Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Fairleigh Dickinson
Women's Basketball Set for Home Opener vs. Fairleigh Dickinson Wednesday
11/15/2022 5:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell women's basketball team plays its first home game of the 2022-23 season when Fairleigh Dickinson visits Sojka Pavilion Wednesday evening. Sojka has been a tough environment for Bucknell's opponents in recent years, as the Bison are 87-11 on their home court since the start of the 2015-16 season and 30-5 under head coach Trevor Woodruff.
Bucknell is 6-0 all-time against the Knights, including a 66-56 win on the road last season, but Fairleigh Dickinson is 20-10 overall since the last meeting. Wednesday's game will also be a meeting between two 2021-22 WNIT teams.
Game Notes | Game Program
Game Promotions
• White Out! All fans are encouraged to wear white
• 50% off tickets with the promo code 'Welcome Back'
• Veteran Appreciation Game: All veterans will receive free admission and a t-shirt while supplies last
• W&L Schedule Magnet Giveaway
What: Bucknell (0-2, 0-0 PL) vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (1-1, 0-0 NEC)
When: Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 6 p.m.
Where: Sojka Pavilion – Lewisburg, Pa.
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 90.5 WVBU
Live Statistics: BucknellBison.com
With a win over Fairleigh Dickinson, Bucknell would...
• ... win its first game of the season.
• ... improve to 4-0 in home openers under Woodruff.
• ... move to 31-5 in home games under Woodruff.
• ... improve to 7-0 in all-time meetings with the Knights.
• ... move to 58-19 overall under head coach Trevor Woodruff.
• ... improve to 634-634 all-time.
Headlines
• Bucknell hosts Fairleigh Dickinson Wednesday night for its home opener at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison are seeking their first win of the season and are looking to remain unbeaten in the all-time series with the Knights.
• Bucknell challenged itself early with two strong opponents off the bat. The Bison lost 66-49 to Atlantic 10 power Saint Joseph's in the season opener before battling to a 67-41 loss at 13th-ranked Virginia Tech on Saturday.
• Bucknell finished 24-10 overall and 12-6 in Patriot League play last season. The Bison reached the 2022 Patriot League Championship game playing as the No. 4 seed in the tournament, but they fell 65-54 to No. 2 seed American.
• Bucknell received an at-large bid to the 2022 WNIT and defeated Fordham in the first round before falling to Drexel in the second. Bucknell is the only Patriot League team with two all-time WNIT victories under its belt.
• Bucknell graduated two seniors in the spring, including two-time First Team All-Patriot League guard Taylor O'Brien and 2022 PL All-Defensive Team member Marly Walls. O'Brien led the Bison in scoring over the past two seasons, scored the fifth-most single-season point in program history as a senior (567) and graduated ranking 21st on Bucknell's all-time scoring list (1,125).
• Bucknell sophomore Cecelia Collins was voted to the 2022 Preseason All-Patriot League Team. She was a Second Team All-League selection last year. This is the first time since 2011 Bucknell has not returned a junior or senior All-League player.
• Bucknell was picked fourth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll. It's the first time since 2015-16 Bucknell was not picked in the top three. The Bison have gone 100-16 in league play since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• Senior Emma Shaffer, junior Caroline Dingler and sophomore Cecelia Collins were named captains ahead of the 2022-23 season.
• Head coach Trevor Woodruff is in his fourth season at Bucknell. He's 57-18 over that time, including a 36-8 mark in Patriot League play. He was named PL Coach of the Year in each of his first two seasons.
• Following the retirement of assistant coach Jim Reed during the offseason, Kelly Mazzante was elevated to associate head coach, and former manager of basketball operations LaSashia Connelly was named an assistant coach. Molly Gillis joined the staff during the offseason as the program's new manager of ops.
Scouting Fairleigh Dickinson
• Fairleigh Dickinson has opened its season 1-1 with a 62-51 win over Cornell on Saturday and a 75-47 loss at Marquette last Monday.
• Fairleigh Dickinson was picked second in the NEC preseason poll after winning the regular season in 2021-22 and making a WNIT appearance. The Knights lost to Bryant in the NEC semifinals and then fell 67-45 to Seton Hall in the first round of the WNIT, ending the year 19-12 (15-3 NEC).
• Fairleigh Dickinson has reached the NEC semifinals in each of head coach Angelika Szumilo's first three seasons. She has a 49-38 record since taking over the program in 2019.
• Junior guard Chloe Wilson earned a spot on the 2022-23 Preseason All-NEC Team after averaging 12.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last season. Wilson scored 12 points in Saturday's win over Cornell.
• FDU guard Ella Fajardo earned NEC Rookie of the Week honors on Monday after totaling 30 points over the first two games of the season. 12 of her points have come at the foul line, and she's knocked down 2-of-3 from beyond in the arc.
• Senior guard Dahomée Forgues posted 15 points in Saturday's win over the Big Red, and senior forward Sierra DeAngelo scored 12 points with eight rebounds in her season debut last game.
Series History with the Knights
• Bucknell is 6-0 in the all-time series with Fairleigh Dickinson, which dates back to 1987. The Bison are also 2-0 when facing the Knights at home.
• Bucknell has won by 10 points in each of the last two meetings. The 2014 meeting resulted in a 61-60 overtime win for the Bison, and two other matchups have been decided by two points.
• Bucknell defeated Fairleigh Dickinson 66-56 on the road last season. The Bison trailed for nearly 34 minutes, but a strong defensive effort limited the Knights to just six points on 2-of-15 shooting in the fourth quarter, and the Bison outscored them 22-6 over the final 10 minutes.
• Cecelia Collins was one of four Bison that scored in double figures in last season's meeting with the Knights. The other returning Bison on this year's team combined for 11 points. The Bison forced 17 turnovers, grabbing 10 steals.
Series Record: 6-0
Record at Home: 2-0
Record at Fairleigh Dickinson: 3-0
Neutral Site Record: 1-0
Trevor Woodruff Record: 1-0
Current Streak: Won 6
Longest Winning Streak: N/A
Longest Losing Streak: 6
New Career Highs
Caroline Dingler — rebounds (7), minutes (27)
Emma Theodorsson — points (10)
Streaks of Note
Emma Shaffer — starts (35)
Cecelia Collins — starts (35)
Last Time Out
• Bucknell hung tight to No. 13 Virginia Tech through three quarters before eventually falling 67-41 at Cassell Coliseum Friday night. The Bison trailed by just seven at halftime and were within striking distance at 46-33 entering the fourth.
• The Bison shot 41.9 percent (18-of-43) for the game and Virginia Tech shot 38.1 percent (24-of-63). Bucknell was hindered by 20 turnovers but outscored a sizable Hokies team 32-20 in the paint. Virginia Tech held a 37-28 advantage in rebounds.
• Cecelia Collins led all Bison with 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting and finished with three rebounds and an assist. She was joined in double figures by freshman Emma Theodorsson, who posted 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting including a pair of 3-pointers. Caroline Dingler led the team with seven rebounds.
• Helping a solid defensive effort by the Bison were blocks by Grace Sullivan, Isabella King and Emma Shaffer. Shaffer also added five rebounds and four points before fouling out of the game in the third quarter.
• The Bison trailed by just 11 at 46-35 at the start of the fourth quarter before an 11-0 Virginia Tech run broke the game open.
Patriot League Preseason Awards
• Cecelia Collins was one of five players named to the 2022 Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
• Collins is Bucknell's lone returning All-Patriot League player, earning spots on the Second Team and the All-Rookie Team as a freshman in 2021-22. She became the first Bison freshman to earn a spot on the First, Second or Third Team since 2001.
• Collins was one of two sophomores to make the Preseason All-League Team.
• Boston University senior Sydney Johnson was named the Patriot League Player of the Year.
• While not earning a spot on the five-player Preseason All-League Team, Boston senior Maren Durant was voted the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, an award that was just added prior to this season.
Bison Picked Fourth in Patriot League Preseason Poll
• Bucknell was picked to finish fourth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll based on a vote by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
• Bucknell was last picked fourth in the preseason poll prior to the 2015-2016. It has been picked third or higher every year since.
• Boston University was picked first, followed by Lehigh and Holy Cross. Reigning Patriot League Champion American was picked eighth.
• Bucknell is 100-16 in league play since the start of the 2015-16 season.
Overall Success in Sojka Pavilion
• The Bison are an incredible 87-11 at Sojka Pavilion since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• Now in its 21st season playing at Sojka Pavilion, Bucknell is 183-78 (.701) on its home court.
• Bucknell finished a perfect 16-0 at Sojka Pavilion in 2016-17.
• The Bison were currently 12-3 in Sojka last season and are 30-5 during the Trevor Woodruff era.
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 and has led the Patriot League in two of the last three seasons. Over Woodruff's first three seasons, Bucknell allowed just 54.5 points per game.
• Bucknell allowed just 53.6 points per game during Woodruff's first season, which ranked eighth in NCAA Division I and was a program record. In 2020-21, the Bison allowed 55.5 per game and finished 17th in the country.
• Bucknell allowed 54.9 points per game last season, good enough for 15th in the nation
• The Bison held opponents to 60 or fewer points in 24 of their 34 games in 2021-22, and 11 were held to under 50.
• Bucknell held teams to 20 or fewer first-half points 11 times last season and 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 69 quarters over the past three seasons (excludes overtime periods).
Bucknell Scoring Defense (Last Three Seasons)
Season PPG Allowed Nat. Rank PL Rank
2019-20 53.6 8th 1st
2020-21 55.5 17th 2nd
2021-22 54.9 15th 1st
Up Next
Bucknell is back on the road at Cornell on Saturday, Nov. 19. The Bison are 19-5 all-time against Cornell, last meeting in 2015.
