Women's Basketball Plays Host to American Sunday at Sojka Pavilion

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LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell and American square off at Sojka Pavilion on Sunday, meeting for the first time in almost two years. Bucknell is looking to leapfrog the Eagles in the Patriot League standings and capture its third consecutive victory.

The Bison have been dominant on defense over their last two games, holding both opponents to under 50 points. They'll be tasked with slowing down Preseason Patriot League Player of the Year Jade Edwards this weekend in an effort to capture their seventh win in a row over American, which was picked one spot behind Bucknell in the preseason poll.

American has gone 2-1 over its first three league games and ranks middle-of-the-pack in both scoring offense and scoring defense. Where the Eagles have been exceptional this season is field goal percentage. Though they attempt just 52.3 field goals per game, the Eagles lead the Patriot League in percentage (42.9%) and have shot better than all but three opponents this season. American also leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage defense, but Bucknell attempted a season-low eight threes in its most recent win over Lehigh.

Now in her ninth season in the nation's capital, American head coach Megan Gebbia is seeking her fourth Patriot League regular season title and her seventh career win over the Bison.

Bucknell is 5-1 at home during the current campaign and has lost just three total games at Sojka in three seasons. The Bison are allowing just 52 points per game on the home court this season, compared to 57.8 on the road. Bucknell also looks to awaken the offense this Sunday, which is averaging just 58.8 points in league play after ending the non-conference slate with three straight games over 70.

Bucknell will rely on its three leading scorers – Taylor O'Brien (17.9 ppg), Carly Krsul (11.5) and Cecelia Collins (11.5). The trio combined for 50 of Bucknell's 56 points in the win over Lehigh on Wednesday.

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

What: Bucknell (11-4, 1-2 PL) vs. American (9-4, 2-1 PL)
When: Sunday, Jan. 16 at 4 p.m.
Where: Sojka Pavilion – Lewisburg, Pa.
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: 90.5 WVBU
Live Statistics: BucknellBison.com

Last Game's Starters
Sr./G: Marly Walls (7.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.3 apg)
Sr./G: Taylor O'Brien (17.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.9 spg)
Jr./G: Tai Johnson (2.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.9 apg)
Fr./G: Cecelia Collins (11.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.1 apg)
Jr./F: Emma Shaffer (4.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.3 apg)

With a win over American, Bucknell would...
• ... improve to 12-4 overall this season, winning a third straight game.
• ... maintain the best overall record in the Patriot League this season.
• ... move to 45-11 overall under Woodruff.
• ... improve to 24-25 all-time against the Eagles.
• ... collect a seventh straight win against the Eagles.
• ... improve to 27-4 in Patriot League play under Woodruff.
• ... move to 6-1 in home games this season.
• ... improve to 24-3 at home under Woodruff.
• ... move to 267-180 all-time in Patriot League play.

Headlines
• Bucknell hosts American at Sojka Pavilion on Sunday in search of a third consecutive victory. It's Bucknell's first time seeing the Eagles since Feb. 15, 2020 after the two teams did not match up last season due to the truncated COVID-19 schedule.
• The Bison sit fifth in the Patriot League standings with a 2-2 conference record. With Wednesday's victory at the Mountain Hawks, the Bison took sole possession of the best overall record in the league at 11-4. Bucknell defeated preseason favorite Lehigh 56-45, holding the league's top offense to 29 points below its season average. Bucknell limited the Mountain Hawks to just 12 points in the first half and 30.8 percent shooting for the game. It was the third time in three seasons that Bucknell has held a team to 12 or fewer points in the first half.
• Taylor O'Brien, Carly Krsul and Cecelia Collins scored 50 of Bucknell's 56 points in the Lehigh win. The trio combined to go 20-of-40 on the night. All three are averaging double figures this season.
• O'Brien, who led the Bison in scoring last season as well, currently ranks second in the Patriot League with 17.9 points per game. She's scored in double figures in 22 straight outings and has eclipsed 20 points four times this season. O'Brien leads the Patriot League in field goal percentage (47.4%) and is seventh in 3-pointers per game (1.4), hitting at least one in 10 straight games. The senior captain ranks fourth in steals per game (1.9) as well.
• O'Brien grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds last time out at Lehigh. It was her second double-double of the season and the fifth of her career.
• Krsul posted 15 points on Wednesday, reaching double figures for a third straight game and for the 12th time this season. Wednesday was her first game without a block since Dec. 6, but she remains third in the conference in the category with 1.9 per game. Krsul has three double-doubles this season.
• Collins ranks second among rookies in the Patriot League in scoring with 11.5 per contest. The Scranton, Pa. native posted her 10th double-digit scoring effort of the season on Wednesday and added a career-high two blocks with two steals, four assists and six rebounds. Collins is second on the roster in assists (2.1 apg) and has totaled 11 assists over Bucknell's last two games. She's been named Patriot League Rookie of the Week twice this season.
• Senior Marly Walls ranks seventh in the Patriot League in assists (3.3 apg) and third in assist/turnover ratio (1.5). She's posted 3+ assists nine times this season and a career-high eight assists twice. Walls, who owns the second-most career starts on Bucknell's roster (30), is also second on the team in steals (1.3 spg) and fourth in scoring (7.7 ppg).
• Bucknell ranks 11th in the country in turnovers, committing just 11.9 per game. The Bison have posted 10 or fewer turnovers five times this season.
• The Bison came in at No. 24 in the most recent CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. Bucknell ranked as high as 15 earlier in the season.
• Bucknell has been dominant against league opponents for some time and has gone 90-12 in PL play since the start of the 2015-16 season. Under head coach Trevor Woodruff, Bucknell is 26-4 against league opponents during the regular season.
• Bucknell went 9-2 in non-conference play, ending that portion of the schedule on an eight-game winning streak. The Bison defeated their last six non-conference opponents by double digits.
• 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.
• 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 44-11 overall under his direction.

Scouting American/Series History
• American was picked fourth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll and is 9-4 overall and 2-1 in league play. Most recently, the Eagles trounced Holy Cross, 52-39, at home on Wednesday.
• American and Bucknell have shared two common opponents this season, both defeating George Mason and Vermont.
• The Eagles rank fifth in the Patriot League in both scoring offense (59.8) and scoring defense (58.7). Meanwhile, they lead the league in field goal percentage (42.9%) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (24.9%).
• American's offense runs through Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year Jade Edwards, who leads the team in scoring (13.3 ppg), rebounding (6.0 rpg) and assists (3.8 apg). She recently eclipsed 1,000 points in her career. Joining Edwards in double figures this season is fellow senior Taylor Brown, who averages 11.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game.
• American head coach Megan Gebbia is in her ninth season with the team and is 146-101 during her tenure. She's a two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year and has guided the Eagles to two league tournament titles and three regular season titles.
• American leads the all-time series with Bucknell, which dates back to 1983, 25-23. Bucknell has won six in a row dating back to 2017, which matches its longest winning streak in the series. The Bison are also 13-12 when facing the Eagles at home. American is one of only two Patriot League teams with an all-time winning record against Bucknell.
• Bucknell and American did not play each other last season due to COVID-19 restrictions. Sunday will be the first meeting since Feb. 15, 2020. Bucknell won 68-43 over American at home in the 2019-20 season before winning a tight contest in Washington, D.C., 60-57.
• The most recent meeting came down to the wire, as the Eagles missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer in the fourth quarter. It was one of only two games Bucknell has won by a single possession during the Trevor Woodruff era. Then-sophomore Taylor O'Brien posted nine points, five rebounds and three assists in the victory, though she was just 2-of-11 from the field. Emma Shaffer was the only other current Bison to score in the last meeting.

Series Record: 23-25
Record at Home: 13-12
Record at American: 9-13
Neutral Site Record: 1-0
Trevor Woodruff Record: 2-0
Current Streak: 6 wins
Longest Winning Streak: 6
Longest Losing Streak: 10

Last Time Out
• Bucknell put together a huge defensive effort on the road at Lehigh on Wednesday, defeating the reigning Patriot League champion and preseason favorite 56-45 at Stabler Arena.
• Bucknell held the league's top offense to just 12 points in the first half and forced 15 turnovers while limiting the Mountain Hawks to 16-of-52 (30.8%) shooting and 6-of-28 (21.4%) from beyond the arc.
• Bucknell was 23-of-54 from the field (42.6%) and held a 38-32 edge on the glass.
• Senior Taylor O'Brien led the Bison with her second double-double of the season, scoring 19 points on 7-of-13 (53.8%) shooting with a career-high 16 rebounds. She was joined in double figures by junior Carly Krsul (15 points) and rookie Cecelia Collins (16 points). Collins also added a team-high four assists.

New Notable Career Highs
• Taylor O'Brien - 16 rebounds at Lehigh
• Cecelia Collins - 2 blocks, 16 field goal attempts at Lehigh

Dominant Defense
• Since head coach Trevor Woodruff's arrival in 2019-20, the Bison have had one of the best scoring defenses in the country. Bucknell allowed just 53.6 points per game during Woodruff's first season, which ranked eighth in NCAA Division I. Last season the Bison allowed 55.5 per game and finished 17th in the country.
• Bucknell currently ranks 30th in the country and second in the Patriot League with 55.5 points allowed per game. The Bison have held 10 of their 15 opponents to under 60 points this season, and five have been held to under 50.
• Bucknell has held teams to 12 or fewer first-half points three times since the start of the 2019-20 season. Additionally, the Bison have held teams to single digits in 47 quarters during that stretch (excludes overtime periods).

Double-Digit Victories
• 36 of Bucknell's last 44 wins have been by double digits. Since the start of the 2018-19 season, 58 of the team's 69 wins have been by a double-digit margin.
• Bucknell's largest margin of victory was 47 vs. Coppin State in 1985.
• The Bison have nine double-digit victories this season, including a 37-point win over Saint Francis.

Consistent Patriot League Success
• Bucknell is 90-12 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 146-41.

Overall Success at Sojka Pavilion
• The Bison are an incredible 80-9 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 176-76 (.698) on its home court.
• Bucknell finished a perfect 16-0 at Sojka Pavilion in 2016-17.
• The Bison are currently 5-1 in Sojka this season and 23-3 during the Trevor Woodruff era.

Up Next
Bucknell visits Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y. on Wednesday, Jan. 19. The Raiders are still seeking their first Patriot League win of the season, and Bucknell has won 10 in a row in the series. Wednesday's game is schedule to tip at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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Women's Basketball Plays Host to American Sunday at Sojka Pavilion

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cecelia Collins

Tai Johnson

Carly Krsul

Taylor O'Brien

Emma Shaffer

Marly Walls

Women's Basketball Plays Host to American Sunday at Sojka Pavilion

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cecelia Collins

Tai Johnson

Carly Krsul

Taylor O'Brien

Emma Shaffer

Marly Walls

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