Women's Basketball Meets Navy in PL Semifinals at Sojka Thursday Evening

To purchase tickets for Thursday's Patriot League women's basketball semifinal game at Sojka Pavilion, visit the campus box office.

LEWISBURG, Pa. – One team stands between Bucknell women's basketball and a trip to the 2022 Patriot League championship game. Eighth-seeded Navy will visit Sojka Pavilion on Thursday evening to take on the fourth-seeded Bison.

Bucknell has now reached the semifinals in seven consecutive seasons, but Thursday's game provides an atmosphere not felt around the program since 2019. The 2020 semifinal was canceled before it came to fruition, and last year's tournament was played without the Sojka faithful in attendance at the conclusion of a 10-game season.

Now in head coach Trevor Woodruff's third year in Lewisburg, the Bison are looking to make their return to the title game.

Standing in Bucknell's way is the league's defensive player of the year, Jennifer Coleman. Coleman provided buzzer-beating heroics on Monday in Navy's upset victory at #1 Holy Cross and has guided the Mids to wins in three of their last four games. Coleman leads Navy in nearly every statistical category and is top-two in the league in scoring, rebounding, steals and assists. She's averaged 28 points and 11 rebounds in Navy's two tournament wins this March.

Bucknell's top-notch defense will have its hands full with Coleman, but it held Navy to an average of 50 points in the two meetings this season and ranks 15th in the nation.

As for the Bison offense, the points could come from any number of players. Taylor O'Brien finished the regular season second in the league in scoring and was named First Team All-Patriot League for a second time in her outstanding career on Friday. Carly Krsul averages just over 10 points per game, and rookie Cecelia Collins finished second in the league among rookies in points per outing while receiving Second Team honors. Then there's Isabella King, who has been lights out from beyond the arc since entering the starting lineup just a couple of weeks ago.

For seniors O'Brien and Marly Walls, it's in all likelihood their final games at Sojka Pavilion, as the Patriot League Championship will be played at either #3 Boston U. or #2 American on Sunday. The pair represent the last remaining pieces of the 2019 championship team.

Thursday's game tips off at 6 p.m., and all students will receive free admission. The action will also be shown on ESPN+.

• Game Notes
• 2021-22 Media Guide

What: #4 Bucknell (22-8, 12-6 PL) vs. #8 Navy (10-20, 5-13 PL)
When: Thursday, March 10 at 6 p.m.
Where: Sojka Pavilion - Lewisburg, Pa.
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 90.5 WVBU
Live Statistics: BucknellBison.com

Last Game's Starters
Sr./G: Marly Walls (7.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.5 apg)
Sr./G: Taylor O'Brien (16.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.2 spg)
Fr./G: Cecelia Collins (11.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.7 apg)
Fr./F: Isabella King (4.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.5 spg)
Jr./F: Emma Shaffer (4.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.3 apg)

WBB Family 4-Pack Semifinals

* Free White Out shirts for students (while supplies last).
* Student Trivia for a prize of $1,000.
* Free student food vouchers (while supplies last).
* Flat screen TV giveaway during the fourth quarter.

With a win over Navy, Bucknell would...
• ... advance to the PL Championship for a sixth time in program history.
• ... will play at either #2 American or #3 Boston U. on Sunday, March 13.
• ... improve to 23-8 overall this season, winning a third straight game.
• ... move to 56-15 overall under Woodruff.
• ... improve to 4-1 in the Patriot League Tournament under Woodruff.
• ... improve to 27-26 all-time in the Patriot League Tournament.
• ... improve to 43-30 in the all-time series against the Midshipmen.
• ... move to 5-5 against the Mids in the Patriot League Tournament.
• ... improve to 12-3 at Sojka Pavilion this season.

Headlines
• Fourth-seeded Bucknell hosts eighth-seeded Navy at Sojka Pavilion on Thursday for its seventh-consecutive Patriot League semifinal appearance. With a win, the Bison will return to the championship game for the first time since 2019 and for a sixth time in program history.
• Bucknell secured its spot in the semis with a 56-53 come-from-behind victory over fifth-seeded Lehigh on Monday. The win avenged a semifinal loss to the Mountain Hawks at Sojka last season.
• Bucknell's chances of playing the semifinal round at home seemed bleak just two days ago, but Navy's thrilling upset over #1 Holy Cross on Monday granted the Bison hosting rights for a sixth season in a row.
• Bucknell's defense came up big once again in the second half of its quarterfinal win against Lehigh. The Bison rank 15th in the country with 54.5 points allowed per game, and they've been in the top 20 since head coach Trevor Woodruff's arrival in 2019. Bucknell posted a season-high seven blocks against the Mountain Hawks and recorded 11 steals, which ties for fifth in program history in the tournament.
• Grabbing four of the Bison's 11 steals on Monday was senior Taylor O'Brien, and that mark also ties for fifth-most by a Bison in the tournament. O'Brien, who was named First Team All-League last week, is second in the Patriot League in steals (2.2 spg) and third in scoring (16.0 ppg).
• Carly Krsul recorded three of Bucknell's seven blocks, and the junior is now tied for sixth in single-season blocks (51) in program history.
• Rookie Isabella King, who just entered the starting lineup a few weeks ago, came up huge for the Bison during the quarterfinal round. She scored a career-high 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting and five 3-pointers. King hit the go-ahead three with just over a minute remaining on Monday, and she's now 16-for-23 from beyond the arc in the last four games.
• Bucknell's freshman class as a whole knocked down all eight of the Bison's 3-pointers in the quarterfinals and supplied 32 of the team's 56 points. Second Team All-League guard Cecelia Collins hit the game-tying three with 5:30 to go.
• Bucknell committed fewer than 10 turnovers on Monday for an eighth time this season, and it has posted just 14 total over its last two games. Bucknell ranks ninth in the country with only 11.9 turnovers per contest.
• Bucknell finished the regular season with the most overall wins of any team in the league at 21-8.
• On Monday, Marly Walls was named to the five-player Academic All-Patriot League Team. She becomes the 10th Bucknell player in program history to earn the award.
• Bucknell has been dominant against league opponents for some time and has gone 100-16 in PL play since the start of the 2015-16 season. Under head coach Trevor Woodruff, Bucknell is 36-8 against league opponents during the regular season.
• 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.
• 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 55-15 overall under his direction.

Scouting Navy/Series History
• Navy entered the Patriot League Tournament as the #8 seed at 5-13 in league play, but the Mids knocked off #1 Holy Cross in the quarterfinals on Monday after taking down #9 Colgate in the first round on Saturday. Navy has now won three of its last four games.
• Navy pulled off the 50-49 upset at #1 Holy Cross as Jennifer Coleman banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer in Worcester. Coleman hit three 3-pointers in the final 63 seconds and totaled 27 points with 13 rebounds in the win. Navy trailed by eight points with 3:44 to go in the game.
• Coleman has been one of the most sensational players in the Patriot League all season and was awarded Defensive Player of the Year as well as First Team All-League recognition for her efforts. The senior leads the league in scoring (22.1 ppg) and steals (2.8 spg). She's also second in rebounds (10.8 rpg) and assists (4.9 apg).
• Navy head coach Tim Taylor is in his second season with the program and is 15-27 overall. Prior to his time with the Mids, Taylor spent the 2019-20 season as an assistant at North Carolina and spent the majority of his career with Virginia.
• Bucknell leads 42-30 in the all-time series with Navy, which dates back to 1981. The Bison have won five of the last six meetings, but Navy won the first matchup at Sojka this season and defeated the Bison in the 2018 semifinals.
• Bucknell led for more than 22 minutes in the first game against Navy back in January and was up by as many as eight in the final quarter, but the Mids came away with a narrow 57-55 victory at Sojka Pavilion. Taylor O'Brien scored 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, and Marly Walls was one point shy of a double-double. Jennifer Coleman scored 22 with 16 rebounds, four assists and five steals. Coleman's teammate Sydne Watts poured in 18 on 8-of-15 shooting.
• Bucknell came away with a 53-43 win over the Mids the second time around. Navy led 30-28 at Alumni Hall before Bucknell limited it to 5-of-33 (15.2%) shooting and just 13 points in the second half. O'Brien and Walls both scored in double figures in the win, and O'Brien also pulled in nine rebounds.

Series Record: 42-30
Record at Home: 21-13
Record at Navy: 18-15
Neutral Site Record: 3-2
Trevor Woodruff Record: 3-1
Current Streak: 1 win
Longest Winning Streak: 13
Longest Losing Streak: 9

Bucknell in the Patriot League Tournament
• Bucknell is 26-26 all-time in the Patriot League Tournament, dating back to 1991. The Bison are 11-3 in the tournament since 2015.
• The Bison are 12-4 when playing tournament games at home. Bucknell has played its last 12 PLT games at Sojka Pavilion, last hitting the road in 2016.
• This is the seventh time Bucknell has been the #4 seed in the tournament and is 2-6 when playing in that position. The Bison last earned the #4 seed in 2015.
• Bucknell is 5-11 all-time in Patriot League semifinal games, last winning one in 2019.
• Bucknell and Navy have met nine times in the Patriot League tournament, and the Mids hold a 5-4 edge in those meetings. Thursday will be the third time the two teams have matched up in the semifinal round.
• Navy won the most recent tournament matchup with Bucknell, defeating the Bison 68-62 in the 2018 semifinals. Bucknell's most recent tournament win over Navy was during the 2017 championship game.
• Bucknell has won the Patriot League Championship four times, doing so as recently as 2019, and it has reached the title game five times since 1991.

Bucknell vs. Opponents in PL Tournament
vs. American:    5-0 (1.000)
vs. Army:           5-1 (.833)
vs. Colgate:       2-4 (.333)
vs. Fordham:    0-2 (.000)
vs. Holy Cross: 5-6 (.455)
vs. Lafayette: 0-2 (.000)
vs. Lehigh: 2-5 (.286)
vs. Loyola         3-1 (.750)
vs. Navy:            4-5 (.444)

Last Time Out
• Isabella King connected on 5-of-9 from 3-point range and scored a career-high 19 points, and the Bucknell ended the game on a 26-13 run to defeat Lehigh 56-53 in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Tournament Monday evening at Sojka Pavilion.
• Lehigh led 31-23 at halftime and was up 40-30 with 2:30 left in the third quarter. Bucknell, which moved to 3-0 this season against the Mountain Hawks, answered with an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to two points and force a timeout. The run was highlighted by 3-pointers from King and Cecelia Collins, who finished with 10 points and six rebounds. Lehigh missed a pair of 3-pointers in the final 33 seconds, including a potential game-tying 3-pointer by Megan Walker with six seconds remaining.
• Collins and Carly Krsul each tallied 10 points for the Bison. O'Brien, who played all 40 minutes, finished with nine points, eight rebounds and a team-high four of the squad's 11 steals. Bucknell forced 17 Mountain Hawk turnovers and scored 13 points off of them.

Patriot League Postseason Awards
• Bucknell had three players receive Patriot League postseason honors for a ninth consecutive season when the league announced awards on Friday. It's also the ninth straight season Bucknell has had a player named First Team All-League.
• Taylor O'Brien - First Team All-Patriot League
... Two-time First Team selection ...
• Cecelia Collins - Second Team All-Patriot League, All-Rookie Team
... First Bucknell freshman named to First, Second or Third Team since 2001 ... First All-Rookie since 2018 ...
• Marly Walls - All-Defensive Team
... Third All-Defensive Player in two years ...

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 15th in the country and first in the Patriot League with 54.5 points allowed per game. The Bison have held opponents to 60 or fewer points in 23 of their 30 games, and 10 have been held to under 50.
• Bucknell has held teams to 20 or fewer first-half points nine 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 65 quarters over the past three seasons (excludes overtime periods).

Consistent Patriot League Success
• Bucknell is 100-16 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 157-45.

Overall Success at Sojka Pavilion
• The Bison are an incredible 86-11 at Sojka Pavilion since the start of the 2015-16 season.
• Now in its 20th season playing at Sojka Pavilion, Bucknell is 182-78 (.700) on its home court.
• Bucknell finished a perfect 16-0 at Sojka Pavilion in 2016-17.
• The Bison are currently 11-3 in Sojka this season and 29-5 during the Trevor Woodruff era.

Up Next
With a win on Thursday, Bucknell will secure its spot in the 2022 Patriot League Women's Basketball Championship game. The Bison will face the winner of #3 Boston U. and #2 American. The championship game is scheduled for noon on Sunday, March 13 and will be hosted by the higher seed. The contest will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

Women's Basketball Meets Navy in PL Semifinals at Sojka Thursday Evening

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cecelia Collins

Isabella King

Carly Krsul

Taylor O'Brien

Emma Shaffer

Marly Walls

Women's Basketball Meets Navy in PL Semifinals at Sojka Thursday Evening

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cecelia Collins

Isabella King

Carly Krsul

Taylor O'Brien

Emma Shaffer

Marly Walls

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