Women's Basketball Challenges Second-Place Holy Cross at Sojka Pavilion Saturday

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LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell women's basketball challenges Holy Cross at Sojka Pavilion this Saturday in a battle for second place in the Patriot League standings. It's a long-awaited matchup between the Bison and the Crusaders, as the two teams did not play during the previous season and were last scheduled to meet in the 2020 Patriot League semifinals before the tournament came to an abrupt halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Holy Cross is one of only two Patriot League foes with an all-time winning record against the Bison, but Bucknell has had the upper hand in recent years as winners of eight of the last 10 in the series.

Both Bucknell and Holy Cross have been on a roll lately, with Bucknell winning its last four games and Holy Cross claiming its last three. Both squads also rank top 25 in the nation in scoring defense, setting the scene for a defensive battle on the home court on Saturday.

Saturday will also be Bucknell's first time going up against second-year head coach Maureen Magarity, who has guided the Crusaders to an 18-14 overall record since arriving in Worcester. The Crusaders rely on three-time All-Patriot League selection Avery LaBarbera. LaBarbera has posted eight consecutive double-doubles and ranks fourth in the league in both scoring and rebounding.

The progression of Bucknell rookie Cecelia Collins has complemented veterans Taylor O'Brien and Carly Krsul on offense in recent weeks. Collins, a three-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week selection, is averaging 6.8 assists during Bucknell's current win streak while scoring in double figures in 12 of 17 games. Meanwhile, O'Brien remains second in the league in scoring, posting double-digit efforts in 24 straight contests.

Saturday's game, which will be broadcast on both ESPN+ and locally on SECV8, is the Bison's last home game before hitting the road for back-to-back games away from Sojka.

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

What: Bucknell (13-4, 4-2 PL) vs. Holy Cross (11-6, 5-1 PL)
When: Saturday, Jan. 22 at 2 p.m.
Where: Sojka Pavilion – Lewisburg, Pa.
TV: SECV8
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 90.5 WVBU
Live Statistics: BucknellBison.com

Last Game's Starters
Sr./G: Marly Walls (7.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.1 apg)
Sr./G: Taylor O'Brien (17.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.9 spg)
Jr./G: Tai Johnson (3.0 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.8 apg)
Fr./G: Cecelia Collins (11.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.8 apg)
Jr./F: Emma Shaffer (4.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.3 apg)

With a win over Holy Cross, Bucknell would...
• ... improve to 14-4 overall this season, winning a fifth straight game.
• ... maintain the best overall record in the Patriot League this season.
• ... move to second in the Patriot League standings with a 5-2 league record.
• ... move to 47-11 overall under Woodruff.
• ... move to 7-1 in home games this season.
• ... improve to 25-3 at home under Woodruff.
• ... improve to 27-45 all-time against the Crusaders, winning a fourth straight game in the series.
• ... improve to 29-4 in Patriot League play under Woodruff.
• ... move to 269-180 all-time in Patriot League play.

Headlines
• Bucknell hosts Holy Cross at Sojka Pavilion on Saturday for a battle between the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the Patriot League. It's the first meeting in nearly two years, and a win by the Bison would flip the two teams in the standings.
• Bucknell has won four straight games after opening conference play 0-2. Over the last two weeks, the Bison have limited three of four opponents to under 50 points and have won all four games by double digits.
• Bucknell passed Holy Cross this week to rank first in the Patriot League and 19th in the nation in scoring defense, giving up just 54.4 points per game. The Bison have only allowed five of its 17 opponents to score 60 or more. Additionally, Bucknell has forced an average of 18 turnovers per game over the last four.
• Bucknell also ranks 12th in the country in turnovers per game, committing just 12.1 per game.
• Bucknell possesses the second-best field goal percentage in the Patriot League this season (42.6%). Bucknell has not shot below 40 percent in its last 12 outings.
• Bucknell rookie guard Cecelia Collins has been on a tear in recent weeks. The three-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week is averaging 14 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.8 steals during the current winning streak. She's also first in the league in scoring among rookies.
• Senior guard Taylor O'Brien scored in double figures for a 24th consecutive game against Colgate. She ranks second in the league in scoring (17.1 ppg) and third in steals (1.9 spg). O'Brien is 51 points shy of scoring 900 for her career.
• Bucknell moved up to No. 22 in the latest 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 92-12 in PL play since the start of the 2015-16 season. Under head coach Trevor Woodruff, Bucknell is 28-4 against league opponents during the regular season. 24 of those 28 wins have been by double digits.
• 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 61-13 overall during that three-year 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 46-11 overall under his direction.

Scouting Holy Cross/Series History
• Holy Cross sits second in the Patriot League with an 11-6 overall record and a 5-1 mark in league play. The Crusaders have won three in a row, and their only league loss was to American back on Jan. 12.
• In its last game, Holy Cross shot 50 percent while going 7-of-16 from beyond the arc in a 63-57 victory over Lafayette.
• The Crusaders rank just behind Bucknell in scoring defense, allowing just 55.2 points per contest. They've yet to surrender 60 points to a league opponent and are 24th in the nation in the category.
• Holy Cross also ranks second in the league in rebounding and is first in 3-point field goal percentage defense.
• Holy Cross is led by three-time All-Patriot League selection and 2019 Rookie of the Year Avery LaBarbera, who ranks fourth in the league in both scoring (14.8 ppg) and rebounding (9.5 rpg). The senior has posted double-doubles in eight straight games. LaBarbera was named Patriot League Player of the Week back on Jan. 10 after dropping 30 points and 17 rebounds in a win over Lehigh.
• Second-year head coach Maureen Magarity has an 18-14 overall record with the team, including a 12-8 mark in league play.
• Bucknell and Holy Cross will face for the first time since Feb. 19, 2020 after not meeting last season. Holy Cross is one of two Patriot League teams with an all-time winning record against the Bison (45-26).
• Bucknell has held the edge in recent years, winning eight of the last 10. Holy Cross' last win against the Bison was back in February 2019.
• Bucknell won 63-45 over Holy Cross at home in the most recent meeting. The Bison held the Crusaders to 33.3 percent shooting and just 2-of-13 from 3-point range. Bucknell also held a 40-29 edge in rebounding. Four Bison scored nine or more points, including a double-double from Ellie Mack.
• Bucknell and Holy Cross were meant to play each other in the 2020 Patriot League semifinals before the game was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Series Record: 26-45
Record at Home: 17-16
Record at Holy Cross: 8-27
Neutral Site Record: 1-2
Trevor Woodruff Record: 2-0
Current Streak: 3 wins
Longest Winning Streak: 4
Longest Losing Streak: 9

Last Time Out
• Bucknell rolled to a fourth straight win Wednesday evening, defeating the Colgate Raiders 61-41 on the road at Cotterell Court. Bucknell (13-4, 4-2 PL) held the Raiders to just 28.8 percent shooting (15-of-52) and forced 18 turnovers in the victory.
• Cecelia Collins (14) and Taylor O'Brien (12) both scored in double figures, and all 11 Bison that registered minutes ended up with points. Collins also added seven assists, four steals, a block and six rebounds to her totals.
• Bucknell shot 51.7 percent in the second half to open up a 20-point lead after being up by just five at halftime. The Bison outscored Colgate 20-5 in the third quarter.
• Bucknell scored 20 points off turnovers and 34 of its points in the paint. Both teams finished with just two 3-pointers each. Bucknell also turned it over just seven times on the day.

New Notable Career Highs
• Cecelia Collins - 4 steals at Colgate
• Kaylee Reinbeau - 8 minutes, 1 assist at Colgate
• Emma Shaffer - 5 free throws made at Colgate

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 19th in the country and first in the Patriot League with 54.4 points allowed per game. The Bison have held 12 of their 17 opponents to under 60 points this season, and six 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 51 quarters during that stretch (excludes overtime periods).

Double-Digit Victories
• 38 of Bucknell's last 46 wins have been by double digits. Since the start of the 2018-19 season, 60 of the team's 71 wins have been by a double-digit margin.
• Bucknell's largest margin of victory was 47 vs. Coppin State in 1985.
• The Bison have 11 double-digit victories this season, including a 37-point win over Saint Francis.

Consistent Patriot League Success
• Bucknell is 92-12 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 148-41.

Overall Success at Sojka Pavilion
• The Bison are an incredible 81-9 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 177-76 (.698) on its home court.
• Bucknell finished a perfect 16-0 at Sojka Pavilion in 2016-17.
• The Bison are currently 6-1 in Sojka this season and 24-3 during the Trevor Woodruff era.

Up Next
Bucknell hits the road to take on Navy for a second time this season. The Bison visit Annapolis, Md. for a 7 p.m. game on Wednesday, Jan. 26.

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Women's Basketball Challenges Second-Place Holy Cross at Sojka Pavilion Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cecelia Collins

Tai Johnson

Carly Krsul

Taylor O'Brien

Kaylee Reinbeau

Emma Shaffer

Marly Walls

Women's Basketball Challenges Second-Place Holy Cross at Sojka Pavilion Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cecelia Collins

Tai Johnson

Carly Krsul

Taylor O'Brien

Kaylee Reinbeau

Emma Shaffer

Marly Walls

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