the last 10 games in the series. Bucknell was riding a nine-game winning streak against the Mountain Hawks before losing the most recent matchup.
• The Mountain Hawks are 8-1 in games at Stabler Arena this season, and Bucknell is 21-24 all-time when playing at Lehigh. Bucknell has won four in a row at Stabler Arena.
• Bucknell and Lehigh met five times last season, with the Bison collecting all four regular season matchups before the Mountain Hawks grabbed a 63-54 win in the Patriot League semifinals.
• Taylor O'Brien averaged 16.2 points, 6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals in four meetings with the Mountain Hawks in 2020-21.
• In Bucknell's last game at Stabler Arena (1/31/21), Bucknell overcame an 18-point deficit late in the third quarter and outscored Lehigh 27-9 in the fourth to win 73-68. The Mountain Hawks held Bucknell to 35.6 percent shooting and forced 15 turnovers in the March tournament game, ending the Bison's season.

Series Record: 48-44
Record at Home: 25-18
Record at Lehigh: 21-24
Neutral Site Record: 2-2
Trevor Woodruff Record: 6-1
Current Streak: 1 loss
Longest Winning Streak: 9
Longest Losing Streak: 9

New Notable Career Highs
• Cecelia Collins - 7 assists vs. Loyola
• Julie Kulesza - 7 3-pointers attempted vs. Loyola

Consistent Patriot League Success
• Bucknell is 89-12 in Patriot League play since the start of the 2015-16 season. The run includes two Patriot League Tournament titles and five first-place finishes in the regular season. Bucknell also has the best overall record in the league during that span at 145-41.

Double-digit Victories
• 35 of Bucknell's last 43 wins have been by double digits. Since the start of the 2018-19 season, 57 of the team's 68 wins have been by a double-digit margin.
• Bucknell's largest margin of victory was 47 vs. Coppin State in 1985.
• The Bison have eight double-digit victories this season, including a 37-point win over Saint Francis.

Last Time Out
• Bucknell snapped a two-game losing skid with a 62-42 win over Loyola on Saturday. The Bison (10-4, 1-2 PL) notched their first conference win of the season with strong all-around team play, holding the Greyhounds (3-9, 0-2 PL) to 18-for-46 (39.1%) shooting and forcing 17 turnovers, while assisting on 18 of their own 22 made buckets and shooting 8-for-22 (36.4%) from behind the arc.
• Carly Krsul scored a team-high 14 points, while grabbing 6 rebounds and blocking two shots in 19 minutes off the bench. Cecelia Collins scored 12 points, grabbed six rebounds, recorded two steals and handed out seven assists without a turnover. Taylor O'Brien added 10 points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks, Remi Sisselman and Julie Kulesza each hit two three pointers and Marly Walls had five points and five assists.

Up Next
Bucknell hosts American at Sojka Pavilion for a Patriot League matchup on Sunday, Jan. 16. It's the Bison's first game against the Eagles since Feb. 15, 2020. Sunday's contest is scheduled to tip off at 4 p.m. and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

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Bison Women's Basketball Visits Lehigh for Big Wednesday Night Matchup

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cecelia Collins

Tai Johnson

Carly Krsul

Julie Kulesza

Taylor O'Brien

Emma Shaffer

Remi Sisselman

Marly Walls

Bison Women's Basketball Visits Lehigh for Big Wednesday Night Matchup

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cecelia Collins

Tai Johnson

Carly Krsul

Julie Kulesza

Taylor O'Brien

Emma Shaffer

Remi Sisselman

Marly Walls

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