Bucknell University Athletics
Women's Basketball Season Recap, Team Awards Announced
5/2/2022 2:03:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Bucknell finished the 2021-22 campaign with a 24-10 overall record, making it six straight 20-win seasons when excluding last year's shortened schedule. Those 24 victories are tied for fourth-most in program history, and it was the second time in three years under head coach Trevor Woodruff the Bison have hit that mark. Additionally, it was the sixth straight season Bucknell has posted 12 or more wins in Patriot League play.
After two consecutive seasons that were heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bison saw the fruits of their labor when they became just the third team in Patriot League history to receive an at-large bid to the Women's National Invitation Tournament. It was the Bison's fourth appearance in the WNIT overall, and they seized the opportunity.
Our season isn't over yet! We've received an At-Large bid to the @WomensNIT
— Bucknell WBB (@Bucknell_WBB) March 14, 2022
Full Story: https://t.co/onKhGrneUt pic.twitter.com/iTU0P0RfPk
Matched up against Fordham out of the Atlantic 10, Bucknell made the trip to the Bronx and did not disappoint. The Bison came away victorious, defeating the Rams 73-64 after trailing only once in the opening minutes of the game. It was just the third WNIT win by a Patriot League program, and Bucknell accounts for two of those victories. The Bison went on to face Drexel in the round of 32 and held a lead late in the fourth quarter before falling 61-58 to the Colonial Athletic Association's regular season champion.
Bucknell's at-large bid was a testament to its achievements during the regular season and in the Patriot League Tournament. Having been picked third in the preseason poll, the Bison ended up with the highest NET ranking in the league (100) and reached the Patriot League title game for a sixth time since 1991.
In front of a packed Sojka Pavilion, the Bison defeated reigning champion Lehigh in the quarterfinals and Navy in the semis. Bucknell is now 12-4 in Patriot League tournament games since the 2016 season. The team went on to lose to American 65-54 in a hard-fought championship game in Washington, D.C.
Prior to its league games, Bucknell played a challenging non-conference schedule that began with a trip to No. 17 Ohio State and ended with an eight-game winning streak heading into the winter break. Among those eight wins was a TD Bank Classic Championship in Vermont, as well as a victory over eventual Mid-American Conference champion Buffalo at home.
Bucknell continued to dominate in front of the home crowd this season, finishing 12-3 at Sojka. The Bison are now 87-11 on their home floor over the last seven seasons.
A major contributor to Bucknell's success in 2021-22 was its shutdown defense, which has remained among the best in the nation since Woodruff's arrival. The scoring defense ranked 15th among NCAA Division I programs, allowing just 54.9 points per game. It was the third straight season the Bison have been top 20 in the category.
Elsewhere, the Bison ranked 15th in the nation in turnovers per game, first in the Patriot League in turnover margin and first in the league in opponent field goal percentage.
Leading Bucknell through it all were senior captains Taylor O'Brien and Marly Walls, who will graduate with a record of 85-23 (52-7 PL). Both were recognized league wide for their outstanding seasons.
O'Brien was named First Team All-Patriot League for a second year in a row after finishing second in the league in scoring (16.7 ppg), second in steals (2.2 spg) and fifth in field goal percentage (41%). Her 567 points scored rank fifth in program history for a single season, and she'll graduate 21st on the all-time scoring list with 1,125 points. She became the 27th Bucknell women's basketball player to eclipse the 1,000-points mark during a February win over Army.
O'Brien was outstanding in postseason play as well, averaging 19.2 points in five tournament games. The 35 points she scored in the WNIT win were the most by a Bucknell player in nearly 20 years, and she was voted to the Patriot League All-Tournament Team for a second time in her career.
Walls put together a career year as well, leading the Bison and ranking seventh in the Patriot League with 3.4 assists per contest. Walls handed out five or more assists on 12 occasions, including a career-high eight assists four times. She averaged 7.6 points and grabbed three or more steals 10 times, earning her Patriot League All-Defensive Team honors.
Walls was also named to the Academic All-Patriot League squad, giving the Bison an academic honoree for a third straight season.
Also earning Patriot League postseason honors was freshman Cecelia Collins, who started all 34 games and finished second on the team in both scoring (11.1 ppg) and assists (2.9 apg). She was also second among first-year Patriot League players in scoring, earning her spots on both the All-Patriot League Second Team and the All-Rookie squad. Collins is Bucknell's first rookie to be named to the First, Second or Third Team since 2001.
Bucknell also saw strong play from freshman Isabella King, who came on late in the season and averaged 9.8 points over the final eight games. King went 24-of-40 (60%) from beyond the arc over that stretch, including a 5-of-9 showing in the quarterfinal win over Lehigh. Fellow rookie Remi Sisselman played in 33 of 34 games as well, scoring in double figures two times.
The Bucknell coaching staff, which has now amassed a 57-17 record in Lewisburg, announced the annual team awards in April.
Junior Emma Shaffer was named the Most Improved Player after starting all 34 games and averaging 5.3 points and five rebounds. She was especially crucial late in the season, posting two double-doubles in the final three games. Shaffer posted 12 points and 12 boards in the Patriot League championship, added 12 rebounds and nine points in the WNIT win, and scored a career-high 14 points with 11 boards in the final game of the season.
Sophomore Caroline Dingler received the TST Award, which is presented to the player who best reflects the "tough, smart, together" mindset that the program values. Collins was named Rookie of the Year, Walls received both Defensive Player of the Year and Student-Athlete of the Year, and O'Brien was named the Most Outstanding Player.
Most Improved Player
Emma Shaffer
TST Award
Caroline Dingler
Rookie of the Year
Cecelia Collins
Defensive Player of the Year
Marly Walls
Student-Athlete of the Year
Marly Walls
Most Outstanding Player
Taylor O'Brien
