Women's Basketball to Face Lehigh Wednesday Night

LEWISBURG, Pa.- The Bucknell Bison women's basketball team (8-14, 5-6 Patriot League) takes its season-high three-game winning streak into a Valentine's Day showdown against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks (14-8, 6-5 Patriot League). The Bison fell 69-63 to the Mountain Hawks at Sojka on Jan. 10. Bucknell looks to shatter the four-game winning streak Lehigh has accumulated against the Orange & Blue. Bucknell owns the 51-47 series lead. The tip is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Game Notes

What: Bucknell at Lehigh
When: Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 6 p.m.
Where: Bethlehem, Pa.-Stabler Arena
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 90.5 WVBU
Live Statistics: bucknellbison.com

Last Game's Starters:
So. G/F: Emma Theodorsson (12.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.0 apg)
Sp. F: Grace Sullivan (7.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.6 apg)
So. G: Blake Matthews (5.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.1 apg)
Fr. F: Ashley Sofilkanich (12.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.1 apg)
So. G: Ashley O'Connor (5.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.7 apg)

WITH A WIN OVER LEHIGH, BUCKNELL WOULD...
• ... improve to 9-14 on the season
• ... improve to 3-10 on the road
• ... improve to 52-47 all-time against the Mountain Hawks
• ... improve to 10-5 against the Mountain Hawks under Woodruff
• ... improve to 79-48 overall under Woodruff
• ... improve to 35-30 on the road under Woodruff

HEADLINES
• Bucknell set a season-high three-game winning streak by defeating Boston 71-60 on Saturday. The Bison trailed 14-13 after the first quarter. Both offenses exploded in the second quarter, scoring over 20+ points. Bucknell was behind 39-34 at halftime. The Orange & Blue dominated the third period, outscoring Boston 27-7. A 19-0 run powered the Bison output. Boston inched to within seven points in the final quarter, but the Bison offense scored enough to seal the win. Bucknell moved to 8-14 overall and 5-6 in Patriot League play. Ashley Sofilkanich tallied 21 points. Grace Sullivan scored a career-high 17 points. Emma Theodorsson added 12 points and nine rebounds. Boston had three double-digit scorers.
• Ashley Sofilkanich won her fourth PL Rookie of the Week award on 2/12 for her game against Boston.
• Emma Theodorsson won PL Player of the Week on 1/22 for her 31-point performance against Boston University.
• The Orange & Blue have four newcomers on the roster. All four players hail from New Jersey. The Garden State has been fruitful for the Lewisburg team.
• Bucknell finished 13-17 overall and 9-9 in Patriot League play last season. The Bison reached the 2022 Patriot League Quarterfinals, playing as the No. 6 seed in the tournament, but they fell 63-55 to No. 3 seed Lehigh.
• Bucknell graduated two seniors in the spring, Tai Johnson and Emma Shaffer. Tai Johnson stepped up for the Bison after Second Team All-Patriot League member Cecelia Collins was injured. Shaffer was a constant double-double member and led the Bison attack in the paint.
• Bucknell was picked sixth in the 2023 Patriot League Preseason Poll. It's the first time since 2015-16 Bucknell was not selected in the top four.
• Senior Caroline Dingler was named captain ahead of the 2023-24 season.
• Emma Theodorsson spent the summer playing for the U20 Icelandic National Team as they competed in the U20 Nordic Championships and FIBA U20 European Championships. Theodorsson powered the Icelandic attack, averaging 8.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg, and 1.6 apg. All three marks were in the top 70 in the FIBA competition. Theodorsson finished third in points and second in rebounds for Iceland.
• This summer, Bucknell graduate Taylor O'Brien signed with the Leicester Riders of the Women's British Basketball League. O'Brien has dominated the circuit and recently won Player of the Month for December. She is currently up for All-Star honors, and fans can vote at the Women's British Basketball League website.
• Head coach Trevor Woodruff is in his fifth season at Bucknell. He was named PL Coach of the Year in his first two seasons.
• Following the departure of associate head coach Kelly Mazzante to Georgetown, Sherill Baker was hired as the newest assistant coach. Baker comes to Lewisburg from a stint at George Washington University. Baker played in the WNBA and overseas professional leagues. Dubbed "The Queens of Steals" for her defensive prowess at Georgia, Baker joins a staff of continuity. Taylor Coleman has been enrolled for five years at Bucknell, and LaSashia Connelly marks her fourth season in Lewisburg. Molly Gillis enters her second season as the program's manager of operations.

SCOUTING LEHIGH
• The Mountain Hawks went 17-14 overall and 12-6 in Patriot League play during the 2022-23 season. The Mountain Hawks earned the #3 seed in the Patriot League Tournament, defeating #6 Bucknell in the Quarterfinals before losing 71-54 to the No. 2 Seed and eventual champion Holy Cross in the Semifinals. This season, Lehigh has gone 8-5 with wins over East Stroudsburg, Stonehill, Delaware, Yale, Marist, Drexel, Hofstra, La Salle, Bucknell, Navy, Colgate, Holy Cross, Boston, and Lafayette. The Mountain Hawks have been grounded by Bowling Green, Pitt, Rider, American, Loyola (Md.), Holy Cross, American, and Navy.
• The Bison and Mountain Hawks share zero opponents outside the Patriot League schedule.
• Lehigh was picked to finish fourth in the Patriot League. No Mountain Hawks were named to the preseason All-Patriot League Team.
• Addie Micir is 31-22 in her two seasons at Lehigh.

SERIES HISTORY with THE MOUNTAIN HAWKS
• This is the 100th meeting between the Bison and the Mountain Hawks.
• The Bison lost the first game this season at Sojka.
• Trevor Woodruff is 9-5 against Lehigh.

Series History with Lehigh (Last Six Meetings)
2/16/22    Lehigh                  W, 56-54
3/7/22 Lehigh (PLT)       W, 56-53
1/5/23    at Lehigh L, 51-64
2/22/23    Lehigh L, 72-84
3/6/23 at Lehigh (PLT) L, 55-63
1/10/24   Lehigh       L, 63-69

Series Record: 51-48
Record at Home: 27-20
Record at Lehigh: 22-26
Neutral Site Record: 2-2
Trevor Woodruff Record: 9-5
Current Streak: Lehigh W4
Longest Bucknell Winning Streak: 9 games

Last Time Out
• Bucknell launched a three-game winning streak by defeating Boston 71-60 at Case Gym on Saturday. Boston led for most of the first quarter and had a 39-34 halftime lead. The Bison changed everything in the third quarter, outscoring the Terriers 27-7. A 19-0 run was the keystone of the dramatic rally. Bucknell remained sturdy and won the game, despite a furious Boston comeback.
The Orange & Blue improved to 8-14 overall and 5-6 in conference play.
• Bucknell shot 50.9% on 27-of-53 shooting, a season-high. Boston shot 24-of-53 (45.3%). Both teams went 40% from the three-point line. The Bison were 4-of-10, while the Terriers went 10-of-25.
• Ashley Sofilkanich led Bucknell with 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-3 from the foul line. Grace Sullivan had a career-high 17 points. Emma Theodorsson had 12 points and nine rebounds. Alex Giannaros led Boston with 16 points.

Notable CAREER HIGHS SET Vs. Boston
Blake Matthews - Assists (8)
Grace Sullivan - Field Goals Made (7), Field Goals Attempted (12), & Points (17)

STREAKS OF NOTE
Ashley O'Connor- Starts (15)
Ashley Sofilkanich - Starts (19)
Emma Theodorsson - Starts (20)

Up Next

The Bison celebrate Senior Day when they host Colgate on Feb. 17.

Women's Basketball to Face Lehigh Wednesday Night

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Players Mentioned

Cecelia Collins

Caroline Dingler

Tai Johnson

Blake Matthews

Blake Matthews

Ashley O'Connor

Emma Shaffer

Ashley Sofilkanich

Grace Sullivan

Emma Theodorsson