Women's Basketball on the Road at Loyola Saturday

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell women's basketball travels to Baltimore, Md. to take on Loyola for its second road game of the week. The Bison are looking to make it a 2-0 week and to secure their sixth consecutive victory over the Greyhounds. Bucknell won 62-42 over Loyola at home back on Jan. 8.

Bucknell's defense was outstanding in the team's latest win, holding Navy to just 43 points and giving up only 13 in the second half. Bucknell avoided going 0-2 against the Mids and is now seeking its first series sweep of the season. Bucknell is also looking to remain in third place in conference standings and to maintain its league-leading overall record.

The Greyhounds enter the matchup with momentum after climbing out of the basement of the Patriot League standings with their first league win of the season on Wednesday, defeating Colgate 62-61. The win snapped a nine-game losing skid and was one of Loyola's best shooting performances of the season.

Leading the Greyhounds to the win was standout freshman Lex Therien, who has been named Patriot League Rookie of the Week three times. Therien poured in 23 points against Colgate, which were the most she's scored since hanging 23 on Bucknell in the last meeting.

With a win on Saturday, Bucknell will return to Lewisburg 6-3 in conference play ahead of Wednesday's home matchup with second-place Boston U.

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

What: Bucknell (14-5, 5-3 PL) at Loyola (4-12, 1-7 PL)
When: Saturday, Jan. 29 at 3 p.m.
Where: Reitz Arena - Baltimore, Md.
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 90.5 WVBU
Live Statistics: LoyolaGreyhounds.com

Last Game's Starters
Sr./G: Marly Walls (8.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.2 apg)
Sr./G: Taylor O'Brien (16.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.9 apg)
Jr./G: Tai Johnson (2.8 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.8 apg)
Fr./G: Cecelia Collins (11.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.8 apg)
Jr./F: Emma Shaffer (4.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.4 apg)

With a win over Loyola, Bucknell would...
• ... improve to 15-5 overall this season and 6-3 in Patriot League play, winning a second straight game.
• ... move to 48-12 overall under Woodruff.
• ... move to 9-3 in games away from Sojka this season.
• ... win a fourth straight road game.
• ... improve to 24-8 all-time against the Greyhounds, winning a sixth straight game in the series.
• ... improve to 6-1 against the Greyhounds under Woodruff.
• ... improve to 30-5 in Patriot League play under Woodruff.
• ... move to 271-181 all-time in Patriot League play.
• ... maintain the best overall record in the Patriot League.

Headlines
• Bucknell visits Loyola (Md.) for its second road game this week. The Bison are looking to capture their first series sweep of the season and their sixth straight win against the Greyhounds. Bucknell will remain in third place in league standings with a win.
• This is the first time Bucknell has played back-to-back road games since November.
• Bucknell posted another outstanding defensive effort at Navy on Wednesday, holding the Mids to just 13 points and 15.2 percent shooting in the second half. Bucknell has held seven teams to under 50 points this season and currently ranks 18th in the country with 54.3 points allowed per game. Bucknell also ranks second in the Patriot League in opponent field goal percentage (36.4%).
• The Bison rank 16th in the country in turnovers with 12.5 per game. They've committed single-digit turnovers four times this season, including the last time they took on Loyola (9).
• Senior Taylor O'Brien led Bucknell in scoring against the Mids for a 13th time this season and was a rebound shy of her third double-double of the year. O'Brien has scored in double figures in 26 consecutive outings, and she's second in points per game among Patriot League players this season (16.8). She added two more steals against the Mids as well and is third in the league in that category (1.8 spg).
• Reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Week Cecelia Collins added five assists in Bucknell's latest win, and she has four or more assists in six games this season. Collins has scored in double figures 12 times and has earned Rookie of the Week honors four times total. She's averaging 12.7 points, 5.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds over the last six games.
• Senior Marly Walls had another strong outing last time out, despite playing just 25 foul-plagued minutes. Walls scored 10 points, including eight in the third quarter alone, while grabbing three steals and handing out a pair of assists. Walls has totaled 24 points over the last two games and ranks eighth in the league with 3.2 assists per contest this season.
• Junior forward Emma Shaffer has been efficient all season long and posted another strong effort in the Navy win, scoring seven points on 3-of-5 shooting with seven rebounds and a pair of assists in 17 minutes of action. Shaffer is shooting 53.1 percent this season.
• Bucknell's three rookies all played 16 or more minutes in the Navy game. Remi Sisselman knocked down a 3-pointer for a third consecutive game, and Isabella King pulled down a season-high five rebounds in the win.
• Bucknell still has yet to play Boston U. and Lafayette this season. The Terriers are one spot ahead of the Bison in the Patriot League standings, and Lafayette sits seventh.
• Bucknell has been dominant against league opponents for some time and has gone 93-13 in PL play since the start of the 2015-16 season. Under head coach Trevor Woodruff, Bucknell is 29-5 against league opponents during the regular season. 25 of those 29 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 65-14 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 47-12 overall under his direction.

Scouting Loyola/Series History
• Loyola moved up one spot in the Patriot League standings (9th) after earning its first conference win of the season against Colgate, 62-61, on Wednesday. Loyola is 4-14 overall this season. The Greyhounds posted their best shooting percentage (46%) in nearly two months and racked up their highest scoring total (62) since Nov. 17. Rookie Lex Therien knocked down the winning basket with 3.2 seconds to play before blocking Colgate's final attempt at the buzzer.
• Prior to the Colgate win, the Greyhounds had lost nine in a row and had scored under 50 in three straight contests. Loyola ranks eighth in the league in scoring offense (54.6 ppg) and sixth in scoring defense (61.9 ppg).
• Therien, a three-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week selection, ranks ninth in the league in scoring (12.2 ppg) and second in rebounding (10.4 rpg). She has eight double-doubles this season.
• Also averaging double-digit scoring this season is senior Taleah Dixon (10.9 ppg). Meanwhile, junior Bri Rozzi leads the Greyhounds in assists (2.9 apg) and has scored in double figures seven times this season.
• Bucknell leads the all-time series 23-8 against Loyola, including an 8-5 record on the road. The Bison have won five in a row against the Greyhounds, which is one shy of its longest winning streak in the series. Bucknell captured a 62-42 victory against the Greyhounds at home back on Jan. 8.
• Bucknell has held the Greyhounds to 50 or fewer points during its current five-game winning streak.
• In the most recent meeting, Bucknell allowed a season-low 46 field goal attempts and a season-low 28 rebounds to the Greyhounds. Loyola scored just nine points in both the first and second quarters. The Bison also forced 17 turnovers and gave up just 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. Offensively, the Bison shot 41.5 percent and knocked down 8-of-22 from 3-point range. They assisted on 18 of their 22 made buckets.
• Carly Krsul led Bucknell with 14 points of 6-of-8 shooting, while Cecelia Collins (12) and Taylor O'Brien (10) also scored in double figures. Collins added seven assists as well.

Series Record: 23-8
Record at Home: 15-2
Record at Loyola: 8-5
Neutral Site Record: 0-1
Trevor Woodruff Record: 5-1
Current Streak: 5 wins
Longest Winning Streak: 6
Longest Losing Streak: 1

Last Time Out
• Bucknell earned its fifth Patriot League win of the season on Wednesday, defeating Navy 53-43 on the road at Alumni Hall. Navy (6-13, 3-6 PL) led 30-28 at halftime, but the Bison limited the Mids to just 5-of-33 (15.2%) and 13 points over the final two quarters.
• The game featured 11 lead changes, but Bucknell jumped out in front for good with a 7-0 run to open the second quarter.
• Bucknell held a 49-37 edge on the glass and forced 14 Navy turnovers. As a team, the Bison shot 19-of-57 (33.3%) from the field and made three 3-pointers, all in the first half.
• Taylor O'Brien led the Bison with 16 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Marly Walls also scored in double figures, posting 10 points in the second half after facing early foul trouble and playing just five minutes over the first two quarters. Other notable performances included seven points and seven rebounds from Emma Shaffer, as well as nine points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block from Cecelia Collins.

New Notable Career Highs
• Isabella King - 5 rebounds at Navy

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 18th in the country and first in the Patriot League with 54.3 points allowed per game. The Bison have held 13 of their 19 opponents to under 60 points this season, and seven 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 54 quarters during that stretch (excludes overtime periods).

Double-Digit Victories
• 39 of Bucknell's last 47 wins have been by double digits. Since the start of the 2018-19 season, 61 of the team's 72 wins have been by a double-digit margin.
• Bucknell's largest margin of victory was 47 vs. Coppin State in 1985.
• The Bison have 12 double-digit victories this season, including a 37-point win over Saint Francis.

Consistent Patriot League Success
• Bucknell is 93-13 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 149-42.

Up Next
Bucknell returns to Lewisburg for back-to-back home games next week. Bucknell hosts second-place Boston U. at Sojka Pavilion on Wednesday, Feb. 2. It's also Education Day at Sojka on Wednesday, and kids in grades K-12 will receive free admission. Wednesday's game tips off at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Women's Basketball on the Road at Loyola Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cecelia Collins

Tai Johnson

Isabella King

Carly Krsul

Taylor O'Brien

Emma Shaffer

Remi Sisselman

Marly Walls

Women's Basketball on the Road at Loyola Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cecelia Collins

Tai Johnson

Isabella King

Carly Krsul

Taylor O'Brien

Emma Shaffer

Remi Sisselman

Marly Walls

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