Saturday's Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal between No. 4 Bucknell and No. 5 Army will be full of history. The Bison will be hosting their first-ever postseason game after proving the naysayers who picked them eighth in the preseason poll wrong. Bucknell will also be going old-school, as the game will be played in historic Davis Gym, which housed the Bison for nearly three decades.
Tickets for the 7 p.m. contest are now on sale through the Campus Box Office at any of its three locations in Lewisburg, by phone (570-577-1000) or online (http://www.bucknell.edu/Boxoffice).
WITH A VICTORY OVER ARMY, BUCKNELL WOULD...
► Sweep the three 2011 games vs. the Black Knights.
► Win the first-ever women's basketball Patriot League Tournament game played in Lewisburg.
► Advance to the Patriot League Semifinals for the first time since 2008 and take on either No. 1 Navy or No. 8 Colgate on March 9.
► Improve to 4-1 against Army in the postseason. The only tournament loss to the Black Knights came in a 72-67 upset in the 1999 quarterfinals.
► Tension ran high with both teams fighting for home-court advantage in the Patriot League Tournament, and it was Bucknell that answered the call. The Bison erupted for a 22-4 run in the second half to secure their spot in the top half of the standings.
►Cosima Highamfinished with a double-double (10 pts.-13 reb.). Eight of her 10 points came in the second half, while 10 ofShelby Romine'sgame-high 15 points also came in the final frame.
► The Bison trailed by 11 early in the second. Erin Anthony grabbed an offensive rebound and hit a jumper for a 27-16 lead with 14:15 to play, but that was the last of Army's scoring for six minutes. Bucknell went on a 10-0 run during their opponent's drought.
► Bucknell finally regained its lead as Romine drilled a 3-pointer, putting her team up 31-30. It was the Bison's first advantage since leading 4-3 in the first half. Four different Bison scored during the 22-4 run.
► By the final buzzer, Bucknell had improved its shooting significantly. The second half saw the Bison shoot 61.1 percent (11-for-18) from the field after a disappointing 16.0 percent (4-for-25) in the first.
Bucknell claimed the No. 4 seed in the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2003 after winning four of its last five games of the regular season ...Cosima Higham(Second Team All-PL),Shelby Romine(PL All-Rookie Team) andJoyce Novacek(Academic All-PL) received the first of Bucknell's postseason honors on Tuesday ... Bucknell earned a three-game winning streak in February for the first time since 2008-09 ... Bucknell held Lafayette to 18.0 percent shooting (11-for-61) on Feb. 16, setting a Sojka Pavilion record for lowest field goal percentage ... Bucknell's .569 field goal percentage vs. Holy Cross on Feb. 12 was its highest against a Division I opponent since 2004-05 ... the Bison held Holy Cross to a Sojka Pavilion low record 12 defensive rebounds ... Bucknell's two lowest turnover totals (15 and 13) this season have both come against Navy ...Joyce Novacekplayed in her 100th consecutive game vs. Army on Jan. 29 ...Shelby Rominebroke a Bucknell record with 19 made free throws at Colgate on Jan. 22 ...Kathy Fedorjakaclaimed her 200th win at Bucknell with the Bison's 57-49 victory at Lafayette on Jan. 19 ... Romine was named the Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week on Nov. 15, Nov. 22, Dec. 27, Jan. 3, Jan. 10 and Jan. 24 ... Romine leads the Bison with six 20-point games, whileCosima Highamhas three and Novacek has two.
► Bucknell holds a 30-17 lead in the all-time series with Army, and that includes a 17-5 advantage on their home court. Of the 22 meetings in Lewisburg, 13 have taken place in Davis Gym. The Bison also lead on that court, 10-3, between the 1983-84 and 2001-02 seasons.
► Army won its first three games at Davis Gym, but the next 10 games belonged to Bucknell. The Bison have not dropped a decision to the Black Knights at the historic gym since Jan. 18, 1992.
► It's not very often you get a high-scoring game when Bucknell and Army face off. Neither team has reached the 60-point mark since a 61-57 Black Knights win on Feb. 24, 2007. When the squads played in January - a game that ended in a 49-48 win for Bucknell - they combined for 97 points, tying the sixth lowest scoring total in series history. The lowest combined score came only a week ago when the two teams tallied 84 points. Bucknell won 44-40 on Feb. 26 to secure the fourth seed in the Patriot League Tournament.
► Bucknell is averaging 61.9 points in the series vs. Army, while the Black Knights have netted 59.2 points per game in those 47 meetings.
► The Bison have won 10 of the teams' last 12 meetings, including a 50-47 win in overtime at the 2008 Patriot League Tournament. That victory allowed the Orange and Blue to advance to the semifinals and eventually win the program's second championship title. Bucknell is 3-1 against Army in Patriot League Tournament games.
► WhenCosima Highamposted 10 points and 13 rebounds at Army last week, it was the first time in four years that a Bison had recorded a double-double against the Black Knights. Before Higham,Hope Fosterwas the last to achieve the feat, tallying 22 points and 10 rebounds on Jan. 27, 2007.
► Recent Results:
Army, which enters the postseason with a 13-15 overall record, kicked off its Patriot League schedule in January with a 4-0 run. The hot start fizzled, however, and the Black Knights went 3-7 in their final 10 contests. Most recently they defeated Navy (57-46) and Lafayette (58-36) to stay at the top of the league standings, but their 44-40 loss to Bucknell last Saturday dropped them to fifth place, their lowest of the year.
The Black Knights have consistently found themselves in the middle of the pack in recent years. Last season they claimed the No. 4 seed with a 5-9 league record before losing 57-53 to No. 5 Holy Cross in the quarterfinals at the Crusaders' Hart Center. It was the third consecutive season in which Army was seeded fourth or fifth. Since 1991, the Black Knights have advanced to eight semifinals. Three of those trips have resulted in a championship game appearance, but Army's lone title came in 2005-06, which was also its most recent final.
► Bucknell recorded its best field goal percentage of the season on Feb. 12, shooting 56.9 percent from the field against Holy Cross. The Bison are now 7-6 in games in which they shoot better than 40 percent.
► When Bucknell defeated Colgate 76-66 in overtime on Jan. 22, it marked the first time this season in which the Bison were the victors in the same game thatShelby Rominetallied at least 20 points. Bucknell is 1-5 this winter when Romine scores 20+ points.
► Bucknell has faced just four opponents with a winning record this season. American was 10-4 overall when it entered the game with the Bison on Jan. 12 and went into the Feb. 9 game with a 15-7 record. Penn State was 10-3 prior to its game with Bucknell on Dec. 28. Bucknell's third .500+ opponent was Lehigh (11-9 in January, 18-9 in February). A fourth foe was added to the list when the Bison took on Navy (13-8) on Feb. 5.
► Five of Bucknell's first six wins this season came by single digits. The Bison defeated Rider by five (53-48), Niagara by seven (69-62), Cornell by nine (54-45), Lafayette by eight (57-49) and Army by one (49-48). Bucknell earned its first double-digit victory at Colgate on Jan. 22, winning 76-66 in overtime.
Cosima Highamwas named Second Team All-Patriot League andShelby Romineclaimed All-Rookie honors on Tuesday. Romine's citation comes behind one of the most impressive freshman campaigns in recent history. The guard won a league-best six Rookie of the Week honors and set a Bucknell record in single-game free throws when she shot 19-for-21 from behind the line at Colgate in January. Romine, who tied first-team all-league selection Erin Anthony from Army for a league-best six 20-point games, leads Bucknell in scoring (13.7), assists (97), steals (36), free throw percentage (.730), three-point field goal percentage (.409) and minutes played (38.1) while starting all 26 games this season.
Higham is averaging 7.8 points and 7.9 rebounds this season after improving her numbers greatly over the last four games. Since facing Lafayette on Feb. 16, Higham has posted 11.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Her performance against the Leopards included her second double-double of the season as well as six blocked shots. She currently ranks fourth in career blocked shots (105), and as a sophomore she tied for seventh in single-season blocks (36). She is on the brink of entering the top-10 again with 30 rejections this winter. If the season were to end today, her .494 career percentage would rank fourth at Bucknell. The second-team citation is the first postseason honor of Higham's career.
The Bison have now claimed multiple postseason honors in 18 of the Patriot League's 20 years. Bucknell has earned 51 Patriot League postseason honors from 24 different players since 1990-91.
Joyce Novacekwas recognized for her academic success for the second time this season after being named to the inaugural Academic All-Patriot League Team on Tuesday. Novacek earns the distinction with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.92 and as the only Patriot League women's basketball player with three Academic All-District First Team citations on her resume. She was joined on the team by Army's Erin Anthony, who was also cited as the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the third time, American's Liz Leer, Holy Cross' Whitney Fremeau and Lehigh's Erica Prosser.
It has been eight years since Bucknell played a game in Davis Gym. That makes head coachKathy Fedorjakathe only current Bison with coaching or playing experience at the historic facility. In five years (1997-98 to 2002-03), Fedorjaka earned a 43-19 (.694) record at Davis.
Bucknell used a new starting lineup consisting ofChristina Chukwuedo,Cosima Higham,Felicia Mgbada,Joyce NovacekandShelby Rominewhen they traveled to Army last Saturday. It was the seventh different starting lineup for head coachKathy Fedorjakathis season.
Joyce Novacekis on the cusp of a second consecutive 200-rebound season. The senior, who closed out last year with 201 boards, is currently at 199 with at least one more game to play. Novacek has been held without a rebound just six times in her career, although the last time she failed to grab a board came against Army on Feb. 27, 2010.
The last Bison to finish with 200 rebounds in more than one season wasHope Foster. Foster totaled 265 boards as a sophomore in 2005-06, 244 as a junior and 222 as a senior. She finished her time at Bucknell as the all-time leader in rebounds with 904.
Saturday will mark the first time Bucknell has ever hosted a Patriot League Tournament game for women's basketball. Since the start of the league in 1990-91, the Bison are 13-18 all-time in the postseason tournament, including 4-5 on the road and 9-13 at a neutral site.
Bucknell is 1-3 all-time at the No. 4 seed in the Patriot League Tournament with the last time coming in 2003. The Bison opened that postseason with a 79-69 overtime win against No. 5 Navy, but fell to top-seeded Holy Cross, 66-63, in the semifinals. Bucknell was also seeded fourth in 1997 when they were upset by Lafayette 60-47 and in 1998 when they suffered a 59-55 loss to Lehigh.
The last time Bucknell and Army met in the Patriot League Tournament, the Bison pulled off an overtime upset. The fifth-seeded Bison eliminated the No. 4 Black Knights by a score of 50-47 at Army's Christl Arena asAmanda Brownhit a 3-pointer from the wing with 0.7 seconds left in the extra period. Brown tallied a game-high 19 points, including 13 in the second half and overtime, as the Bison advanced to the semifinals for the fifth time in seven years. The victory improved Bucknell's record to 3-1 against Army in the postseason.
Joyce Novacekscored a career-high 24 points, which is the second-most by a Bison in a Patriot League Tournament game, but No. 8 Bucknell could not pull off the upset over No. 1 Lehigh, falling 72-58 at the Hart Center in Worcester, Mass. Novacek shot 8-for-8 from the field and finished with 19 points in the first half. The Bison also shot well as a team, going 14-for-24 (58.3 percent) in the first.
Despite a lopsided final score, Bucknell hung around throughout the first half. The Bison led at halftime, 32-20. Momentum changed quickly in the second, however, as the Mountain Hawks starting things off with a 9-2 run that included a pair of 3-pointers from Alex Ross. Lehigh outscored Bucknell 46-24 in the second half. The Bison won the battle of the boards, 39-25.
With the regular season officially at an end, Bucknell has claimed fourth place in the Patriot League. After being picked eighth in the league's preseason poll, the Bison have finished higher than predicted for the ninth time in 13 years.
Bucknell has outrebounded each of its last six opponents and 10 of its last 11. In their last six contests, which include American, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Colgate, Lehigh and Army, the Bison have a +9.2 rebounding margin.
WhenTaylor Phillipstallied eight points against Lehigh on Feb. 23, the senior became Bucknell's high scorer for the first time since her freshman campaign. On Nov. 19, 2007, Phillips shared the team lead withHope FosterandLauren Schober, claiming 17 points apiece against Howard. Those 17 points still stand as Phillips' career high and came on 7 of 15 (.467) shooting in her first career start. Phillips totaled 23 minutes in the contest.
The recent outing vs. Lehigh was the first time Phillips had led the team in scoring outright.
Bucknell went into the contest at Army with a 2-11 record in road games this season. Even with the win at West Point, the Bison are being outscored by 12.9 points per game compared to a -7.1 scoring margin in games at Sojka Pavilion. Bucknell is shooting .400 in all 26 games to date, but that field goal percentage drops to .383 in road games. Opponents are also significantly more comfortable shooting on their home court. Bucknell's field goal percentage defense is .417 on the road but .385 overall.
The Bison struggled to put the ball in the basket at Lehigh on Feb. 23, shooting a season-low .294 (15-for-51) from the field. That has turned out to be a trend in recent road games. In the most recent games at Navy, American and Lehigh, Bucknell is at the wrong end of a 27.3-point scoring margin while shooting .327 from the field, .243 from behind the 3-point arc and .548 from the free throw line. Despite leading the Patriot League in rebounding margin (+6.4) this season, the Bison were also getting beat on the boards by an average of two rebounds during that stretch.
For the first time in over a year, Bucknell put together a three-game winning streak (Holy Cross, 68-52; Lafayette, 46-34; Colgate, 79-64). During that stretch, the Bison outscored their opponent by 14.3 points (64.3 to 50.0) and outrebounded them by 17.0 boards (43.0 to 26.0) per game. Bucknell also shot .500 from the field (74-for-148), compared to .274 (49-for-179) for its opponents. Individually,Cosima Highamaveraged a double-double at 13.7 and 10.0 rebounds per game and added 3.3 blocks per contest.
Cosima Highamhad one of the most efficient games of her career when she shot 11-for-13 (.846) from the field for 22 points against Colgate on Feb. 19. It had been seven years since a Bison made 11 field goals in a single game.Lindsey Hollobaughlast did it on Feb. 29, 2004 against the Raiders, going 11-for-23 from the field. That game made her the last in a string of four straight big offensive performances asDesire Almindshot 11-for-22 at Holy Cross (Feb. 27) and 11-for-16 vs. Army (Feb. 22) in the two games before that. Hollobaugh kicked off the stretch with an 11-for-18 performance against Lafayette on Feb. 20.
For the first time this season,Cosima Highamearned a spot in the starting lineup in back-to-back contests vs. Lafayette and Colgate. The senior took advantage of the opportunity, posting her two highest scoring totals of the year. In her six starts this season, Higham is averaging 9.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. In her 14 games off the bench, the forward's numbers drop to 7.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.4 block per game.
Since arriving on campus,Shelby Rominehas made it clear that she can score. Since Patriot League play started, the freshman also proved that she can distribute the ball. Romine leads Bucknell in assists this season with 97, and 64 of those - 66.0 percent - have come since that first Patriot League game vs. Navy. In 14 league contests, Romine's assist average stands at 4.6. In Bucknell's 12 non-conference games, Romine's numbers drops to 2.8 assists per game.
Joyce Novacekled Bucknell in rebounding for the 13th time this season when she grabbed 10 boards against Colgate on Feb. 19. The senior now has five double-digit rebounding games this season and in 18 games in her career. Ten of those performances have come against Patriot League foes, and four of those have come against Colgate.
Christina Chukwuedomight not be the team's leading scorer, but she is currently enjoying the longest scoring streak of her career at 18 games. Prior to the offensive stretch, the junior was averaging 2.0 points per game. She now stands at 4.1 points per game, her highest average of the season and more than double her average from all of 2009-10. Chukwuedo has also dished out 42 of her 63 season's assists during that same time frame.
After not registering a blocked shot in the first game of the season,Cosima Highamtried to make up for lost time. Since the season opener vs. Rider, the senior has 30 blocks, including a career-best six against Lafayette. Higham now has 107 rejections in her career, placing her fourth all-time at Bucknell. TeammateJoyce Novacekranks sixth with 97 career rejections.
Shelby Rominecontinues to make inroads in the Bucknell record book. With 356 points this winter, she ranks seventh on the Orange and Blue's freshman scoring list. Just ahead of her isVicki Quimbyin sixth with 388 points.Lindsey Hollobaughholds the top mark with 483 points in 2003-04.
After going 1-for-4 from behind the arc at American on Feb. 9, Romine moved onto the program's single-season record list for 3-point field goals made. She has since improved to seventh with 45 successful attempts, making her the only freshman on the list. Over the course of the season, Romine is 45 of 110 from long range, giving her a .409 shooting percentage. If the season ended today, that average would rank fourth among single-season marks.
Joyce Novacekhas been doing her best to leave her mark in the history books at Bucknell. The forward has ranked among the Bison's top three in rebounding in each of her first three seasons in the Orange and Blue. After averaging 4.3 boards as a freshman, that number improved to 6.3 in 2008-09 and finally 7.2 to lead the team in 2009-10. With 199 rebounds (7.7/game) this season, Novacek leads all current Bison with 709 career rebounds, ranking her seventh all-time at Bucknell.
NOVACEK NAMED CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT FOR THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR
For the third consecutive year,Joyce Novacekwas named to the Capital One Academic All-District 2 First Team on Feb. 3. Novacek becomes the only Bison other than Bucknell Hall of Famer Jennifer Walz to be recognized for her academic success during all three years in which she was eligible for the award. Walz was named First Team Academic All-America from 1986-87 to 1988-89. After more than three years at Bucknell, Novacek has maintained a cumulative grade-point average of 3.92 while majoring in management and English. She has even recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA on four separate occasions.
In order to be considered for Academic All-America honors, a candidate must be at least a sophomore with a minimum 3.30 cumulative GPA and be a starter or significant reserve on his/her team.
AlthoughJoyce Novacek's88-game scoring streak came to an end vs. Army on Jan. 29, she still has plenty of others in the works. The senior forward has ...
► played in 107 consecutive games (last non-appearance: at Marist, 12/1/07).
► made 78 consecutive starts (last non-start: vs. Drexel, 11/25/08).
► grabbed at least one rebound in 27 straight games (last rebound-less night: vs. Army, 2/27/10).
Over the course of her career, Novacek has played in 113 of a possible 114 games and has been a part of the Bison's starting lineup 92 times, more than any other current Bison. She has been held without a rebound just six times in her nearly four years.
Taylor Phillipsdished out a career-high-tying three assists against Cornell on Dec. 30 before equaling that total at Yale just days later. The performances gave the senior her 10th assist in five games. She has since recorded a season-best 36 assists, more than doubling her career total. Phillips' unselfish play has been rewarded by making her the Bison with the best assist/turnover ratio this season at 1.1.
After a relatively quiet stretch for the team, several Bison made some noise in the Feb. 12 game vs. Holy Cross. Seven season-best totals were either set or matched, three program top-10 marks were made and one Sojka Pavilion record was tied. Here's the lengthy list:
►Rachel Voss: 14 points, 3 assists both tied season highs
►Cosima Higham: 12 rebounds was then a high mark for 2010-11; three blocked shots tied a then-season high and moved her into a fifth-place tie on the career record list; recorded 600th career rebound
►Shelby Romine: tied career highs with seven assists and seven rebounds; moved into ninth at Bucknell in single-season 3-point field goals made
►Joyce Novacek: moved into 10th all-time at Bucknell in career rebounds
►Christina Chukwuedo: tied a career high with six assists
►Felicia Mgbada: made first career 3-point field goal
Lafayette suffered one of the toughest offensive outings in Sojka Pavilion history when Bucknell defeated them 46-34 on Feb. 16. The Leopards finished the night shooting 18.0 percent, setting facility records for lowest field goal percentage and fewest field goals (11-for-61) by an opponent.
The Leopards' 34 points were the fewest allowed by the Bison since a 64-32 win over Colgate on Feb. 17, 2007 and is the ninth-lowest point total by a Bucknell opponent in the program's 38-year history. Bucknell and Lafayette also combined for 80 points, giving them the lowest combined point total since Bucknell and Lehigh totaled 77 points on Jan. 26, 1980. The Bison came away with a 39-38 win 31 years ago.
With 13 rebounds at Wofford and another 10 in the following game at Penn State,Lindsay Horbatuckbecame the first Bison this year to earn double-digit boards in back-to-back contests.Cosima Highamjoined the act later when she grabbed 12 boards opposite Holy Cross on Feb. 12 and 14 against Lafayette the next time out. Most recently, Higham grabbed 10 and 13 rebounds at Lehigh and Army, respectively.
During the 2009-10 campaign, Horbatuck was one of three Bison to record double-digit rebounds in at least two consecutive games. Higham went three straight vs. Holy Cross (16), Lafayette (11) and Colgate (13), whileJoyce Novacekhad back-to-back strong outings against Fordham (15) and Loyola (Md.) (10).
Christina Chukwuedohas been making strides at the free throw line. The junior opened the season just 4-for-12 (.333) from the stripe in her first 10 games. In the last 16 contests, she has improved to 21-for-30 (.700). That progress brings her season average to .595 (25-for-42).
Bucknell failed to score 50 points in four straight games earlier this season, falling 64-48 to Lehigh and winning 49-48 against Army during the week of Jan. 23. The streak reached three at Navy on Feb. 5 with a 66-45 loss and continued with a 66-38 loss at American a few days later. Since the 1975-76 season, Bucknell has recorded back-to-back games of fewer than 50 points 13 times and three straight games of fewer than 50 three times. This is the first time in program history that the Bison have gone four consecutive games without breaking the 50-point marker.
► Last time with back-to-back games of fewer than 50 points:
► Last time with back-to-back games of fewer than 50 points and with one win:
► Last time with three consecutive games of fewer than 50 points:
With 38 points at American on Feb. 9, Bucknell set a scoring low for the season. The previous low for 2010-11 had been 42 points in the team's loss to Fordham (64-42) back on Nov. 17. The Bison then scored just 39 points in a 72-39 loss at Lehigh on Feb. 23. Since the program began in 1973-74, Bucknell is 2-22 all-time in games in which it scores fewer than 40 points.
► The last time the Bison failed to clear 40 points came in the 2009-10 regular-season finale. Bucknell lost 49-37 to Army at Sojka Pavilion on Feb. 28, 2010.
► Bucknell has twice scored fewer than 40 points but come away with a win. Those games were against Messiah (33-26) in 1973-74 and vs. Lehigh (39-38) on Jan. 26, 1980.
►The last time Bucknell had more than one game in a single season in which they failed to reach 40 points came in 1984-85: at Rider on Jan. 7, 1985 (L, 55-37) and vs. Delaware on Jan. 16, 1985 (L, 62-38).
► Twice in program history Bucknell has recorded back-to-back games with fewer than 40 points. The first was in four straight contests during the 1973-74 campaign. The second was Jan. 30, 1982 at Delaware (L, 73-39) and Feb. 4, 1982 at Elizabethtown (L, 72-35).
► Bucknell has scored fewer than 40 points twice against Holy Cross - a 68-39 loss on Jan. 15, 1992 and a 62-39 loss in the Patriot League Tournament on March 5, 1995.
Four days after Bucknell recorded season-best marks from the free throw line by shooting 30 of 35 at Colgate, including a school-record 19 made baskets fromShelby Romine, the team set a season low in the same category against Lehigh. The Bison were 1-for-5 from the line against the Mountain Hawks. The one made basket is the team's fewest this winter.
Shelby Rominenever ceases to amaze the crowd and the game at Colgate on Jan. 22 was no exception. The freshman guard broke a Bucknell record, making 19 of her 21 free throw attempts. Romine's success at the line snapped the record previously held byMolly Creamer, who was 18-for-22 vs. Navy on March 7, 2003. The 19 made free throws also tied a Patriot League record, set by Navy's Erica Hayes shot 19-for-22 vs. Morgan State on Jan. 19, 2000. Romine led all scorers against Colgate with a career-best 28 points.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6: ROMINE NAMED PATRIOT LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK AGAIN
For a league-best sixth time,Shelby Rominewas named the Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week on Jan. 24. The freshman, who was also cited as the league's top newcomer on Nov. 15, Nov. 22, Dec. 27, Jan. 3 and Jan. 10, earned the award after setting the Bucknell free throw record with 19 made shots at Colgate and averaging 20.0 points, 7.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds on the week. In two games, Romine set career highs in points (28 at Colgate), assists (7 at Lafayette, Colgate) and rebounds (7 at Lafayette). She also combined to go 24-for-28 from the free throw line.
Romine's first two Rookie of the Week accolades came back-to-back to open the season, making her the sixth player in league history to be named the top newcomer in each of the season's first two weeks. With her latest honor, the guard becomes the first Bison to earn at least six league rookie accolades sinceLindsey Hollobaughreceived the award eight times in 2003-04.
With the season heading into the final stages,Shelby Romineis trying to hold on to her team lead in scoring (13.7) and assists (97). The last freshman to end her campaign with team highs in both categories wasMolly Creamer. The former guard averaged 15.8 points and tied Lori Houck for the team high in assists with 107 during the 1999-2000 season.
Shelby Romineclaimed a second honor on Jan. 24 after her record-breaking performance at Colgate. Along with her sixth Patriot League/Anaconda Rookie of the Week accolade, the guard was selected as the Susquehanna Valley Limousine Bison Athlete of the Week. Romine is the first women's basketball player to earn the award sinceLauren Schoberon Feb. 1, 2009.
Having played more than 30 games apiece during their careers at Sojka Pavilion,Joyce NovacekandCosima Highamhave moved up the facility record lists. Novacek is second on her home court in rebounds (325), third in blocked shots (42) and free throws attempted (108), fourth in games played (50) and fifth in games started (39). Higham is second in blocks (45) and third in rebounds (273).Felicia Mgbadarecently entered the top five as well, having rejected 17 shot attempts in less than two seasons at Sojka Pavilion, ranking her fifth all-time at the facility.
Shelby Romine, who broke the school record with 19 made free throws, was not the only Bison to get in on the act at Colgate on Jan. 22. As a team, Bucknell was 30 of 35 (.857) from the line, setting a season high in free throws made. The team's previous high had been 18 against Rider in the season opener.
The last time Bucknell attempted more free throws was on Nov. 19, 2007. Bucknell was 31-for-38 (.816) from the line against Howard and won the game 89-79 at Sojka Pavilion.
Bucknell dominated on the glass in both games against Holy Cross. At the end of the first meeting, the Bison held a 42-29 rebounding advantage. The second game ended with Bucknell leading 38-22 on the glass, giving it its then-second-largest margin of the season. The Bison outrebounded Loyola (Md.) 51-27 (+24) on Dec. 1 before posting a +13 rebounding lead vs. Cornell (48-35) on Dec. 30 and again at Holy Cross (42-29).
For the second year in a row,Kathy Fedorjakahas reached a major milestone in her head coaching career. Now in her 14th season at Bucknell, Fedorjaka claimed her 200th win with the Orange and Blue when they defeated Lafayette 57-49 on Jan. 19. She now has a 206-195 record at Bucknell, good for a .514 winning percentage. That total has long put her at the top of the list for most program victories. Number two on that list is Fedorjaka's predecessor, Julienne Simpson, with a six-year mark of 65-98.
Last year, Fedorjaka surpassed the century mark in Patriot League wins with her 60-47 win over Colgate. She entered 2010-11 with a career record of 101-73 in the league.
Bucknell's 57-49 win at Lafayette on Jan. 19 proved momentous for more than one reason. Among the highlights ...
► Bucknell won its first Patriot League game of the season and its first in 11 tries dating back to last season.
► Bucknell won its first away game since Jan. 30, 2010. The Bison's last road victory (and last Patriot League win) came at Army, 59-41, at West Point.
►Kathy Fedorjakaclinched her 200th win at Bucknell. The victory came against Fedorjaka's former coach, Dianne Nolan, who is now at the helm for Lafayette. Fedorjaka played under Nolan for four years at Fairfield University.
►Cosima Highamrecorded her 600th career point. The senior had five points against the Leopards. She is second among current Bison in career scoring behindJoyce Novacek's826 points.
► Bucknell earned its first win of the season when two players scored in double figures.Shelby Rominefinished with 12 points, andRachel Vosschipped in another 10. Bucknell is now 1-5 when two players reach double-digit point totals.
► Bucknell snapped a four-game losing streak, avoiding their longest of the season.
Bucknell played its first overtime in more than two years when it lost to American, 60-55, on Jan. 12. The Bison did not have to wait that long for their next overtime game, going into extra time at Colgate 10 days later. Before this season, the last time Bucknell needed overtime was on March 8, 2008, when it knocked Army out of the Patriot League Tournament with a 50-47 victory. The 2007-08 season saw four games into overtime with Bucknell going 3-1 in those contests. Here are some other OT tidbits:
► The Bison are 19-15 all-time and 1-1 this year in overtime games.
► The four overtime games in 2007-08 tied a program record for the most in a single season. The 1988-89 team also played four overtime games, going 2-2.
► The last overtime loss prior to Jan. 12 vs. American came on Jan. 23, 2008. Bucknell fell to Lafayette, 64-58, at Sojka Pavilion.
► The last overtime win prior to Jan. 22 at Colgate came on March 8, 2008 over Army, 50-47.
► The Orange and Blue's longest overtime game came on Dec. 17, 2005. Bucknell defeated Maryland-Eastern Shore 93-92 in triple-OT.
► Bucknell is 1-3 all-time in double-overtime games.
Joyce Novacekplayed in her 100th career game when she went up against Navy on Jan. 8 (she's now at 113). Novacek's classmateTaylor Phillipsalso joined the club recently, having played in her 100th career contest vs. Colgate on Feb. 19. The last Bison to reach 100 contests wereAmanda Brown(113) andLauren Schober(120), who both played from 2005-06 to 2008-09.
With the season nearly being over,Shelby Rominehas 16 contests in which she has scored in double figures. That is the most by a Bison freshman sinceLauren Schoberhad 16 double-digit scoring games during the 2005-06 season. Romine's highest point total this year was 28 at Colgate on Jan. 22.
Shelby Rominecontinued to impress when she recorded 28 points at Colgate on Jan. 22. The point total gave the freshman six games with at least 20 points this season. The last Bucknellian to have at least six 20-point games in the same campaign wasAmanda Brown, who posted seven in 2008-09.Lindsey Hollobaughwas the last Bison freshman with more than six 20-point games, tallying nine during her rookie season.
Bucknell continued to excel in the classroom during 2009-10. As a team, the Bison were ranked 14th nationally in grade-point average when the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) released its Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll in July. With a 3.422 GPA, Bucknell was the only Patriot League team to earn recognition. Bucknell also led the pack on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. The Bison placed 11 of its 12 players on the list, while no other squad had more than seven.
Joyce NovacekandTrisha Krewsonadded ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team honors to their resumes as well. It was Novacek's second selection of her career.
Should Bucknell complete the three-game sweep of Army, the Bison will move on to face the winner of No. 1 Navy vs. No. 8 Colgate. That game will be played at the site of the higher seed on Wednesday, March 9. Bucknell lost to Navy in both of the 2011 regular-season meetings and won over Colgate in both games this winter.
Source:
No comments:
Post a Comment