Women's Basketball Visits First-Place Holy Cross for Saturday Matinee

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell women's basketball heads to Worcester, Mass. for the first time in over two years to take on the first-place Holy Cross Crusaders. It's the second meeting of the season between the two teams, and the Bison are looking to avenge a 63-62 overtime loss to the Crusaders back in January.

In order to pull off the win, Bucknell will need to slow down Patriot League Player of the Year candidate Avery LaBarbera, who hung 30 points on the Bison last time the teams met. LaBarbera was everything for the Crusaders during the January meeting, hitting the game-winning shot, a half-court heave at halftime, and 5-of-8 attempts from beyond the arc.

Bucknell led late in the game against Holy Cross, however, and its defense has played far better since. The Bison have allowed just one team to eclipse 60 points over their last five outings, and they're forcing more than 17 turnovers per game over the last four.

Seniors Marly Walls and Taylor O'Brien are coming off double-digit scoring efforts against American, and Walls has handed out five assists in back-to-back games.

A victory on Saturday would give head coach Trevor Woodruff the 50^th win of his career with the Bison, and Bucknell would improve to 8-5 in Patriot League play.

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

What: Bucknell (16-7, 7-5 PL) at Holy Cross (16-7, 10-2 PL)
When: Saturday, Feb. 12 at noon
Where: Hart Center - Worcester, Mass.
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 90.5 WVBU
Live Statistics: GoHolyCross.com

Last Game's Starters
Sr./G: Marly Walls (7.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.3 apg)
Sr./G: Taylor O'Brien (15.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.9 spg)
So./G: Julie Kulesza (4.0 ppg, 0.6 rpg, 0.6 apg)
Fr./G: Cecelia Collins (11.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.9 apg)
Jr./F: Emma Shaffer (4.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.4 apg)

With a win over Holy Cross, Bucknell would...
• ... improve to 17-7 overall this season and 8-5 in Patriot League play.
• ... move to 50-14 overall under Woodruff.
• ... improve to 27-46 all-time against the Crusaders.
• ... split the season series with the Crusaders.
• ... improve to 3-1 against the Crusaders under Woodruff.
• ... improve to 10-4 away from Sojka this season.
• ... improve to 32-7 in Patriot League play under Woodruff.
• ... move to 273-183 all-time in Patriot League play.

Headlines
• Bucknell travels to Worcester, Mass. to take on the first-place Holy Cross Crusaders on Saturday. Bucknell is looking to avenge a 63-62 overtime loss to the Crusaders at home back on Jan. 22. The Bison are also trying to avoid suffering back-to-back losses for the first time since opening conference play 0-2.
• Bucknell hasn't visited Holy Cross since Jan. 11, 2020. The Bison collected a 51-40 win the last time they played at the Hart Center.
• Bucknell moved from fourth to fifth in Patriot League standings with its 56-48 loss at American on Wednesday. The Bison could move back into fourth place with a win on Saturday.
• Wednesday was only the third time Bucknell has scored fewer than 50 points this season and the first time since Nov. 20. It was the the 17th time the Bison have held a team to under 60.
• The Bison remain 13th in the country in scoring defense (53.9 ppg). They're 17th in the country in turnovers per game (12.7), despite committing 18 in the American game.
• Marly Walls and Taylor O'Brien both scored a team-high 10 points against American on Wednesday. Walls has scored in double figures in four of the last six games, and she's posted three or more assists in four straight. Walls is eighth in the league in assists per game (3.3).
• O'Brien has scored in double figures in 21 of 23 games and ranks fourth in the league with 15.5 points per outing. O'Brien has had at least two steals in five straight games.
• Cecelia Collins added nine points, six rebounds and a pair of assists at American. The freshman has been named PL Rookie of the Week four times.
• Sophomore Julie Kulesza has made a 3-pointer in four straight games and has 12 over the last eight games. She's started the last two games and four total this season. Rookie Isabella King has also made three triples over the last two contests. She played a career-high 24 minutes at American on Wednesday.
• Carly Krsul ranks second in the Patriot League in blocks (1.8 bpg) and has nine over the last four games.
• Bucknell has been dominant against league opponents for some time and has gone 95-15 in PL play since the start of the 2015-16 season. Under head coach Trevor Woodruff, Bucknell is 31-7 against league opponents during the regular season. 27 of those 31 wins have been by double digits. Woodruff is seeking his 50th career with with the Orange & Blue on Saturday.
• 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 66-14 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 49-14 overall under his direction.

Scouting Holy Cross/Series History
• Holy Cross has won three in a row and sits in first place in the Patriot League standings. The Crusaders are 16-7 overall and 10-2 in league play. They're also 10-3 when playing on their home court.
• Most recently, the Crusaders won 58-49 playing on the road at Loyola. Their only league losses were to Lehigh on Jan. 28 and at American on Jan. 12.
• Holy Cross is second in the Patriot League behind only Bucknell in scoring defense (55.0 ppg). Its scoring offense is fifth (60.5 ppg). The Crusaders lead the league in field goal percentage defense, allowing just 36.2% for the season.
• Holy Cross senior Avery LaBarbera has put herself in contention for Patriot League Player of the Year, leading the team and ranking third in the league in scoring (15.6 ppg). She's also fourth in the league in rebounding (9.7 rpg), fourth in assists (4.0 apg) and second in minutes (35.7 mpg). LaBarbera was named Player of the Week on Monday for a third time in the last month.
• Sophomore Bronagh Power-Cassidy is second on the team with 9.8 points per game, and senior forward Oluchi Ezemma is second in rebounding (5.6 rpg). Sophomore guard Cara McCormack led the Crusaders with 14 points in the team's most recent win.
• Head coach Maureen Magarity is in her second season at Holy Cross and owns a 169-170 career record. She previously led the New Hampshire women's basketball program for 10 seasons.
• Holy Cross possesses the best all-time record against Bucknell of any team in the Patriot League (46-26). The Bison had won three in a row before suffering a 63-62 loss in overtime at Sojka Pavilion back on Jan. 22.
• In the earlier meeting this season, Bucknell led 56-55 with 38 seconds to play in regulation, but LaBarbera made 1-of-2 at the foul line with 23 seconds to go to force the extra frame. Bucknell led again in overtime, 62-61, but LaBarbera had the final made field goal with 24 seconds left, and Bucknell missed its last two attempts before time ran out.
• Bucknell shot 38 percent in the game and made 6-of-21 from beyond the arc with 17 turnovers. Holy Cross shot 38 percent as well but made 8-of-15 from the arc.
• Marly Walls scored a team-high 14 points with five assists, while O'Brien and Collins finished in double figures as well.

Series Record: 26-46
Record at Home: 17-17
Record at Holy Cross: 8-27
Neutral Site Record: 1-2
Trevor Woodruff Record: 2-1
Current Streak: 1 loss
Longest Winning Streak: 4
Longest Losing Streak: 9

Last Time Out
• Bucknell challenged American on the road at Bender Arena on Wednesday and held a small lead at halftime, but the Eagles went on to win 56-48 in the back-and-forth affair. The Bison were plagued by 18 turnovers and 20-of-57 (35.1%) shooting, while American shot 47.6 percent in the second half and outscored Bucknell 33-21 over the final two quarters.
• Taylor O'Brien and Marly Walls both scored 10 points to lead the Bison effort. Walls added five assists, three rebounds and a steal to her 10 points. O'Brien grabbed eight rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block. Cecelia Collins finished the game with nine points, six rebounds, two

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 13th in the country and first in the Patriot League with 53.9 points allowed per game. The Bison have held opponents to under 60 points in 16 of their 23 games, and nine have been held to under 50.
• Bucknell has held teams to 20 or fewer first-half points seven times this 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 59 quarters during that stretch (excludes overtime periods).

Consistent Patriot League Success
• Bucknell is 94-15 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 150-44.

Up Next
The Bison return to Sojka Pavilion to host Lehigh on Wednesday, Feb. 16. Bucknell won 56-45 over the Mountain Hawks on the road back in January. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+. It's also Bucknell's annual Play4Kay game, and fans are encouraged to wear pink. Cancer survivors and those currently fighting cancer will receive free admission.

Women's Basketball Visits First-Place Holy Cross for Saturday Matinee

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cecelia Collins

Isabella King

Carly Krsul

Julie Kulesza

Taylor O'Brien

Emma Shaffer

Marly Walls

Women's Basketball Visits First-Place Holy Cross for Saturday Matinee

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cecelia Collins

Isabella King

Carly Krsul

Julie Kulesza

Taylor O'Brien

Emma Shaffer

Marly Walls

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