Women's Basketball Hosts Lehigh at Sojka Wednesday for Play4Kay Game

SPECTATOR POLICY: Bison Athletics and the Bucknell men's basketball team are pleased to welcome fans back to Sojka Pavilion this season. Please note that Bucknell's spectator policy recently changed, and proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test is now required for entry. CLICK HERE for more details on the updated policy.

LEWISBURG, Pa. – On one of the most eventful nights at Sojka Pavilion this year, the Bucknell women's basketball team is hosting Lehigh for a 6 p.m. game on Wednesday that features two of the Patriot League's top teams fighting for position in the standings. Bucknell is looking to pull off the series sweep over the Mountain Hawks and potentially pull within a game of second place, while Lehigh is attempting to maintain the best overall record among league teams and could slide into the second-best spot.

The Mountain Hawks are winners of four straight, and they own the league's top offense. Lehigh is averaging 72.5 points per game and hung 99 on Navy just a few weeks back. Its 9.9 3-pointers per game also rank fourth in the nation. The only team that has been able to hold Lehigh under 50 this season is Bucknell, which limited the reigning champs to just 45 points at Stabler Arena back in January.

Bucknell's scoring defense is 10^th-best among NCAA Division I teams, giving up just 53.7 points per contest. The Bison are coming off a massive win over first-place Holy Cross on Saturday, as they held their opponent to under 50 points for a 10^th time this season. On top of that, senior Taylor O'Brien posted her best outing in a month with 17 points on 50 percent shooting. The last time she scored as many was against the Mountain Hawks when she racked up 19 points and a career-high 16 rebounds.

While Bucknell has dominated the series in recent years, winning 10 of the last 11, Lehigh had the most meaningful win in last season's Patriot League semifinal game at Sojka Pavilion. It's Bucknell's only loss to the Mountain Hawks in the eight meetings since head coach Trevor Woodruff took over the reigns of the program.

Wednesday is also Bucknell's annual Play4Kay pink game, and the Bison will be rocking their pink and grey uniforms in support of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Fans are encouraged to wear pink as well, and all cancer survivors and those currently battling cancer will receive free admission. Additionally, Coach Woodruff will be donating $5 for every rebound the Bison grab on Wednesday. Fans also have the opportunity to donate at a station set up on the Sojka concourse.

Wednesday is also Youth Basketball Night, and youth players in uniform will receive free admission. The game will be streaming on ESPN+ and broadcast locally on SECV8.

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

What: Bucknell (17-7, 8-5 PL) vs. Lehigh (17-6, 9-3 PL)
When: Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 6 p.m.
Where: Sojka Pavilion - Lewisburg, Pa.
TV: SECV8
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 90.5 WVBU
Live Statistics: B ucknellBison.com

Game Promotions

Last Game's Starters
Sr./G: Marly Walls (7.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.3 apg)
Sr./G: Taylor O'Brien (15.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.0 spg)
So./G: Julie Kulesza (4.1 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 0.6 apg)
Fr./G: Cecelia Collins (11.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.8 apg)
Jr./F: Emma Shaffer (4.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.4 apg)

With a win over Lehigh, Bucknell would...
• ... improve to 18-7 overall this season and 9-5 in Patriot League play.
• ... move to 51-14 overall under Woodruff.
• ... improve to 50-44 all-time against the Mountain Hawks, winning a second straight game.
• ... sweep the Mountain Hawks in the regular season for a fourth straight year.
• ... improve to 8-1 against the Mountain Hawks under Woodruff.
• ... improve to 8-3 in Sojka this season.
• ... improve to 33-7 in Patriot League play under Woodruff.
• ... move to 274-183 all-time in Patriot League play.

Headlines
• Bucknell is back at Sojka Pavilion on Wednesday to host Lehigh after back-to-back road games. It's a massive game for the Bison, as they could potentially pull within a game of second place in the Patriot League standings while securing the tiebreaker over Lehigh with a series sweep. Bucknell won 56-45 in the January matchup on the road at Lehigh.
• The Bison are currently fifth in league standings and have wins over three of the four teams ahead of them. The top five teams in the standings are all separated by just two games.
• Bucknell helped itself out with a big 66-49 win over first-place Holy Cross on Saturday. It was Bucknell's 15th double-digit victory of the season and its 10th time holding a team to under 50 points. The Crusaders managed just 17 points through the first half.
• Bucknell continues to improve defensively and ranks 10th in the nation in scoring defense (53.7 ppg). Bucknell has held opponents to fewer than 60 points in 10 of its 13 Patriot League games. Two of the last three opponents have been held under 50.
• Senior Taylor O'Brien put together her best game in the last month against Holy Cross on Saturday, racking up 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting and adding six rebounds, three steals and an assist. It was her highest-scoring game since posting 19 points and 16 rebounds at Lehigh on Jan. 12. O'Brien is fourth in the league in scoring (15.5 ppg) and third in steals (2.0 spg). She's posted multiple steals in six straight games.
• Junior Carly Krsul was also fantastic on Saturday, going 8-for-12 from the field for 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks. She remains second in the league in blocks per game (1.8) and is averaging 2.2 over the last five games. The Bison are 14-3 in games where Krsul scores in double figures this season.
• Four-time PL Rookie of the Week Cecelia Collins grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds in Saturday's win over Holy Cross. She was one point shy of her first-career double-double. It was Collins' first game without an assist since the team's Patriot League opener on Jan. 2.
• Isabella King knocked down two more 3-pointers against Holy Cross, and she's now hit eight over the last six games. The rookie is also averaging 6.2 points over the last five games, scoring eight on Saturday.
• Sophomore Julie Kulesza also knocked down a pair from beyond the arc against Holy Cross. She's posted nine made threes over the last five games and has started each of the last three.
• Senior Marly Walls handed out a game-high four assists against Holy Cross and has posted three or more in five straight games, including a total of 14 over the last three. Walls ranks eighth in the Patriot League with 3.3 assists per game. Saturday was, however, Bucknell's first game without double-digit assists since Jan. 2.
• Bucknell has been dominant against league opponents for some time and has gone 96-15 in PL play since the start of the 2015-16 season. Under head coach Trevor Woodruff, Bucknell is 32-7 against league opponents during the regular season. 28 of those 32 wins have been by double digits.
• Woodruff collected his 50th career win with the Orange & Blue on Saturday. He's the quickest in program history to reach the milestone, doing so in just 64 games with the Bison. The second-fastest to reach 50 career wins was former head coach Aaron Roussell, who did it in 92 games.
• 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 50-14 overall under his direction.
• Wednesday is Bucknell's annual Play4Kay pink game. The Bison will be wearing pink and grey uniforms, and fans are encouraged to wear pink as well. All cancer survivors and those currently battling cancer will receive free admission. It's also Youth Basketball Night at Sojka, and youth players in uniform will receive free admission.

Scouting Lehigh/Series History
• Lehigh is third in Patriot League standings with a 17-6 overall record and a 9-3 mark in Patriot League play. The Mountain Hawks possess the best overall record in the league and are winners of four straight games, including victories over Boston U. and Holy Cross.
• In their most recent outing, the Mountain Hawks collected a 76-52 win over Lafayette on the road on Saturday. Lehigh led by as many as 27 points in the fourth quarter, shooting 50 percent for the game and knocking down 9-of-28 from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard Mackenzie Kramer scored 29 on 11-of-16 shooting and six 3-pointers.
• Kramer leads the Mountain Hawks in scoring (15.8 ppg), field goal percentage (48%), 3-point field goal percentage (42.2%) and made threes (73). She's scored in double figures in six straight games and was named PL Player of the Week on Monday.
• Three other Mountain Hawks are averaging double-digit scoring. Second on the roster is Emma Grothaus (12.7 ppg), who also leads the team in rebounding (9.0 rpg). She's posted double-doubles in each of the last two games.
• Lehigh is relentless from beyond the arc, ranking third in the nation in 3-point field goal attempts and fourth in 3-pointers made per game (9.9). The Mountain Hawks own the Patriot League's top scoring offense (72.5 ppg) and the best field goal percentage (42.6%). Lehigh is also second in the league in rebounding (39.1 rpg).
• Lehigh head coach Sue Troyan is in her 27th season with the team and has a 428-356 career record. Troyan owns the most career wins of any Patriot League head coach.
• Bucknell is 49-44 in all-time meetings with the Mountain Hawks, dating back to 1977. Bucknell has faced Lehigh more than any other team in the Patriot League, including five meetings last season. Bucknell is also 25-18 all-time in home games against the Mountain Hawks.
• Bucknell has won 10 of the last 11 in the series, with Lehigh's only win over that stretch coming in the Patriot League semifinals last season. Bucknell defeated the eventual-champion four times during the regular season in 2020-21.
• The Bison won the first meeting this season, 56-45 in Bethlehem. 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.
• Taylor O'Brien led the Bison with a double-double in the January meeting, 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).

Series Record: 49-44
Record at Home: 25-18
Record at Lehigh: 22-24
Neutral Site Record: 2-2
Trevor Woodruff Record: 7-1
Current Streak: 1 win
Longest Winning Streak: 9

Last Time Out
• Bucknell went on the road and won big over first-place Holy Cross, defeating the Crusaders 66-49 at the Hart Center. Bucknell led by as many as 30 in the game and held Holy Cross to just 28.3 percent (17-of-16) shooting.
• Taylor O'Brien scored a game-high 17 points while grabbing six rebounds and three steals. Carly Krsul finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Cecelia Collins was one point shy of a double-double, scoring nine with a career-high 10 rebounds.
• Bucknell was 26-of-56 (46.4%) for the game and outrebounded the Crusaders 44-33. The Bison shot 55.6 percent in the first half. They also outscored Holy Cross 40-16 in the paint.
• The Bison led wire-to-wire after opening the game on a 12-0 run. They also held Holy Cross to just five points in the second quarter and ended the first half on a 13-3 run.

New Notable Career Highs
• Cecelia Collins - 10 rebounds at Holy Cross

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 10th in the country and first in the Patriot League with 53.7 points allowed per game. The Bison have held opponents to under 60 points in 17 of their 24 games, and 10 have been held to under 50.
• Bucknell has held teams to 20 or fewer first-half points eight 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 60 quarters during that stretch (excludes overtime periods).

Double-Digit Victories
• 42 of Bucknell's last 50 wins have been by double digits. Since the start of the 2018-19 season, 64 of the team's 75 wins have been by a double-digit margin.
• Bucknell's largest margin of victory was 47 vs. Coppin State in 1985.
• The Bison have 15 double-digit victories this season, including a 37-point win over Saint Francis.

Overall Success at Sojka Pavilion
• The Bison are an incredible 82-11 at Sojka Pavilion since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• Now in its 20th season playing at Sojka Pavilion, Bucknell is 178-78 (.695) on its home court.
• Bucknell finished a perfect 16-0 at Sojka Pavilion in 2016-17.
• The Bison are currently 7-3 in Sojka this season and 25-5 during the Trevor Woodruff era.

Consistent Patriot League Success
• Bucknell is 96-15 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 151-44.

Up Next
The Bison head to Lafayette on Saturday, Feb. 19 to take on the Leopards for a second time. Bucknell won 68-40 over the Leopards at home on Feb. 6. Saturday's game is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Women's Basketball Hosts Lehigh at Sojka Wednesday for Play4Kay Game

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cecelia Collins

Isabella King

Carly Krsul

Julie Kulesza

Taylor O'Brien

Emma Shaffer

Marly Walls

Women's Basketball Hosts Lehigh at Sojka Wednesday for Play4Kay Game

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cecelia Collins

Isabella King

Carly Krsul

Julie Kulesza

Taylor O'Brien

Emma Shaffer

Marly Walls

Related Videos