Women's Basketball Heads to Robert Morris Seeking Black Friday Win

LEWISBURG, Pa.- The Bucknell Bison women's basketball team (2-4) and its two-game winning streak goes shopping on Black Friday at Robert Morris (2-4) seeking its first road victory of the 2024-25 season. The Orange & Blue won a 51-36 triumph over Youngstown State last Saturday in a contest resplendent with historic milestones. Bucknell set the Sojka Pavilion record for team blocks (12) and Ashley Sofilkanich's nine blocks were a career-high and a new Sojka standard. The Bison and the Colonials met last season in Sojka for a 68-54 Bucknell win. The tip is scheduled for 2 p.m., perfectly timed after a morning of deals.

Game Notes

What: Bucknell at Robert Morris
When: Friday, November 29 at 2 p.m.
Where: Moon Township, Pa.- UPMC Events Center
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 90.5 WVBU
Live Statistics: rmucolonials.com

Last Game's Starters:
Jr. G: Ashley O'Connor (2.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.5 apg)
Sr. F/G: Isabella King (6.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.2 apg)
So. F: Ashley Sofilkanich (18.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 1.3 apg)
So. F: Tuana Coskun (6.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.5 apg)
So. G: Anna Kunzwiler (5.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.2 apg)

WITH A WIN OVER ROBERT MORRIS, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• ... improve to 3-4 on the season
• ... improve to 1-4 on the road
• ... improve to 6-2 all-time against the Colonials
• ... improve to 2-0 against the Colonials under Woodruff
• ... improve to 86-56 overall under Woodruff
• ... improve to 38-35 on the road under Woodruff

HEADLINES
• Bucknell continued its winning ways by ending Youngstown State's undefeated season with a defensive-minded 51-36 victory on Saturday. The Bison only trailed for 1:25 as the Penguins were held to 15% shooting - a Sojka Pavilion record. Bucknell led 13-5 after the first quarter and then 25-11 at halftime. The Orange & Blue were never threatened as they coasted to the comfortable win. Ashley Sofilkanich's stretch of 20+ games was broken at four but she still scored 19 points and recorded a Sojka record nine blocks. Bucknell posted another Sojka record 12 blocks. Tuana Coskun added eight points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Jewel Watkins led the Penguins with nine points despite shooting 1-for-14 from the field by hitting seven free throws on 12 attempts.
• 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.
• Three new coaches joined the staff. Owen Brown left the University of San Francisco to join the Bison community. Shelby Case was hired as an assistant coach/director of operation combo. Case played at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Edward Joyner was hired before the FDU game. He spent 15 seasons as the men's head coach at Hampton.

SCOUTING ROBERT MORRIS
• Robert Morris went 6-24 overall and 2-18 in conference play last season. They ended the season on a 18-game losing streak triggering Coach Charlie Buscaglia's in-season resignation. The change did not help the team as the Colonials finished last in the conference earning the 11th seed in the tournament. They fell to sixth-seeded Detroit Mercy in the first round.
• RMU has started the season playing mostly regional foes. They opened the season with a win against Point Park, fell to College of Charleston, defeated Akron but has lost three straight to former NEC rival Saint Francis and fellow Steel City schools Pitt and Duquesne. .
• The Colonials's roster holds 16 players, including five foreign players two of which hail from countries like Israel and Spain.
• RMU's league schedule begins in December with two conference games before wrapping up non-conference action.
• The Bison and the Colonials share three common opponents (Duquesne, Pitt, and Youngstown State) this season.
• RMU was picked to finish last in the 11-team Horizon League.
• Chandler McCabe is 2-4 in her first season at RMU.

SERIES HISTORY with THE COLONIALS
• This is the eighth meeting between the Bison and the Colonials. The series started in 1984.
• Bucknell leads the series, 5-2, and has won the last four meetings.
• Trevor Woodruff is 1-0 against RMU, defeating the Colonials last year in Sojka.

Series History with Robert Morris (Last Six Meetings)
12/12/85   Robert Morris           W, 80-73
1/13/87   at Robert Morris L, 73-81
1/9/88 Robert Morris W, 78-70
11/24/96   Robert Morris           W, 73-57
11/29/97   at Robert Morris       W, 84-53
11/24/23   Robert Morris           W, 68-54

Series Record: 5-2
Record at Home: 4-0
Record at Robert Morris: 1-2
Neutral Site Record: 0-0
Trevor Woodruff Record: 1-0
Current Streak: Bucknell W4
Longest Bucknell Winning Streak: W4

Last Time Out
• Bucknell made it two straight wins at Sojka by defeating 4-0 Youngstown State 51-36 on Saturday. YSU had no answer for the Bison's defensive presence and scored single digits in three of the four quarters. Bucknell led for 36 minutes and never trailed after a few minutes into the opening stanza. The Bison led 25-11 at halftime and sailed to another win despite being outscored 16-13 in the fourth period.
• The Bison struggled shooting hitting 34.8% (16-of-46) from the field but were much better than YSU's abysmal 15% (9-of-60). The Penguins's effort set a Sojka Pavilion record. Both teams received massive free throw chances. YSU had 30 but only hit 16 while Bucknell made 16 as well out of 28 chances.
• Ashley Sofilkanich lost her four-game stretch of 20+ point games by scoring merely 19 points but the sophomore forward etched her name in the record book by blocking nine shots to set the Sojka Pavilion record. She grabbed 12 rebounds to record another double-double. Jewel Watkins led YSU with nine points.

Notable CAREER HIGHS SET vs. YOUNGSTOWN STATE
Ashley Sofilkanich - Blocks (9) & Free Throw Attempts (18)

STREAKS OF NOTE
Ashley Sofilkanich - Starts (34)

Up Next

Bucknell returns home to host the annual Education Day clash against Vermont on Dec. 4. The tip is scheduled for 11 a.m. and Sojka Pavilion is expected to be packed with excitable and vocal students.

Women's Basketball Heads to Robert Morris Seeking Black Friday Win

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Players Mentioned

Tuana Coskun

Nicole Davis

Caroline Dingler

Isabella King

Julie Kulesza

Anna Kunzwiler

Ashley O'Connor

Kaylee Reinbeau

Ashley Sofilkanich