Women's Basketball Opens Home Schedule on Wednesday Versus Mount St. Mary's

LEWISBURG, Pa.- The Bucknell Bison women's basketball team (0-4) begins home play with a visit from fellow US Route 15 neighbor Mount St. Mary's this Wednesday night. The Orange & Blue are excited to defend Sojka Pavilion for the first time this season after starting the 2024-25 campaign with four road contests. The Bison completed the lengthy road trip with a 62-59 defeat to Merrimack Saturday night. Bucknell and Mount St. Mary's met last year in a 55-46 win for the Mountaineers in Emmitsburg. The tip is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Game Notes

What: Bucknell vs. Mount St. Mary's
When: Wednesday, November 20 at 6 p.m.
Where: Lewisburg, Pa.- Sojka Pavilion
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 90.5 WVBU
Live Statistics: bucknellbison.com

Last Game's Starters:
R-Jr. G: Sophia Sabino (6.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 5.5 apg)
Sr. F/G: Isabella King (7.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.3 apg)
So. F: Ashley Sofilkanich (17.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 0.5 apg)
So. F: Tuana Coskun (6.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.0 apg)
So. G: Anna Kunzwiler (6.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.5 apg)

WITH A WIN OVER MOUNT ST. MARY'S, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• ... improve to 1-4 on the season
• ... improve to 1-0 at home
• ... improve to 4-7 all-time against the Mountaineers
• ... improve to 1-1 against the Mountaineers under Woodruff
• ... improve to 84-56 overall under Woodruff
• ... improve to 46-19 at home under Woodruff

HEADLINES
• Bucknell dropped a 62-59 heartbreaker to the Merrimack Warriors on Saturday night. The Bison led 11-10 after the defensive first quarter and then was up 32-29 at halftime. The third quarter proved the downfall when Merrimack outscored the Bison 20-6 by holding the Orange & Blue to a paltry 2-of-16 shooting. Bucknell refused to quit and rallied hard in the final stanza. The Bison had two looks in the final seconds to tie or take the lead but both Isabella King efforts were not successful and the Warriors escaped with the non-conference victory. Ashley Sofilkanich recorded her third straight 20+ point by scoring exactly 20 in 18 minutes. Elena Weisman tallied ten points, as did Tuana Coskun. Paloma Garcia led Merrimack with 19 points.
• Ashley Sofilkanich earned three slots on the 2023-24 All-Patriot Defensive, Rookie, and Third Teams. She is the first Bison to do so.
• The Orange & Blue have nine newcomers (six freshmen & three transfers) on the roster. Only four players return from the 2023-24 team.
• Bucknell finished 13-18 overall and 9-9 in Patriot League play last season. The Bison reached the 2024 Patriot League Quarterfinals, playing as the No. 8 seed in the tournament, but they fell 61-56 to No. 1 seed Holy Cross.
• Bucknell graduated four seniors in the spring: Nicole Davis, Caroline Dingler, Julie Kulesza, and Kaylee Reinbeau. Dingler served as the 2023-24 captain and Kulesza was a three-point threat off the bench.
• Bucknell was picked eighth in the 2024-25 Patriot League Preseason Poll. The Bison were picked sixth last season and finished eighth in the conference.
• Sofilkanich received two preseason honors. She was named Preseason Defender of the Year and notched a spot on the Patriot League's Preseason Five. Her 60 blocks ranked eighth on the Bucknell single-season list.
• Senior Isabella King was named captain ahead of the 2024-25 season.
• This summer, Bucknell graduate Taylor O'Brien signed with the Essex Rebels of the Women's British Basketball League. O'Brien dominated the circuit with the Leicester Riders having won Player of the Month for December and a spot on the All-League Team.
• Head coach Trevor Woodruff is in his sixth season at Bucknell. He was named PL Coach of the Year in his first two seasons.
• Sherill Baker was recently promoted to associate head coach. Baker came to Lewisburg after a stint at George Washington University. Baker played in the WNBA and overseas professional leagues. She was dubbed "The Queens of Steals" for her defensive prowess at Georgia.
• Two new coaches joined the staff. Owen Brown left the University of San Francisco to join the Bison community and Shelby Case was hired as an assistant coach/director of operation combo. Case played at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

SCOUTING Mount St. Mary's
• Mount St. Mary's completed their second MAAC season going 14-17 overall and 10-10 in the conference, earning the sixth seed in the conference tournament. The Mountaineers won the first round matchup versus #11 Marist 60-47. They fell 80-57 in the MAAC Quarterfinals versus #3 Siena.
• The Mount has started the 2024-25 campaign with a 0-3 record. They lost to South Florida, FDU, and Howard. The Howard game was a 39-35 struggle.
• The Mount's roster contains 14 players with three transfers, including a graduate student from American, Anna LeMaster.
• The Mount will play Big Ten foe Maryland and also faced AAC powerhouse South Florida.
• The Bison and the Mountaineers share one common opponent (FDU, Loyola (Md.), and Merrimack) this season.
• The Mount was selected to finish seventh out of the 13 MAAC schools. Jo Raflo was named to the preseason All-MAAC Second Team.
• Antoine White is 42-52 in his four seasons at the Mount. This is his first head coaching job. He won the NEC Title in his first year.

SERIES HISTORY with THE MOUNTAINEERS
• This is the eleventh meeting between the Bison and the Mountaineers.
• The Mount leads the Route 15 Rivalry, 7-3, and won last year's meeting 55-46 in Emmitsburg. Both schools are bisected by US Route 15.
• Trevor Woodruff is 0-1 against Mount St. Mary's.

Series History with Mount St. Mary's (Last Six Meetings)
11/27/94   at Mount St. Mary's       L, 47-79
12/31/11   at Mount St. Mary's       L, 46-58
11/28/12   Mount St. Mary's W, 55-43
12/21/14   at Mount St. Mary's       W, 74-49
11/24/15   Mount St. Mary's W, 71-45
12/5/23 at Mount St. Mary's       L, 46-55

Series Record: 3-7
Record at Home: 1-4
Record at Mount St. Mary's: 2-3
Neutral Site Record: 0-0
Trevor Woodruff Record: 0-1
Current Streak: Mount St. Mary's W1
Longest Bucknell Winning Streak: W3

Last Time Out
• Bucknell dropped another close game in a 62-59 loss to the Merrimack Warriors. The Bison started strong leading 11-10 after the first period and 32-29 at halftime. The third quarter once again proved to be Bucknell's undoing as Merrimack outscored the Bison 20-6. The Orange & Blue shot 2-of-16 (12.5%) from the field. Bucknell rallied in the final quarter to cut the deficit to one point but Isabella King's two chances resulted in air balls and the Warriors escaped with the 62-59 victory.
• Both teams shot over 40% with Bucknell hitting 23-of-56 (41.1%) opportunities and Merrimack going 22-of-52 (42.3%) from the field. Both squads received 15 free throw chances with Bucknell depositing eight and Merrimack nailing ten. The difference resided in the three-point accuracy. Bucknell went 5-of-17 (29.4%) while Merrimack made 8-of-20 (40.0%).
• Ashley Sofilkanich ran her string of 20+ point games to three by hitting exactly 20 in 18 minutes played. The sophomore star was efficient with eight makes on 13 shots but foul trouble plagued her again. Tuana Coskun and Elena Weisman both scored ten points. Merrimack's Paloma Garcia scored 19 points.

Notable CAREER HIGHS SET Vs. MERRIMACK
Isabella King - Steals (5)
Elana Weisman - Points (10)

STREAKS OF NOTE
Ashley Sofilkanich - Starts (32) & 20-Point Games (3)

Up Next

Bucknell remains in Sojka Pavilion this Saturday for a brunch with the Bison battle at 11 a.m. versus Youngstown State.

Women's Basketball Opens Home Schedule on Wednesday Versus Mount St. Mary's

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Players Mentioned

Tuana Coskun

Nicole Davis

Caroline Dingler

Isabella King

Julie Kulesza

Anna Kunzwiler

Kaylee Reinbeau

Sophia Sabino

Ashley Sofilkanich

Elana Weisman