Wednesday, February 22
Lewisburg, Pa.
6 p.m.
Bucknell University
vs
Lehigh
Women's Basketball Duels Lehigh in Pivotal Patriot League Bout
2/21/2023 4:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa.- The Bucknell Bison women's basketball team (12-14, 8-7 PL) duels in-state rival Lehigh (14-12, 10-8 PL) in a pivotal matchup for seeding in the Patriot League Tournament. The Bison are striving to obtain the top-four seed necessary to host a home playoff game. Lehigh defeated Bucknell, 64-51, earlier this season in Bethlehem. The Bison are coming off a defeat to Boston University, in which the Bison's six-game winning streak was snapped.Â
Game Notes
What:Â Bucknell (12-14, 8-7 PL) vs. Lehigh (14-12, 10-5 PL)
When:Â Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m.
Where:Â Lewisburg, Pa.-Sojka Pavilion
Streaming:Â ESPN+
Radio:Â 90.5 WVBU
Live Statistics:Â BucknellBison.com
Last Game's Starters:
So./G: Cecelia Collins (13.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.1 apg)
Fr./G/F: Emma Theodorsson (7.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.6 apg)
So. F/G: Isabella King (7.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.1 apg)
Sr./G: Tai Johnson (7.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.5 apg)
Sr./F: Emma Shaffer (9.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 2.2 apg)
WITH A WIN OVER LEHIGH, BUCKNELL WOULD ...
• ... improve to 13-14 on the season
• ... improve to 7-6 at home
• ... move to 52-45 all-time against the Mountain Hawks
• ... improve to 10-2 against the Mountain Hawks under Woodruff
• ... move to 70-31 overall under Woodruff
• ... improve to 37-11 at home under Woodruff
HEADLINES
• Bucknell lost 66-57 to league-leading Boston U., which ended a six-game winning streak. Bucknell led 15-14 after the first quarter. Boston surged 34-29 by halftime. Near the end of the third period, the Bison cut the deficit to 48-46. However, the Terriers owned the fourth quarter to pull away with the win. The Bison are now 12-14 and 8-7 in the Patriot League this season following the defeat.Â
• The Bison relied on youth through their first thirteen games. The starting combo of Dingler, Johnson, King, Shaffer, and Theodorsson stepped up to win five of their eight games while Cecelia Collins was out with an injury. Since her return, the Bison are 3-1.
• Against American, on Feb. 11, 2023, Emma Shaffer earned her seventh career double-double by scoring 12 points and obtaining 21 rebounds. Her 21 rebounds were two away from the Patriot League record.Â
• Emma Shaffer equaled 400 career rebounds against Colgate on Feb 11, 2023.
• Isabella King scored her 300th career point against Army on Feb. 4, 2023.Â
• Remi Sisselman scored her 200th career point against Colgate on Feb. 11, 2023.
• 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 the 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.Â
• 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 in the top three. The Bison have gone 108-23 in league play since the start of the 2015-16 season.Â
• 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 was named PL Coach of the Year in 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. During the offseason, Molly Gillis joined the staff as the program's new manager of operations.
SCOUTING LEHIGHÂ
• The Mountain Hawks are 5-8 overall and 1-1 in Patriot League play earning victories over Stonehill, Bloomsburg, Rider, Yale, Army, Bucknell, Navy, American, Loyola, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Loyola, Navy, and American. They were defeated by South Dakota State, Minnesota, Drexel, Southern Illinois, Quinnipiac, La Salle, Delaware, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Boston U., and Colgate.
• This season, Bucknell and Lehigh share zero common opponents outside of the conference foes.
• Lehigh was selected to finish second in the Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks tallied two first-place votes. They lost last year in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Tournament to Bucknell.
• Lehigh boasts one of the best players in the Patriot League and the nation in Frannie Hottinger. Hottinger leads the team and Patriot League in scoring (20.8) and rebounds (9.8).Â
• Kaylee Van Eps leads the team in free throw percentage (.931).
• Lehigh is led by first-year head coach Addie Micir, who owns a 14-2 career record with the team.
SERIES HISTORY with THE MOUNTAIN HAWKS
• Bucknell leads 51-45 in the all-time series with Lehigh, which dates back to 1977.
• Lehigh's last win over Bucknell came in 2023.
• Bucknell is 9-2 against the Mountain Hawks during the Trevor Woodruff era.Â
Series History with Lehigh (Last Six Games) Â Â Â
Series Record: 51-45
Record at Home: 27-18
Record at Lehigh: 22-25
Neutral Site Record: 2-2
Trevor Woodruff Record: 9-2
Current Streak: 1 loss
Longest Winning Streak: 9 games
Last Time Out
• Bucknell lost to Boston U., 66-57. Bucknell started strong in the first quarter leading 15-14 at the conclusion. Boston counterattacked in the second quarter for the 34-29 halftime lead. The Bison fell behind by double-digits but rallied to go down by only two points entering the fourth period. Unfortunately, Boston proved resilient and refused to relinquish the lead.Â
• Bucknell's offense shot 38.9% compared to 48.2% for Boston U. Both teams had over 50+ attempts. The difference in the game resided in the made shots. Bucknell had 21 successful goals to Boston's 27.Â
• Cecelia Collins led Bucknell with 20 points. Senior Tai Johnson poured in 14 points on Senior Day. Emma Shaffer pulled down 11 rebounds. Sydney Johnson led Boston with 22 points.Â
Notable CAREER HIGHS SET vs. BOSTON U.
None
STREAKS OF NOTE
Emma Shaffer — starts (60)
Â
Game Notes
What:Â Bucknell (12-14, 8-7 PL) vs. Lehigh (14-12, 10-5 PL)
When:Â Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m.
Where:Â Lewisburg, Pa.-Sojka Pavilion
Streaming:Â ESPN+
Radio:Â 90.5 WVBU
Live Statistics:Â BucknellBison.com
Last Game's Starters:
So./G: Cecelia Collins (13.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.1 apg)
Fr./G/F: Emma Theodorsson (7.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.6 apg)
So. F/G: Isabella King (7.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.1 apg)
Sr./G: Tai Johnson (7.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.5 apg)
Sr./F: Emma Shaffer (9.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 2.2 apg)
WITH A WIN OVER LEHIGH, BUCKNELL WOULD ...
• ... improve to 13-14 on the season
• ... improve to 7-6 at home
• ... move to 52-45 all-time against the Mountain Hawks
• ... improve to 10-2 against the Mountain Hawks under Woodruff
• ... move to 70-31 overall under Woodruff
• ... improve to 37-11 at home under Woodruff
HEADLINES
• Bucknell lost 66-57 to league-leading Boston U., which ended a six-game winning streak. Bucknell led 15-14 after the first quarter. Boston surged 34-29 by halftime. Near the end of the third period, the Bison cut the deficit to 48-46. However, the Terriers owned the fourth quarter to pull away with the win. The Bison are now 12-14 and 8-7 in the Patriot League this season following the defeat.Â
• The Bison relied on youth through their first thirteen games. The starting combo of Dingler, Johnson, King, Shaffer, and Theodorsson stepped up to win five of their eight games while Cecelia Collins was out with an injury. Since her return, the Bison are 3-1.
• Against American, on Feb. 11, 2023, Emma Shaffer earned her seventh career double-double by scoring 12 points and obtaining 21 rebounds. Her 21 rebounds were two away from the Patriot League record.Â
• Emma Shaffer equaled 400 career rebounds against Colgate on Feb 11, 2023.
• Isabella King scored her 300th career point against Army on Feb. 4, 2023.Â
• Remi Sisselman scored her 200th career point against Colgate on Feb. 11, 2023.
• 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 the 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.Â
• 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 in the top three. The Bison have gone 108-23 in league play since the start of the 2015-16 season.Â
• 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 was named PL Coach of the Year in 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. During the offseason, Molly Gillis joined the staff as the program's new manager of operations.
SCOUTING LEHIGHÂ
• The Mountain Hawks are 5-8 overall and 1-1 in Patriot League play earning victories over Stonehill, Bloomsburg, Rider, Yale, Army, Bucknell, Navy, American, Loyola, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Loyola, Navy, and American. They were defeated by South Dakota State, Minnesota, Drexel, Southern Illinois, Quinnipiac, La Salle, Delaware, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Boston U., and Colgate.
• This season, Bucknell and Lehigh share zero common opponents outside of the conference foes.
• Lehigh was selected to finish second in the Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks tallied two first-place votes. They lost last year in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Tournament to Bucknell.
• Lehigh boasts one of the best players in the Patriot League and the nation in Frannie Hottinger. Hottinger leads the team and Patriot League in scoring (20.8) and rebounds (9.8).Â
• Kaylee Van Eps leads the team in free throw percentage (.931).
• Lehigh is led by first-year head coach Addie Micir, who owns a 14-2 career record with the team.
SERIES HISTORY with THE MOUNTAIN HAWKS
• Bucknell leads 51-45 in the all-time series with Lehigh, which dates back to 1977.
• Lehigh's last win over Bucknell came in 2023.
• Bucknell is 9-2 against the Mountain Hawks during the Trevor Woodruff era.Â
Series History with Lehigh (Last Six Games) Â Â Â
| Date | Home/Away | W/L | Score |
| 1/31/21 | at Lehigh | W | 73-68 |
| 3/11/21 | Lehigh (PLT) | L | 63-54 |
| 1/12/22 | at Lehigh | W | 56-45 |
| 2/16/22 | Lehigh | W | 56-54 |
| 3/7/22 | Lehigh | W | 56-53 |
| 1/5/23 | at Lehigh | L | 64-51 |
Series Record: 51-45
Record at Home: 27-18
Record at Lehigh: 22-25
Neutral Site Record: 2-2
Trevor Woodruff Record: 9-2
Current Streak: 1 loss
Longest Winning Streak: 9 games
Last Time Out
• Bucknell lost to Boston U., 66-57. Bucknell started strong in the first quarter leading 15-14 at the conclusion. Boston counterattacked in the second quarter for the 34-29 halftime lead. The Bison fell behind by double-digits but rallied to go down by only two points entering the fourth period. Unfortunately, Boston proved resilient and refused to relinquish the lead.Â
• Bucknell's offense shot 38.9% compared to 48.2% for Boston U. Both teams had over 50+ attempts. The difference in the game resided in the made shots. Bucknell had 21 successful goals to Boston's 27.Â
• Cecelia Collins led Bucknell with 20 points. Senior Tai Johnson poured in 14 points on Senior Day. Emma Shaffer pulled down 11 rebounds. Sydney Johnson led Boston with 22 points.Â
Notable CAREER HIGHS SET vs. BOSTON U.
None
STREAKS OF NOTE
Emma Shaffer — starts (60)
Â
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F/G
/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F/G
/ Women's Basketball
F/G
/ Women's Basketball
G
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